Andy Phillips

George Andrew "Andy" Phillips (born on April 6, 1977 in Tuscaloosa) is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the New York Yankees. Andy was raised in Demopolis, Alabama, where he played baseball for Demopolis Academy, now West Alabama Preparatory Academy.

Career History

Phillips was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers as a shortstop in the 41st round of the 1995 draft as a high school senior and again by the New York Yankees in the 7th round of the 1999 draft as a college graduate of the University of Alabama. He signed with the Yankees but did not reach the Major Leagues until a call-up session towards the end of the 2004 season; he made his Major League debut on September 14, 2004. In his first major league at bat, he hit a home run over the Green Monster in Fenway Park off Terry Adams of the Boston Red Sox. Phillips is one of four players to homer in his first AB as a Yankee, joining Marcus Thames, Bubba Crosby, and Todd Zeile. He became the 21st player in Major League history to hit a home run on the first pitch of his Major League career.

Also, in 2004, Phillips received the Yankees' Kevin Lawn "Minor-League Player of the Year" Award in a season where he led all Yankees minor leaguers in batting average (.321) and RBI (101), ranked second in HR (30), and was voted the Most Valuable Player of the International League All Star Game after hitting a 10th inning walk-off home run. In 2005, Phillips earned the James P. Dawson Award as the Yankees' most outstanding rookie during spring training. [1]

Phillips' time previous to 2006 at the major league level had been limited to defensive replacement and late season call-up. In 2006, Phillips started the year as the primary backup at first base, behind Jason Giambi. This changed, however, when Gary Sheffield went on the disabled list. Primary designated hitter Bernie Williams took over the starting right field job, leaving the DH spot open. With Jason Giambi's bad knees, and his sub-par defense in the field, he became the primary DH. Phillips took over at first base and played well. This proved manager Joe Torre correct when he said all Phillips needed was more at bats. He led the team with a .333 AVG in June but cooled off immensely in July, where he batted .165. His poor play triggered GM Brian Cashman to go out and trade for Craig Wilson of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Phillips was kept on the roster mostly because of his versatility to play second base or third base. Also, he could play first if Wilson was forced to play the outfield or catcher. Phillips accepted his role as utility infielder.

A family emergency (his mother Linda was hurt in a brutal car crash) caused Phillips to miss much of his 2007 Spring Training with the Yankees. In the end, he only played in 15 games, saw 26 at bats, and had a .192 average. Due to his inability to make up for lost time and Josh Phelps' (Phillips opponent for a roster spot on the Yankees) outstanding performance (Spring Training stats include 3 homeruns, 14 hits, a .667 slugging percentage, and .389 batting average), Phillips was passed over for a roster spot on the 2007 team. When informed of manager Joe Torre's decision to go with Phelps over Phillips, Phillips reportedly thanked Torre for the opportunity and asked if Phelps had been informed of the decision yet so he could congratulate him.

Phillips was called up to the New York Yankees on June 19, 2007 after Phelps was designated for assignment.

Trivia

• His mother Linda was hurt in a car accident during Spring Training 2007, forcing Phillips to miss a few games. [2]
• He once sang the Star-Spangled Banner before a Staten Island Yankees game when the scheduled singer could not show up.[3] He is also said to have the "best singing voice in baseball." [4]. He also sang the National Anthem at the University of Alabama vs. Mississippi State University football game in 2006.
• His at-bat song is Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
• His wife, Bethany, is a contemporary Christian music artist.
• His at-bat song while playing for the University of Alabama was the theme to The Andy Griffith Show.
• He is active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

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References

• Andy Phillips. (2007, June 25). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:59, July 5, 2007 [5]

External links

• MLB: Andy Phillips
• Career Statistics from Baseball-Reference.com
• Andy Phillips from ESPN
• Phillips playing with different kind of pain