What to do with Brandon Phillips

[mdccclxix]

The only player in recent memory besides BP who made a habit of going into a HR trot on what turned out to be a ball that stayed in the park was Jr.

You call Phillips reaction last night a home run trot? Have you seen his home run trot? It is very distinctive and last night was not it.

[flyer85]

You call Phillips reaction last night a home run trot? Have you seen his home run trot? It is very distinctive and last night was not it.

call it what ever you want, he was jogging and it likely cost the team a run.

[mdccclxix]

Jonny Gomes is a "hotdog" I'd say. I've seen it for two years while he's flipping bats, showing "enthusiasm" (stylin?), and trotting along on fly balls whether they leave the yard or not.

[CTA513]

Jonny Gomes is a "hotdog" I'd say. I've seen it for two years while he's flipping bats, showing "enthusiasm" (stylin?), and trotting along on fly balls whether they leave the yard or not.

Gomes wouldn't even be on the team if the Reds would have replaced the guy who used to play left.

[flyer85]

Jonny Gomes is a "hotdog" I'd say. I've seen it for two years while he's flipping bats, showing "enthusiasm" (stylin?), and trotting along on fly balls whether they leave the yard or not.

you can do it and get away with it as long as you are not incorrect.

[mdccclxix]

you can do it and get away with it as long as you are not incorrect.

Is that right? Wow. So, "inexcusable" otherwise? Hmm.

[flyer85]

Is that right? Wow. So, "inexcusable" otherwise? Hmm.

Yep. Because the line is drawn where the hot dogging starts costing the team runs. And BP has been guilty of that multiple occasions.

[mdccclxix]

So the routine fly ball that was dropped by an opponent earlier this year...the one Fay jumped right on...it was his fault, his hot dogging ways, that made him so different from 99% of baseball players who don't break their necks "running it out"?

[CTA513]

So the routine fly ball that was dropped by an opponent earlier this year...the one Fay jumped right on...it was his fault, his hot dogging ways, that made him so different from 99% of baseball players who don't break their necks "running it out"?

His manager seems to have spoken to him more than a few times about hustling so its not like is just fans and sports writers making this stuff up.

[dougdirt]

His manager seems to have spoken to him more than a few times about hustling so its not like is just fans and sports writers making this stuff up.

Sure, it does happen to him. Just like it happens to everyone. Joey Votto does it. Albert Pujols does it (all the time actually). People in this town just throw a fit over it more than other places because Pete "I cheated the Reds organization and fans out of so much by being selfish" Rose always hustled and this town fell in love with him. They now expect everyone to do it. That isn't how it works. Everyone short of Adam Rosales jogs on fly balls they know are going to be caught and a whole lot of people don't bust it out of the box on balls they think they hit out of the park.

[reds44]

Sure, it does happen to him. Just like it happens to everyone. Joey Votto does it. Albert Pujols does it (all the time actually). People in this town just throw a fit over it more than other places because Pete "I cheated the Reds organization and fans out of so much by being selfish" Rose always hustled and this town fell in love with him. They now expect everyone to do it. That isn't how it works. Everyone short of Adam Rosales jogs on fly balls they know are going to be caught and a whole lot of people don't bust it out of the box on balls they think they hit out of the park.

This.

[TheNext44]

The issue wtb Phillips is not that he jogs to first on fly balls. The issue is that he stops an stares everytime he thinks he's hit a homer. He did it again today, but today it went out, just barely. If it had not, he would have only gotten to second again.
He does it every time, and he's not enough of a power hitter to know that everytime he squares up on a pitch that it will be a homer.
Maybe it's Dusty's fault for trying to make him a cleanup hitter. But he can't keep doing it, get caught and then say "my bad" and have it be all right.
I think he has been given enough chances to prove that he's learned his lesson, and proven that he never will.

[RedsManRick]

The issue wtb Phillips is not that he jogs to first on fly balls. The issue is that he stops an stares everytime he thinks he's hit a homer. He did it again today, but today it went out, just barely. If it had not, he would have only gotten to second again.
He does it every time, and he's not enough of a power hitter to know that everytime he squares up on a pitch that it will be a homer.
Maybe it's Dusty's fault for trying to make him a cleanup hitter. But he can't keep doing it, get caught and then say "my bad" and have it be all right.
I think he has been given enough chances to prove that he's learned his lesson, and proven that he never will.

Exactly. It's one thing to jog on a pop-up where you know you didn't get enough of it. It's another to act like every deep fly ball is a no-doubter and break in to a trot until and unless the ball falls in.

[mdccclxix]

Most players pause to admire their shots and don't pickup speed until/unless it drops for a hit, happens nearly every single time. Phillips is no different. If you want to rag on Phillips as the poster boy for all "non-fundamental" players I don't think that's fair.

Phillips has aquired a reputation of silly mistakes, much of it on the bases. Over the last 2 seasons he's been TOO try hard in stretching plays, getting picked off, or caught stealing. This is in a climate of "must win" seasons with injuries and less talent than needed.

Add that in with the occasional mistake at the plate and now he's "uncoachable" or something. It just seems to magnify itself because he does try so hard. I think Dusty's right in saying he's an A student getting B's, and he may get the most out of BP. For many Reds fans, and for Fay, he's getting C-'s which is not true.

[TheNext44]

Most players pause to admire their shots and don't pickup speed until/unless it drops for a hit, happens nearly every single time. Phillips is no different. If you want to rag on Phillips as the poster boy for all "non-fundamental" players I don't think that's fair.

Phillips has aquired a reputation of silly mistakes, much of it on the bases. Over the last 2 seasons he's been TOO try hard in stretching plays, getting picked off, or caught stealing. This is in a climate of "must win" seasons with injuries and less talent than needed.

Add that in with the occasional mistake at the plate and now he's "uncoachable" or something. It just seems to magnify itself because he does try so hard. I think Dusty's right in saying he's an A student getting B's, and he may get the most out of BP. For many Reds fans, and for Fay, he's getting C-'s which is not true.

Phillips is different in that he does every time he hits the ball far, and he just doesn't have the power to assume that every time he hits the ball far, it will be a homerun. Most guys, start running if there is any doubt, and only stop to look at the no doubters.

And for me, the biggest problem is that this has come up every season, and he keeps saying it won't happen again. You only get to say that once.