2018 Brew Crew Ball community top prospects in review: Brett Phillips

Next on our tour through the Brew Crew Ball community’s top prospects is former Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Brett Phillips.

Brett Phillips, OF

AAA Colorado Springs Sky Sox: 299 PA, .240/.331/.411, 6 HR
Milwaukee Brewers: 24 PA, .182/.250/.273, 0 HR
Kansas City Royals: 123 PA, .188/.252/.313, 2 HR

I don’t think this was the season Brett Phillips, or many Brewers fans, thought it would be at this time last year. At the end of the 2017 campaign, Phillips looked like he’d be fighting for a roster spot and perhaps even playing an integral role in the Brewers’ outfield. Then in January, David Stearns acquired Christian Yelich and signed Lorenzo Cain. In a single day, he went from fringe starter to minor league player.

Despite that, Phillips still had some value for the org. As a lefty and great defender, he could have served as an excellent fourth or fifth outfielder. Unfortunately, Phillips’ offensive numbers never really gave him a shot. He struggled in AAA for one of his worst offensive seasons of his career. His K-rate continued to hamper his progress. He ended up in the low-30s in terms of strikeout percentage during his time at AAA, and he failed to show much power at offense-friendly Colorado Springs.

The Brewers brought him up here and there as players like Braun and Yelich served short DL stints, but even then he was mostly a defensive replacement. After half a season in baseball purgatory, Phillips was traded near the trade deadline with Jorge Lopez to the Kansas City Royals for Mike Moustakas.

Moustakas ended up being a key cog for the Brewers’ playoff run, hitting .256/.326/.441 while playing solid defense at third. He wasn’t a true difference maker but was a certain improvement to the Crew’s floundering lower-half of the lineup.

While this isn’t a year to remember at the plate for Phillips, he still provided all the fun and character that made him a fan favorite in Milwaukee. We also got a number of chances to see Phillips show off his outrageously strong arm. Below are some of my favorite Brett Phillips moments.