Cincinnati Reds Prospect Profile: OF Phil Ervin
By Adam Hughes
Next up on our list of the Cincinnati Reds‘ top prospects is right-handed pitcher Phil Ervin.
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Name: Phil Ervin
Age: 23
Position: OF
Acquired: 1st-round pick in 2013 amateur draft
Highest Level: Single-A Dayton Dragons
2014 Statistics (minors): 7 HR, 68 RBI, .237 BA, .305 OBP, .376 SLG, 30 SB
Overview:
After a promising two-stop debut season after being drafted out of Samford University in 2013, outfielder Phillip Ervin began 2014 where he ended up the previous year, with the Dayton Dragons. Hopes were high that Ervin could build on the numbers he put up in 2013 — 9 HR, 35 RBI, 14 SB, 1 CS, .331/,425/.564. Instead, the wheels fell off … at least on the surface.
After the 2013 season, Ervin underwent wrist surgery, though the Reds kept that news hush-hush until late Spring 2014. By that point, Ervin was already off to a rough start, and it was clear that Ervin’s bat lacked the pop it had shown the year before. He managed to play in 132 games but never really got rolling at the plate, finishing with a line of 7 HR, 68 RBI, 30 SB, 5 CS, .237/.305/.376.
He was a completely different player at the plate, in other words, but his speed and base-running acumen remained intact.
In the field, Ervin spent most of his time in center field but also logged significant innings in left and right. The balky wrist did not seem to bother his fielding, as he committed just one error — in RF — over 222 chances, good for a .995 fielding percentage.
Ervin is in Spring Training with the Reds this year and has collected two singles with an RBI and two strikeouts.
Ervin could use a confidence boost after his ugly performance at the plate last season, and, assuming his wrist is 100% healthy, the High-A Bakersfield Blaze seem a likely place for him to open the season. The California League is a notorious hitters’ paradise, and Ervin is likely ready for the promotion despite struggles in 2014.
Riverfront ETA: 2018
Next: Cincinnati Reds Prospect Profile: RHP Jon Moscot