JAWS and the 2024 Hall of Fame Ballot: Brandon Phillips

The next article is a part of Jay Jaffe’s ongoing have a look at the candidates on the BBWAA 2024 Corridor of Fame poll. For an in depth introduction to this yr’s poll, and different candidates within the collection, use the software above; an introduction to JAWS may be discovered right here. For a tentative schedule, see right here. All WAR figures consult with the Baseball-Reference model until in any other case indicated.

Although he carried himself with a decidedly trendy swagger, Brandon Phillips styled himself as a throwback, a lot in order that he wound up on the heart of a battle over old-fashioned/new college pondering inside baseball’s tradition conflict, pitted in opposition to teammate Joey Votto. If the flashy, free-swinging Phillips wasn’t all people’s thought of the best second baseman of the post-Moneyball period, his mixture of energy and above-average baserunning and protection made him a useful and entertaining participant. In a 17-year main league profession that took some time to get off the bottom, Phillips gained 4 Gold Gloves, made three All-Star groups and — together with Votto and Corridor of Famer Scott Rolen — helped the Reds to a few playoff appearances in a four-season span.

Brandon Emil Phillips was born on June 28, 1981 in Raleigh, North Carolina, into a really aggressive household. His mother and father, James and Lue Phillips, had been each athletes at Shaw College, a Raleigh-based traditionally Black college. James performed soccer and baseball earlier than occurring to work as a gross sales consultant for the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Firm, whereas his mom performed basketball. Jamil Phillips (b. 1975), the oldest of James and Lue’s 4 kids, performed collegiate baseball at Johnson County (Kansas) Neighborhood School and Southern College earlier than being drafted by the Rangers as an outfielder within the thirty fourth spherical in 1993. P.J. Phillips (b. 1986) was a second-round decide by the Angels out of Redan Excessive Faculty in 2005 and spent 5 seasons within the Angels’ group, one within the Reds’ group, and 4 in unbiased leagues earlier than turning into an indy-league supervisor. Porsha Phillips (b. 1988) performed basketball at Louisiana State and the College of Georgia earlier than spending the 2011 season with the WNBA’s San Antonio Stars.

The Phillips kids had been raised in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Rising up, Brandon rooted for the Braves, served as a batboy in the course of the 1996 Summer season Olympics in Atlanta, and starred in baseball, soccer, and basketball at Redan Excessive Faculty. He signed a letter of intent to pursue the diamond/gridiron combo on the College of Georgia, however when the Expos picked him within the second spherical of the 1999 draft, he selected to signal for a $607,00 bonus. He started his skilled profession with the workforce’s Gulf Coast League affiliate that summer time, taking part in shortstop and hitting .290/.358/.408 with one homer and 12 steals in 47 video games. Transferring as much as A-level Cape Concern in 2000, he hit a modest .242/.306/.378 with 11 homers and 23 steals; Baseball America known as him, “A superior athlete who makes dazzling performs… probably the most dynamic infield prospect within the league by a large margin.” The publication famous his pop and his being named the circuit’s finest defensive shortstop in a midseason ballot of managers, but additionally expressed concern about his propensity to strike out (97 instances, an 18.1% charge).

Phillips cut up his 2001 season between Excessive-A Jupiter and Double-A Harrisburg, hitting a mixed .292/.372/.440 with 11 homer and 30 steals. He drew raves from Baseball America for his improved strike zone judgment, arm power, and drive to enhance, and cracked the publication’s High 100 Prospects listing at no. 20 the next spring. He had simply moved up from Harrisburg to Triple-A Ottawa when on June 27, 2002, he was traded to Cleveland within the Bartolo Colon blockbuster, together with lefty Cliff Lee, outfielder Grady Sizemore, and first baseman Lee Stevens. He completed his minor league season at Triple-A Buffalo, hitting a mixed .302/.348/.479 with 18 homers and 14 steals at his three stops. He performed 11 video games at second base in Buffalo in deference to Omar Vizquel’s presence at shortstop.

Cleveland known as up the 21-year-old Phillips as soon as the minor league season ended. On September 13, he made his main league debut, coming into a recreation in opposition to the Twins within the sixth inning to exchange Vizquel, with second baseman John McDonald transferring to shortstop. He struck out in opposition to Tony Fiore in his lone plate look that evening. Three days later, in his third recreation, he collected his first hit, a single off the Crimson Sox’s Frank Castillo. In all, he batted .258/.343/.419 in 36 plate appearances.

Transferring as much as no. 7 on BA’s High 100 for 2003, Phillips drew comparisons to a trio of future Corridor of Famers:

“Phillips is a premier athlete who tasks as an all-star at both middle-infield place. As a shortstop, Phillips has drawn comparisons to a younger Barry Larkin or Derek Jeter. Hitting out of a Jeff Bagwell-style crouch, Phillips has the bat velocity and athletic ability to be a top-of-the-order hitter… Phillips additionally has a charisma that stamps him as a particular participant. His confidence and aptitude generally annoy opponents. However he enjoys taking part in the sport and doesn’t cover it.”

He opened the 2003 season as Cleveland’s second baseman, however whereas he related for his first main league homer off the White Sox’s Jon Garland on April 9, he struggled mightily. He was despatched again to Buffalo on the All-Star break, didn’t return till late August, and completed the season batting an abysmal .208/.242/.311 (48 OPS+) with six homers in 393 PA. “He went from can’t miss to did, and no one is aware of if the spatula has but been made that may scrape him up from final season’s epic tumble from the heights of prospectdom,” wrote Baseball Prospectus in its 2004 annual. “His failures had been worsened by Phillips’s popularity as a showboat; there’s a skinny line between being charismatic and being a nuisance.” Ouch.

Phillips spent practically the entire 2004 and ’05 seasons in Buffalo, taking part in primarily shortstop whereas Ronnie Belliard earned All-Star honors as Cleveland’s second baseman alongside Vizquel. Phillips performed simply 12 main league video games in these two seasons, throughout which he went simply 4-for-31. His second stint was in July 2005, as Cleveland showcased him as a possible commerce candidate, however no one was prepared to satisfy normal supervisor Mark Shapiro’s excessive asking worth. Out of choices within the spring of 2006, he was traded to the Reds for a participant to be named later (righty reliever Jeff Stevens, a 2005 draftee) on April 7. The Reds already had Wealthy Aurilia, Ryan Freel, and Tony Womack vying for time at second base, however to GM Wayne Krivsky, the 25-year-old Phillips was too massive a expertise to move up. “My scouting instincts kicked in somewhat bit… we didn’t have this type of athletic man,” Krivsky instructed MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon in 2020. “[Phillips] was extra defensive-oriented on the time, and so they weren’t certain how a lot he was going to hit. However he had Gold Glove potential at second base.”

In Cincinnati, Phillips bought to play each day. His .276/.324/.427 line equated to simply an 88 OPS+, and with -8 DRS, he completed with simply 0.5 WAR, however his 17 homers and 25 steals in 27 makes an attempt hinted on the stage of pleasure he might present. In 2007, he broke out, not solely hitting .288/.331/.485 (105 OPS+) however turning into simply the second second baseman to achieve 30 homers and 30 steals in the identical season (he had 32 of the latter) after Alfonso Soriano, who had performed it thrice. He completed with 4.0 WAR, tops among the many workforce’s place gamers. That very same yr, his father opened the Phillips Baseball Heart in Pine Lake, Georgia.

Simply earlier than the 2008 season started, Phillips signed a four-year, $27 million extension. That yr, Dusty Baker took over because the supervisor, inheriting a 72-90 workforce. The Reds didn’t do a lot better in both 2008 (74-88) or ’09 (78-84), and Phillips backslid a bit from his breakout, with 21 homers, 23 steals, a 94 OPS+ and three.0 WAR within the former yr and 20 homers, 25 steals, a 103 OPS+ and a couple of.8 WAR within the latter. He did win his first Gold Glove in 2008, although his 13 DRS and 12.2 UZR each trailed Chase Utley (30 DRS, 18.3 UZR). His season ended on September 10 when within the eleventh inning of a recreation in opposition to the Brewers, he fractured his proper index finger whereas making an attempt to bunt, simply earlier than driving in what would show to be the successful run.

Bolstered by an MVP-winning season from Votto, a full season from 2009 deadline acquisition Rolen, and the emergence of starters Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake, the Reds jumped to 91-71 and gained the NL Central. Phillips parlayed robust protection (10 DRS) and stable offense (18 HR 16 SB, 102 OPS+) into 3.9 WAR in addition to his first All-Star marketing campaign and his second Gold Glove, although once more his metrics had been a beat or two behind Utley’s. Within the Division Collection in opposition to the Phillies, Phillips went 4-for-12, with three of his hits (a single, double and homer) coming off Roy Oswalt, however the Reds had been swept.

Although he totaled simply 18 homers and 14 steals, the 30-year-old Phillips had one of the best offensive season of his profession in 2011, hitting .300/.353/.457 for a 118 OPS+. All however the slugging share would endure as profession highs, as would his 4.9 WAR. He made his second All-Star workforce and gained his third Gold Glove, this time with metrics pretty much as good or higher than Utley’s. The Reds, nonetheless, sank to 79-83.

The Reds picked up Phillips’ $12 million choice for 2012, then in April reworked it into the primary yr of a six-year, $72.5 million extension with a number of the cash deferred. With the rotation’s entrance 5 — Cueto, Mat Latos, Homer Bailey, Bronson Arroyo, and Leake — accounting for all however one of many workforce’s begins, the Reds rebounded to 97-75 with one other NL Central title in 2012. Phillips turned in a 4.0 WAR season regardless of slipping to .281/.321/.429 (99 OPS+) and lacking out on each the All-Star workforce and the Gold Glove. Within the Division Collection opener in opposition to the Giants, he drove in three of the Reds’ 5 runs by way of a two-run homer off Matt Cain and a ninth-inning single off Santiago Casilla, and he collected two doubles and drove in a single run within the workforce’s 9-0 rout in Recreation 2. However whereas he collected hits in every of the subsequent three video games whereas driving in three of the Reds’ eight runs, they dropped all three and had been eradicated.

Phillips gained his remaining Gold Glove and was elected to start out the All-Star Recreation for the one time in his profession in 2013. He hit .261/.310/.396 (94 OPS+) with 18 homers (his fourth straight season with precisely that many) and a career-high 103 RBI. In doing so, he grew to become the uncommon post-1960 enlargement period participant to complete with a sub-100 OPS+ whereas driving in 100 runs and was simply the fourth inside that timeframe to drive in 100 runs whereas slugging under .400; just one participant has performed it since:

Usually batting cleanup, Phillips’s whole was helped immensely by leadoff hitter Shin-Soo Choo strolling 112 instances and posting a .423 OPB, and third hitter Votto strolling a league-high 135 instances with a .435 OBP; to his credit score, Phillips did hit a career-best .338/.404/.469 (133 wRC+) with runners in scoring place. That Votto was so selective however was a lot much less prolific in driving in runs than Phillips opened the primary baseman up for criticism in some quarters, and never for the final time. As for Phillips, together with his protection descending to about common, he completed with 1.7 WAR, his lowest whole since his first season as a Crimson. Even so, he helped the Reds win 90 video games and declare a Wild Card berth, however he went 0-for-4 because the workforce misplaced the NL Wild Card Recreation to the Pirates.

Phillips spent three extra seasons in Cincinnati, with typically diminishing returns, hitting a mixed .285/.319/.396 (94 OPS+) whereas averaging 10 homers, 13 steals, -7 DRS, and 1.1 WAR. After avoiding the injured listing from 2009–13, he missed 39 days in ’14 resulting from surgical procedure to restore a torn ligament in his left thumb, suffered whereas diving for a ball. As his manufacturing waned, the contrasts between his method and that of Votto (who was on his option to a 143-walk, 174 OPS+ season) resurfaced in a reactionary 2015 USA At this time piece by Bob Nightengale:

“I don’t try this MLB Community on-base share (stuff),” Phillips instructed USA TODAY Sports activities. “I feel that’s messing up baseball. I feel folks now are simply apprehensive about getting paid and worrying about on-base share as an alternative of simply successful the sport.

“That’s the brand new factor now. I really feel like all of those stats and all of those geeks upstairs, they’re messing up baseball, they’re simply altering the sport. It’s all about on-base share. When you don’t get on base, then you definately suck. That’s mainly what they’re saying. Individuals don’t care about RBI or scoring runs, it’s all about getting on base.”

All that was lacking from Phillips’ prolonged rant was a GIF of Abe Simpson yelling at a cloud.

After the 2015 season — at 2.2 WAR and a 97 OPS+, one of the best of these three — the Reds and Nationals agreed on a commerce that will reunite Phillips with Baker in Washington. Phillips used the leverage of his 10-and-5 rights to request an extension past the 2 years and $27 million remaining on his contract, however the Nationals wouldn’t chunk, so he blocked the commerce. With Phillips coming off a a lot much less productive 2016 (94 OPS+, -15 DRS, 0.1 WAR) and the Reds pushing into rebuilding mode, the workforce tried to deal him to Atlanta — the place Phillips owned a house — in November of that yr. Once more he used his 10-and-5 rights to dam a deal, however in February, he relented and accepted a commerce to the rebuilding Braves, who felt higher urgency after free agent acquisition Sean Rodríguez was injured in a automobile crash. The Reds despatched $13 million of Phillips’ $14 million remaining wage to Atlanta whereas the Braves parted with pitching prospects Andrew McKirahan and Carlos Portuondo and (as a participant to be named later) infielder Kevin Franklin. The Braves facilitated the commerce by agreeing to honor Phillips’ 12-team restricted no-trade clause that had been outdated by his 10-and-5 rights, and by including a $500,000 project bonus if he was traded once more.

Phillips hit a stable .291/.329/.423 (96 OPS) with 1.0 WAR for the Braves, who coincidentally had signed Colon as a free agent. Phillips reached a few key milestones whereas suiting up for Atlanta. On April 11 in opposition to the Marlins, he stole the 2 hundredth base of his profession, and on Could 22 in opposition to the Pirates, he hit his 2 hundredth profession homer, a solo shot off Gerrit Cole.

Initially of August, Phillips moved to 3rd base, a place he’d by no means performed within the majors, when the workforce recalled 20-year-old prospect Ozzie Albies to play second. In a waiver deal on the finish of the month, Phillips was traded to the Angels in change for catcher Tony Sanchez. He hit for only a 74 OPS+ in September whereas the Angels, who had been only one recreation out of a Wild Card spot when he was acquired, went simply 11-17 the remainder of the way in which and missed the playoffs.

A free agent for the primary time after the 2017 season, the 36-year-old Phillips didn’t discover a deal to his liking in time for the season to start out, however on June 27, 2018, he signed with the Crimson Sox. He performed 44 video games for the workforce’s minor league associates and hit properly, however didn’t get recalled till September 5. He homered off the Braves’ A.J. Minter in his first recreation again, and whereas he went simply 3-for-23 in 9 video games, he did get a World Collection ring for his hassle.

That was Phillips’ final main league stint, however he stored the candle burning. He performed 4 video games for the Vallejo Admirals of the unbiased Pacific Affiliation, managed by youthful brother P.J. Phillips, then signed with the Diablos Rojos del Mexico of the Mexican League, for whom he performed 36 video games. In the course of the 2020 season, he performed eight video games for the Baseball Brilliance of the Yinzer Baseball Confederacy, one of many pop-up unbiased leagues that proliferated when the COVID-19 pandemic worn out the minor league season, then joined the Lexington Legends for his or her Battle of the Bourbon Path exhibition collection. That winter, the 40-year-old Phillips grew to become a co-owner of the Legends as they joined the Atlantic League, and in 2021 he made historical past as “the primary ever Atlantic League participant to be on the roster for a workforce that he co-owns.” He performed 54 video games for the Legends in 2021 and one other 40 in ’22.

The press launch touting Phillips’ participant/proprietor function additionally referred to him as a “future MLB Corridor of Famer,” however he gained’t be going to Cooperstown in that capability; at this writing he has but to obtain a single vote from among the many 160 revealed within the Poll Tracker. He has left his mark on the sport, nonetheless, as one in all 9 gamers to report 2,000 hits, 200 homers, and 200 steals:

Six of these gamers are within the Corridor of Fame, and a seventh, Rollins, is on the poll. Even because the low man of the bunch when it comes to OPS+ and WAR, Phillips is in spectacular firm, testifying to the abilities and aptitude that he dropped at the sport.