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July 24, 2006
Andy Phillips Watch
From The Hartford Courant -
The Yankees' commitment to playing Andy Phillips is getting a big test. Phillips did not start Sunday, appearing at the end of the Yankees' 13-5 loss. He made the last out, extending his hitless streak to 15 at-bats.
"He's just antsy right now," manager Joe Torre said. "He doesn't have any patience at all at the plate." Phillips, 29, who had several strong seasons in Triple A, has had trouble getting to play regularly. But the Yankees' lineup was so shy of punch, especially from the right side with Gary Sheffield out, that Phillips became the everyday first baseman and Jason Giambi the DH.
"It takes so much for us to score runs that we have to put a premium on defense," Torre said. Phillips has committed only four errors.
Phillips, hitting .240 with seven homers and 23 RBI, had only 26 at-bats in April and 36 in May, but has played nearly every day since May 30, when Sheffield returned to the disabled list. Phillips hit .333 in June, but is only 11-for-73 (.151) in July. With two walks and 12 strikeouts, his on-base percentage for the month is .173.
Back on December 06, 2005, I wrote:
Another problem that I have here is the assumption where many believe that Andy Phillips can hit. But, can he? Well, the experts at Baseball Info Solutions think that he can - they project him to bat .269 with a slugging percentage of .517. But, that's based on what he's done in Triple-A, at Columbus, over the last two seasons. And, I'm not buying the house based on what someone did in AAA at ages 27 and 28.
Fernando Seguignol, Orestes Destrade and Steve Balboni come to mind in terms of Triple-A sluggers who had their weaknesses exposed at the big league level. And, I believe that Phillips' 13 whiffs in 40 ABs last year tell us that he has some holes in his swing.
This is no knock on the Phillips story. He's a great kid. I have no problem with him being a defensive caddy at 1B in 2006. But, if you're going to rely on him for 500 (or so) PA next season - you cannot do that without assuming great risk.
I like Andy Phillips. And, the Yankees players like him as well. The other day, I heard Mo Rivera cite him for the energy that he, and Melky Cabrera, bring to the clubhouse via their youth.
But, that risk that I wrote about 8 months ago did turn out to be a reality.
Giambi needs to play 1B now on a full-time basis and the Yankees need to find another answer for the DH slot. This is the best move for the team at this junction.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at July 24, 2006 09:30 AM
Comments
Steve:
Did you see Phil Rogers column this morning? Chicago Tribune. He has Hendry exploring a trade of Aramis Ramirez and Jacque Jones for Alex Rodriguez. Hmmmmm......
Posted by: Scott Coulter ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.waswatching.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at July 24, 2006 10:48 AM
No thanks.
Posted by: MJ at July 24, 2006 10:56 AM
I don't think it's a big deal for the Yankees to CONSIDER trading A-Rod. They should also consider offers for Giambi, Randy Johnson, Matsui, etc., etc. You should always keep your ears open, because something spectacular can drop into your lap.
But c'mon. We're trading the best player over the last ten years and all we get back are a third baseman whose numbers have been on the decline and a garbage outfielder?
That's what I find amazing about the A-Rod trade rumors -- not only do people assume they'd trade him, but trade him for almost nothing.
The Yankees aren't going to trade A-Rod, but if they do, I hope it brings back pitching and prospects.
Posted by: baileywalk at July 24, 2006 11:00 AM
Geez, yeah, a big no-thanks from me too on that Cubs deal. I even find the thought of that deal discomfiting. The Yanks can't get fair value for ARod, especially if they trade him and still try to compete.
Steve, why not play Pena at 1B? He'll give you about an .800 OPS and that's much better than Phillips and better than Bernie. The Yankees have to get Phillips out of the lineup and use Bernie solely as a platoon player. If Torre doesn't figure out how to use Bernie properly, that's going to cost them a crucial win or two right there.
Posted by: jonm at July 24, 2006 11:05 AM
I was calling for Pena three weeks ago:
http://www.waswatching.com/archives/2006/07/how_i_would_fix_1.html
Posted by: Steve Lombardi at July 24, 2006 11:20 AM
G/AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS/HR/RBI/2B
86/.257/.380/.438/.818/13/50/16
34/.272/.350/.456/.806/5/14/8
Production at AAA. One is T-Long, the other is Pena.
Posted by: Rich at July 24, 2006 11:24 AM
My thought was to call up Pena for first base, move Phillips to 2nd and bench Cairo. JoeT is thr problem with Bernie. He's even pencilling him in against RH pitchers. Someone has to change that or he will just keep playing Bernie. The "loyalty" thing with Joe is his weak point as a manager. Play Guiel against RH pitchers and Bernie against lefty's or, I don't know what, but Joe is hurting us there.
Posted by: Scott Coulter at July 24, 2006 12:23 PM
Is it really loyalty? After all, Torre pushed George to sign Albert Belle when it looked like Bernie was going to escape to Fenway. He didn't say, hey, just give my guy the benjamins. Did he? Of course, Torre's alibi is that they never consult with him on player moves. Seriously, what's really behind his strange moves? What loyalty does he have toward Kris Wilson? How exactly do you earn his "trust." Obviously, it's not based on actual on-the-field performance. It's mystifying.
Posted by: JohnnyC at July 24, 2006 12:46 PM
IMO the only untouchables are Mo and Jeter. I'd trade A-Rod for Liriano and Santana. And the Twins would have to throw in an above average third baseman too.
Posted by: rbj at July 24, 2006 02:21 PM
I really think they don't need to jump the gun on this , Melky was hitting like shite last month too, but he's arguablly the best Yankee hitter this month, Andy had a great June, now a terrible July, let's see if he can turn it around next month
Posted by: Yu Hsing Chen at July 24, 2006 11:49 PM
I really think they don't need to jump the gun on this , Melky was hitting like shite last month too, but he's arguablly the best Yankee hitter this month, Andy had a great June, now a terrible July...
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The peaks and valleys of a long season
Posted by: Raf at July 25, 2006 07:00 AM