The New York Yankees have already made a big splash in the trade market. The team acquired Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Miami Marlins on July 27. The Yankees are not done making moves before the July 30 trade deadline.
The team made two moves on July 30 bringing arms to the organization. They traded for Mark Leiter Jr. from the Chicago Cubs on July 30. Also, surprisingly, they signed former Tampa Bay Rays World Series hero Brett Phillips as a pitcher, according to Francys Romero
Phillips made his MLB debut in 2017. He spent seven seasons in MLB as an outfielder for five different teams. He last appeared in a big league game on October 1, 2023, for the Los Angeles Angels.
Phillips’ Position Change Led to Signing With the Yankees
Phillips toed the rubber five times in his MLB career, according to MLB.com’s Jason Foster. All five of his appearances came in blowouts. However, despite his pitching appearances coming in meaningless innings, his time on the mound was always entertaining. Phillips’ energy and enthusiasm was a big hit with fans on social media.
As a position player in blowouts, he had a 15.19 ERA in five outings. However, a serious position change has earned him a minor-league contract with the Yankees.
“During an appearance on Monday for the GPS Legends in the National Baseball Conference World Series in Wichita, Kan., Phillips became a surprise social media star by throwing 97 mph fastballs and featuring a pretty good slider while striking out the side in the first inning.” wrote Foster.
Phillips, who was once throwing 50 mph strikes in blowouts, is now looking for a way back to the big leagues as a legit pitcher. His outing in Kansas earned him a spot on Pitching Ninja on X.
“Honestly, it felt like I was playing in the big leagues,” Phillips told The Wichita Eagle’s Taylor Eldridge following his pitching debut. “Just because of how new (pitching) is to me, that’s how it felt emotions-wise. I’m excited to see where this takes me, but it was a great first step.”
Phillips MLB Past and Future
The highlight of Phillips’ career was a walk-off single for the Rays in Game 4 of the 2020 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the Rays still fell short of the World Series title. Phillips was chased by his teammates as he ran around the outfield following the iconic hit.
He had a .187/.272/.347 slash line in his career. Phillips now hopes to return to the big leagues as a reliever, according to the Tampa Bay Times Marc Topkin.
Phillips signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox this offseason but was released on May 4. Since being released, the 30-year-old has been working with a pitching coach in Texas according to Eldridge.
“This wasn’t something where I got ready in a week for this,” Phillips said. “I’ve put in a lot of good work. This has been a thought-out process and something I really want to pursue and I feel like I can still make a difference at the big-league level.”
He will report to Class A Tampa as he takes his next step toward returning to the big leagues, according to USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale.
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