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Thread: Is Brandon Phillips having a career year?

  1. #1
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    Is Brandon Phillips having a career year?

    http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/team/...ayer_id=408252

    Maybe not a career year, because it seems unlikely he'll top 2007, but...

    He's hitting righties and lefties almost evenly, he's walking and he's getting on base (he's on pace to shatter his previous walk total). He's been a doubles machine (on pace to shatter his highest doubles total) and still may hit 20 HRs. He's even been willing to sacrifice when necessary. It's the most "team oriented" I've seen Brandon too.

    Dude is OPSing .817 at 2B while providing Gold Glove type defense. I know it's hard to put a value on this, but the guy looks great at the plate this year. His plate discipline looks so much better this year compared to the past and I just don't see him swinging at bad pitches as much anymore.


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    Member Will M's Avatar
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    Re: Is Brandon Phillips having a career year?

    Quote Originally Posted by fearofpopvol1 View Post
    http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/team/...ayer_id=408252

    Maybe not a career year, because it seems unlikely he'll top 2007, but...

    He's hitting righties and lefties almost evenly, he's walking and he's getting on base (he's on pace to shatter his previous walk total). He's been a doubles machine (on pace to shatter his highest doubles total) and still may hit 20 HRs. He's even been willing to sacrifice when necessary. It's the most "team oriented" I've seen Brandon too.

    Dude is OPSing .817 at 2B while providing Gold Glove type defense. I know it's hard to put a value on this, but the guy looks great at the plate this year. His plate discipline looks so much better this year compared to the past and I just don't see him swinging at bad pitches as much anymore.
    I believe you are exactly right. The move to the #2 spot was a great move.
    He is much more a complete hitter. The walks really stand out. When you watch him at the plate he is battling. He no longer just flails away at every slider low & away.
    .

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    Waitin til next year bucksfan2's Avatar
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    Re: Is Brandon Phillips having a career year?

    BP had a good offensive night last night, but he pretty much wiped all that out with his base running. 3-4 with a double but he also was caught steeling and doubled up on a liner to RF. That is my biggest complaint right now with BP, he negates so much on the base paths.

    Otherwise his BA is creeping up on .300 and his OBP is around .350. Guy is having a monster offensive season, just quit making those mental errors.

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    Re: Is Brandon Phillips having a career year?

    he is having a great season and is worth the money his contract is scheduled to pay him.

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    Re: Is Brandon Phillips having a career year?

    BP had a good offensive night last night, but he pretty much wiped all that out with his base running. 3-4 with a double but he also was caught steeling and doubled up on a liner to RF. That is my biggest complaint right now with BP, he negates so much on the base paths.
    My guess is that he was told to steal -- there were 2 outs and 2 strikes on Bruce, team down 1-0. In that situation, it makes sense to take a shot. Unfortunately, if the pitcher and catcher execute, you're going to be out. I don't think you can pin that on Phillips -- he just happened to be the guy on the receiving end of marching orders.

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    Waitin til next year bucksfan2's Avatar
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    Re: Is Brandon Phillips having a career year?

    Quote Originally Posted by lollipopcurve View Post
    My guess is that he was told to steal -- there were 2 outs and 2 strikes on Bruce, team down 1-0. In that situation, it makes sense to take a shot. Unfortunately, if the pitcher and catcher execute, you're going to be out. I don't think you can pin that on Phillips -- he just happened to be the guy on the receiving end of marching orders.
    Yea I don't know the situation. But I do know what he has been less than successful stealing this season. He used to pick his spots and was very successful. This season he is being thrown out easily on many of his stolen base attempts.

    Don't know why but he just isn't that effective of a base stealer anymore.

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    Re: Is Brandon Phillips having a career year?

    Don't know why but he just isn't that effective of a base stealer anymore.
    True. Would be nice if Baker did a better job of resting his middle infielders every now and then -- I have to think Phillips' legs could be fresher than they are.

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    Re: Is Brandon Phillips having a career year?

    Quote Originally Posted by bucksfan2 View Post
    Yea I don't know the situation. But I do know what he has been less than successful stealing this season. He used to pick his spots and was very successful. This season he is being thrown out easily on many of his stolen base attempts.

    Don't know why but he just isn't that effective of a base stealer anymore.
    How about the level of aggressiveness Baker asks from his baserunners (not to mention BP's already aggressive nature)? He is asking these guys to take more chances than usual, more risks mean more times caught and more runs scored, so far so good?
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    Re: Is Brandon Phillips having a career year?

    Quote Originally Posted by Will M View Post
    I believe you are exactly right. The move to the #2 spot was a great move.
    He is much more a complete hitter. The walks really stand out. When you watch him at the plate he is battling. He no longer just flails away at every slider low & away.
    If you recall him last year, he was often swinging so hard that he'd end up on one knee. That happened a lot. Haven't seen it this year. I suppose there's no problem with taking one mighty rip early in the count; but in general, he seems to be playing the game with more finesse and execution than he did before. And I, too, attribute it, in large part, to the move to No. 2 in the order. He seems like a different guy in that spot. Another factor might be the team-player bug that has been going around the clubhouse. He seems to have caught it.

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    Re: Is Brandon Phillips having a career year?

    Quote Originally Posted by mace View Post
    Another factor might be the team-player bug that has been going around the clubhouse. He seems to have caught it.
    Agreed completely. I've seen numerous ABs from Phillips this year where he has a man on second with zero or one out where he takes his big cut early in the count to try to drive in the run, but then significantly cuts down on his swing, deliberately trying to hit a ground ball to the right side to move the runner later over in the count. I don't think that this would have happened in years past. Call it the Rolen effect, the OC effect, call it whatever you want; but Brandon is a different player this year.
    This will not change until the Reds win the World Series.......

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    You're soaking in it! MartyFan's Avatar
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    Re: Is Brandon Phillips having a career year?

    I am really bummed and cannot believe that MLB removed the play Brandon Phillips made at home plate when he steamrolled Wil Nieves the other night against the Nationals...what the heck!

    Not even on YouTube.

    Undoubtedly one of the hard nose type of plays that can really be celebrated and MLB takes it down.
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    Re: Is Brandon Phillips having a career year?

    Phillips does seem to matured as a hitter.

    He is going to right field much more this year and adjusting his swing to where the pitch is. Previously he was homer-happy and swung from his heels 90% of the time. Better eye at the plate too.

    I agree that his legs don't look fresh and he doesn't quite have the same bounce. He looks like he's put on a few pounds too. I've been very happy with how he's played though.
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    Re: Is Brandon Phillips having a career year?

    IMO, Brandon had matured as a hitter as of last year. His approach was similar, it's just that in the 4 spot he'd take TWO big cuts, each one sending him to a knee. This year, it's only one nice cut and he's rarely on the ground afterward.

    Nevertheless, last year I learned not to worry with Brandon at 0-2. IMO, he's probably right with Rolen in terms of fighting through the count. His strikeouts are very low, and many have said it, the increase in walks is a nice addition to the lineup.

    I don't know if this is a career year, or just Brandon Phillips' career. He is a damn fine player with more where that's coming from. The Reds would be wise to keep him 4-5 more years at market value.
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    Re: Is Brandon Phillips having a career year?

    Quote Originally Posted by MartyFan View Post
    I am really bummed and cannot believe that MLB removed the play Brandon Phillips made at home plate when he steamrolled Wil Nieves the other night against the Nationals...what the heck!

    Not even on YouTube.

    Undoubtedly one of the hard nose type of plays that can really be celebrated and MLB takes it down.
    MLB's job is to make money off their content and not let Google make money off it.

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    Re: Is Brandon Phillips having a career year?

    Nice little story on Phillips from Lance McAlister's blog:

    Things I'm told
    What a night at the Florence Freedom game last night. Brandon Phillips and Dmitri Young were in the house. Dmitri is a minority owner of the newest Frontier League team, the Oakland County Cruisers(Detroit).

    He was in the dugout last night. Brandon showed up to see Dmitri and the son of Bobby Tolan (son of former Reds OF) who plays outfield for the Cruisers.

    Brandon sat in the stands by himself for most of the game and then later with a friend. He stayed for the entire game and signed autographs and posed for pictures. The Freedom offered him private box to watch the game from. He was content to sit and talk with the fans. He seemed to have a blast.

    I got this email from a listener to the show

    "I was making small talk with a guy in the row behind me and asked him, "Did the Reds win today do you know?" and he responded "Yes, why.... didn't you go to their game?" with a smile on his face. I explained how I had other obligations. I asked if he had went to the game and he said "Yes."

    A minute passes and he smiles and says "I played in it," to which I asked "excuse me?".

    I said, "What's you name?" and he replied "Brandon" to which I said, "Mine too."

    Well it was Brandon Phillips. I asked how he played, to which he laughed and said 4 for 5.

    Feeling like an idiot I started to laugh, as did my wife, and so did he.
    He couldn't have been more down to earth and literally signed autographs from innings 4-9 with a huge smile on his face the whole time. He also took at least 30 pictures.
    http://www.700wlw.com/pages/lancesBlog.html


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