Phillip S. Ervin (born July 15, 1992) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

for the

New Jersey Jackals The New Jersey Jackals are an American professional baseball team based in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The team was founded in 1998 by Floyd Hall and is owned by Al Dorso, a businessman who also owns the Sussex County Miners, Sky ...

of the

Frontier League The Frontier League is a professional independent baseball league with teams in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Eastern Canada. Formed in 1993, it is the oldest currently running independent league in the United States. The le ...

. Prior to playing professionally, Ervin attended

Samford University Samford University is a private Christian university in Homewood, Alabama. In 1841, the university was founded as Howard College by Baptists. Samford University describes itself as the 87th oldest institution of higher learning in the United Sta ...

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for the

Bulldogs The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

and

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

. Ervin starred in baseball for

Leroy High School Leroy is a census-designated place located in Washington County, Alabama, around north of Mobile. As of the 2010 census, its population was 911. Demographics Notable people * Sammie Coates, NFL wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs *Phil ...

. In college, Ervin was named a First Team All-

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly ...

in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The Reds selected him with the 27th overall selection in the

2013 MLB draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

Amateur career

Ervin attended

Leroy, Alabama Leroy is a census-designated place located in Washington County, Alabama, around north of Mobile. As of the 2010 census, its population was 911. Demographics Notable people *Sammie Coates, NFL wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs *Phill ...

, and played for the school's football, basketball and baseball teams. As a football player, Ervin played wide receiver alongside future NFL player

Sammie Coates Sammie Coates Jr. (born March 31, 1993) is an American football wide receiver for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Auburn, where he played in the 2013 SEC Championship Game and 2014 BCS N ...

. During his junior season of football he hauled in 41 receptions for 697 yards and 6 touchdowns. In his senior football season at Leroy, Ervin tore the

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...

in his knee, requiring surgery. He missed the remainder of the football season, and missed all but the final six games of the baseball season. He played in the baseball postseason. He was able to pitch, but played as a

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

instead of an outfield, as he did not have the mobility to play the outfield.

was the only

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division I university to offer Ervin a scholarship. Samford allowed Ervin to play as an

and

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the

Samford Bulldogs baseball : ''For information on all Samford University sports, see Samford Bulldogs'' The Samford Bulldogs baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Samford University in Homewood, Alabama, United States. The team is a member of the So ...

team. As a freshman at Samford University in 2011, Ervin had a .371

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

, a .440

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...

(OBP), and a .516 SLG, with four home runs. He was named a freshman All-American by

National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) is an association of baseball writers, broadcasters, and publicists in the United States. It was founded in 1962. The NCBWA compiles a preseason ranking of the top 35 teams in the nati ...

and

Louisville Slugger Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

and the

(SoCon) All-Freshman team and 1st Team All-SoCon. The Bulldogs also set a school single season record with 37 wins. Following his freshman season at Samford, Ervin played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

for the

Green Bay Bullfrogs The Green Bay Rockers are a baseball team that plays in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The team joined the league as the Bullfrogs as an expansion franchise for the 2007 season along with the Battle Creek Bombers. Bef ...

of the

Northwoods League The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not paid, so as to maintain their college el ...

, where he batted 39-for-128 (.305) with six home runs and 34 RBIs. As a sophomore in 2012, Ervin batted .327 with a .519 SLG, 10 home runs, and 52 RBIs. He was again named first team All-SoCon. Ervin and the Bulldogs broke the school record for wins yet again with 41 and earned their first berth in the

NCAA Division I baseball tournament The NCAA Division I Baseball Championship is held each year from May through June and features 64 college baseball teams in the United States, culminating in the eight-team Men's College World Series at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebr ...

in school history. That summer, Ervin played

for the

Harwich Mariners The Harwich Mariners are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Harwich, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Mariners play their home games at Whitehouse Fiel ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

. He was named the league's

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

after batting .331 with 31 RBIs and 29 runs scored. In the 2013 season as a junior, Ervin lead the Bulldogs in runs scored,

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s and

. He was named the preseason SoCon Player of the Year and preseason first team All-American by ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

''. Following the season, Ervin was named a Perfect Game Second Team All-American and a Third Team All-American by ''Baseball America''.

Professional career

Draft and minor leagues

The

chose Ervin with the twenty-seventh pick of the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

. This choice was surprising as the Reds were expected to select a pitcher. The Reds signed Ervin to a contract with a $1,812,400

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. Ervin began his professional career with the

Billings Mustangs The Billings Mustangs are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Billings, Montana, and have played their home games at Dehler ...

of the Rookie-level Pioneer League, where he batted .326 with eight home runs. He was promoted to the

Dayton Dragons The Dayton Dragons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Dayton, Ohio, and play their home games at Day Air Ballpark, formerly known as Fifth Third Field. In 2 ...

of the Class A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

on July 30. He hit .349 with a home run for Dayton. He had a combined .311

, nine

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s, 35

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

, a .425

, and 14

s in 15 attempts. He injured his wrist during the 2013 season, and underwent surgery during the offseason to correct it. Ervin returned to Dayton in 2014, but struggled, batting .237 for the season, though he did steal 30 bases. Ervin worked with Eric Davis on his hitting in 2015. He started the 2015 season with the

Daytona Tortugas The Daytona Tortugas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and play their home games at Jackie Robinson Ballpark; opened in 191 ...

of the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

(FSL). Ervin's hitting improved, and he was selected for the FSL

all-star game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or div ...

. He was promoted to the

Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home games at Admiral Fetterman Field. In 2012, the team rel ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Southern League later in the season. After the regular season, he played for the

Peoria Javelinas The Peoria Javelinas are a baseball team that plays in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. The Javelinas play their home games in the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona. The ballpark is also the spring training facility for the Sa ...

of the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fill ...

. Ervin spent the 2016 season with Pensacola. He was named the league's player of the week for April 25 – April 30. In the league's all-star game, he hit a

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

and won "Top Star" honors. Though he batted .239 for the season, his 36 stolen bases were fourth-best in the league. 362

was seventh-best in the league, and his 13 home runs were tied for eighth-best. The Reds added Ervin to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

after the 2016 season.

Cincinnati Reds

2017 season

He began the 2017 season with the

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, win ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL ...

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

, and was promoted to the major leagues on April 21. Ervin made his major league debut on April 22 as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute Batting (baseball), batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the dead ball (baseball), ball is dead (not in active play); the manager (baseball), manager may use any player who has not yet ...

, in which he hit a tapper to pitcher

Jake Arrieta Jacob Joseph Arrieta (born March 6, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and San Diego Padres. Arrieta played college ...

who took the force out at second, allowing Ervin to reach on a

fielder's choice In baseball, fielder's choice (abbreviated FC) refers to a variety of plays involving an offensive player reaching a base due to the defense's attempt to put out another baserunner, or the defensive team's indifference to his advance. Fielder's cho ...

. He was optioned back to Louisville on April 26. Ervin hit .256 with 7 home runs and 40 RBIs for the Bats. On August 15, he was recalled by the Reds. On August 16, 2017, Ervin recorded his first major league hit, a solo home run off of

Héctor Rondón Héctor Luis Rondón (born February 26, 1988) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, and Arizona Diamondbacks. Rondón signed as an international fre ...

. The next day, he made his first career start at

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago Wh ...

, going 3-for-4 with a home run and 4 RBIs. In 28 games of his first season in the Majors, Ervin batted .259 with 3 home runs, 2 doubles, and 10 RBIs.

2018 season

To begin 2018, Ervin won a roster spot as the Reds' fifth outfielder on

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

. On April 26, he was optioned back to Louisville. Ervin had a brief 3 day call up with the Reds in June before returning to Louisville again on June 24. On July 20, Ervin was called up to replace an injured

Scott Schebler Scott Anthony Schebler (born October 6, 1990) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. Scott grew up in Shueyville, Iowa and attended Prairie High School in Cedar Rapids. He previously played in Major League ...

. On August 17, 2018, he recorded his first career walk off hit with a walk off home run off

Ray Black Raymond Anthony Black (born June 26, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants and Brewers. Career Amateur career B ...

of the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

. Ervin finished the regular season with a .252 average, 7 home runs, and 31 RBIs

2019 season

Unlike 2018, Ervin did not make the club's Opening Day roster. He got his first of many call-ups of the year on April 23, 2019, to replace

Matt Kemp Matthew Ryan Kemp (born September 23, 1984) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He began his professional career in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization in 2003, and played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Dodgers fr ...

who recently hit the DL. Despite not receiving much regular playing time with the big league club, Ervin enjoyed a career best year. He slashed career bests .271/.331/.466 and set career highs in GP (94), XBH (25), and R (30). On July 13, 2019, Ervin went a perfect 6-for-6 with three RBI to become the first Reds player since Walker Cooper in 1949 to have six hits in a game.

2020 season

In his first 42 plate appearances of 2020, Ervin hit .086/.238/.086 with no home runs, which led to him being designated for assignment on August 28, 2020.

Seattle Mariners

On September 3, 2020, Ervin was claimed off waivers by the

. On December 16, 2020, Ervin was designated for assignment following the signing of

Keynan Middleton Keynan Anthony Middleton (born September 12, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Chicago White Sox organization. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the third round of the 2013 MLB draft. Middleton made his MLB debut ...

Chicago Cubs

On December 22, 2020, Ervin was claimed off waivers by the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

. On February 20, 2021, Ervin was designated for assignment by the Cubs after the signing of

Jake Marisnick Jacob Shawn Marisnick (born March 30, 1991) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Chicago White Sox organization. He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs, Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, New York Mets, San Diego Padr ...

was made official.

Atlanta Braves

On February 22, 2021, Ervin was claimed off waivers by the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

. On March 27, 2021, Ervin was designated for assignment for the 4th time in the past 8 months. On April 3, Ervin was outrighted to the alternate training site.

Lexington Legends

On April 1, 2022, Ervin signed with the

Lexington Legends The Lexington Legends are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball. The Legends have ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

. Ervin played in 109 games for Lexington, hitting .275/.397/.467 with 18 home runs, 59 RBI, and 33 stolen bases. He became a free agent following the season.

New Jersey Jackals

On April 13, 2023, Ervin signed with the

of the

References

External links

Samford Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ervin, Phillip 1992 births Living people People from Leroy, Alabama Baseball players from Alabama Major League Baseball outfielders Cincinnati Reds players Seattle Mariners players Samford Bulldogs baseball players Harwich Mariners players Billings Mustangs players Dayton Dragons players Daytona Tortugas players Lexington Legends players Pensacola Blue Wahoos players Peoria Javelinas players Louisville Bats players