The New York Yankees needed to make some significant changes before the July 30 Trade Deadline. They have not been going through a purple patch since mid-June. In fact, since June 13, they went on to have a 6-16 record in their next 22 games. Then, in July, they had a bad start as well, as they went 4-8 before the All-Star break. Moreover, the fans were expecting the team to redeem themselves immediately after the Midsummer Classic. But that did not happen right away. Initially, the NY side went 2-5, as they lost the Subway Series against their crosstown rivals.
Since then, the Yankees Nation has been demanding significant changes ahead of the trade deadline. They could add new pitchers as well as hitters to better their chances of going deep into the playoffs. However, the Bronx Bombers disappointed the fans a little bit because they did not make many changes at the deadline. Albeit, the NY side landed Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Miami Marlins. Two days later, they made an intriguing move, signing Brett Phillips.
Why Brett Phillips Is An Intriguing Prospect?
Brett Phillips is a 30 year old former outfielder. Lately, he has been trying to make it to the major league as a pitcher. The New York Yankees signed Phillips to a minor-league deal. They assigned him to Single-A Tampa. Recently, the former outfielder told the Tampa Bay Times that he does not want to get ahead of himself but wants to be realistic about his chances. Anyway, Phillips seems confident about his skills as a hurler, saying, “I believe I can do it. I’m very serious about that.” Adding to that, the 30-year-old pitcher said if he wasn’t serious about it, then what’s the point of doing all that the right way?
On July 29, in the National Baseball Congress tournament, the RHP hit 97 mph. A day later, he signed with the NY Yankees. Moreover, Phillips told the New York Post that he has been trying to build up his speed for the past three months. On Monday, he got to pitch for the first time as a hurler. But he had no expectations that all this would come together so fast. On top of that, the 30 year old former outfielder has a major league pitching experience of 5 1/3 innings worth. But it mostly came with slow pitches during blowout games. Anyway, since he hit 97 mph, he has impressed the Yankees ace pitcher Gerrit Cole.
Yankees Ace Heaped Praise On Phillip’s Pitching Skills
Recently, in an interview with the New York Post, Gerrit Cole mentioned that for some pitcher to throw 97, “That’s real.” Since Phillips impressed Cole, the ace said, “What a good athlete!” Moreover, the Yankees ace added that Brett intrigued him since the franchise signed him. Cole feels Phillips is not new to the game. He said the 30-year-old former outfielder was a pretty good player.
Moreover, the 2023 AL Cy Young winner said Brett’s not a guy who’s throwing 97 out of nowhere. Albeit, Phillips had a nice career as an outfielder, Cole said, “I had no idea that his arm was that good.” Brett Phillips has been a former top prospect for an outfielder. He had played for five teams, including the Tampa Bay Rays, the Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox, and so on.
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