3 Reds prospects who have superstar potential and 1 who won't quite get there

Reds prospect Connor Phillips will fall just short of superstar status.

Collectively, Reds fans rolled their eyes when Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suárez were dealt to the Seattle Mariners for a rotational outfielder, an injured pitcher, a left-handed prospect, and a player to be named later.

That PTBNL turned out to be one of the better pitching prospects in Seattle's farm system. MLB Pipeline ranks Connor Phillips as the 14th-best prospect in their minor league system, while FanGraphs ranks the right-hander at No. 6, slotting him ahead of former first-round picks Matt McLain and Austin Hendrick.

Phillips pursuit of becoming an elite, superstar pitcher will hinge on his command and development of his secondary pitches. Phillips has a pair of breaking balls (curveball and slider) and is working on adding a changeup as well.

Phillips must, however, find a way to get his walks under control. That alone is what will keep him from stardom in the big leagues. While Phillips has been striking out over 30% of the hitters he's facing, he's also been walking opposing batters about 15% of the time in the early going.

If Connor Phillips, who's only 21 years old and has yet to pitch above High-A, learns how to attack the strike zone, he has star potential. Phillips' curveball is a plus-pitch and his slider isn't far behind.

Development in the minors over the next two years is key to Phillips unlocking his greatness, but I believe he'll fall just short of that and instead be a middle-of-the-rotation piece for the Reds in the future.