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2002 season Move to second
base creates potential opening for Indians' prospect Phillips
Phoenix Desert Dog second baseman Brandon Phillips offers a unique perspective on his move from shortstop to his current position. "The only thing that's different is that the field looks lopsided over there (at second base)," answered the personable Phillips in reply to whether he had to undergo an adjustment in making the position switch. "Right now I feel so comfortable over there," continued the 21-year-old Cleveland Indian farmhand, "I feel like I deserve to start there next year." Phillips has been projected as a star in the making throughout his four-year professional career. He is regarded as a bit of a rarity, a five-tool player at a middle infield position. The 5-11, 185 pound right-handed hitter combined for 18 homeruns and 14 stolen bases with three different minor league teams in 2002. The native of Stone Mountain, Georgia spent the month of September with the parent club, appearing in 11 games at second base. While with Cleveland, Phillips had a good teacher in Omar Vizquel, one of the best defensive shortstops in the history of the game. "I learned a lot defensive-wise," said Phillips about his time playing in the middle infield with Vizquel. "Just the way he uses his hands and his feet ... balance and everything ... and just talking to him about how he approaches some of the balls." Phillips has been on the fast track to the major leagues since the Montreal Expos selected him in the second round of the 1999 free agent draft, reaching the Class AA level in only his third professional season. He was selected to appear in the Arizona Fall League after the 2001 season. At 20, Phillips was one of the younger players in the league. "There were a lot of good players here last year," Phillips said about his first go-around in the AFL. "Just the experience helped me out last year ... just seeing how the other players approached the game. I just took that to my own program." Especially influential on Phillips last year was Scottsdale Scorpion teammate Orlando Hudson, who later moved on to the starting second base job in Toronto. "That's my boy right there," Phillips said about the charismatic Hudson. "He's my favorite player." Considering the distractions that came his way in 2002, Phillips could be excused for not being able to focus completely on his game. First, there was the ongoing talk of his original organization, the Expos, being contracted prior to the 2002 season. Then, he was traded in June to Cleveland in the deal that brought All Star pitcher Bartolo Colon to Montreal. Did all of the uncertainty and change affect Phillips? "No, not really," he answered, "I didn't think about it. I just went out and played my game." After reflecting for a moment, Phillips admitted, "I HAVE been through a lot this year ... being with the Expos, being traded, going from AA to AAA, then to another AAA team, then going to the big leagues ... I've been traveling all over the place."
"It's worth it," he concluded, "it really paid off. I'm going to continue to work hard and make sure I stay in the league." The Cleveland organization is just as happy with Phillips as he is with the team. "He has it all," stated Phillips' AFL hitting coach, Lou Frazier, a coach in the Indians' minor league system during the regular season. "He can hit, he's a good defensive player, and he can run." After completing his whirlwind 2002 season, Phillips was returned to the AFL by Cleveland for a second season to continue his transition to second base. "This year I'm here to learn about one thing," Phillips remarked, "and that's playing second base and getting more games. I'm not really worrying about my hitting right now ... just go out here and prepare for next year." What does Phillips believe he needs to improve to retain the starting position in Cleveland? "Everything, man," he answered, "everything needs to improve ... especially my defense. Offensively, I'm being more selective at the plate right now. Just seeing the ball good and hitting the ball hard, that's all I've been doing. Just having fun." "Experience," Phillips continued, confidently, "that's the one thing I need to work on now. My talent is going to take me far in baseball ... all I need is experience." Frazier agreed. "He's changing positions, and this is a new opportunity for him to get to the big leagues quicker. It takes some pressure off him, especially for a young kid, to put him at second base instead of shortstop. There's a lot of pressure off of him. He's just got to go in there and play." But Frazier isn't worried about Phillips being ready to contribute. "The type of guy like that," he said, "you want nine guys like that on your team. He's always playing hard ... he's always having fun. That's what you want out of guys." Phillips gets right to the point when asked for his main goal for the 2003 season. "Start in the big leagues, man," he answered, then repeated, "start in the big leagues." --- Bill Mitchell All photos on the Arizona Fall League Report are credited to Bill Mitchell, unless noted otherwise, and are not to be used for any other purpose without express permission.
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