Nymet31
08-28-2003, 03:47 PM
ATLANTA -- Imagine Jason Phillips' surprise when he turned on the television last week and saw himself being touted on ESPN as a "must pickup" for fantasy baseball owners.
"I didn't even think I'd be up in the big leagues for more than a month this year," he said. "So getting chances to play up here have far exceeded anything I expected."
The 26-year-old Phillips, a 24th-round pick in 1997, began the season with 26 Major League at-bats.
He started 2003 with the club, but over the first six weeks of the season made three separate shuttles back and forth between Shea Stadium and Triple-A Norfolk.
When he came up the fourth time on May 18, the day after Mike Piazza went down with a strained groin, Phillips was determined to stick. If he was going back to Norfolk, he'd go down swinging.
After seeing his swing a little more, the Mets knew Phillips was in the Majors to stay.
While his black, triangular-framed glasses would make the Fab Five from "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" blanche, Phillips' batting eye has been pure Madison Avenue.
Hitting .373 over his first month, Phillips has never really cooled off. He hit .408 in June, .391 in July, and was hitting .365 heading into Wednesday night's game, including a .346 clip in 60 starts.
"I'm lucky," said Phillips when asked about his success. "I hit 'em where they're not."
Hitting coach Don Baylor offered a different explanation.
"Jason is a guy who knows he can hit," said Baylor. "He's a guy who if he hits .320 it's a hard .320 somewhere because he's not going to get any leg hits. That's for sure. He's just not a speed guy. So when he gets hits they're going to be in the hole or off the end of the bat or whatever. But he will put the ball in play."
With Piazza's return, Phillips knew another move was imminent. But this time the move was 90 feet, to first base.
"I'm enjoying it a lot," said Phillips, who started his 62nd game at first Wednesday night. "Every day it's a new adventure. It's much easier physically to play first base than catch. That makes it much easier."
And what about all the new-found free time between pitches?
"I try to stay in the game, but I lollygag and daydream and do a bunch of stuff over there just try to maintain my time," he said with a laugh. "That puts more pressure on my hitting because if you don't hit at first base you really don't do much over there."
Phillips credits shortstop Jose Reyes with helping him keep on his toes.
"The guy's got a cannon," he said. "Sometimes I miss [his throws]. I don't know how I missed them but I miss them. With him, when he throws it, you better be ready to go."
Welcome to the club: With his three-run homer Tuesday night, Mike Piazza recorded yet another milestone, recording his 1,100th RBI.
Piazza became the eighth player in Major League history whose primary position was catcher to reach that plateau.
"In this day and age I think it's a position that's kind of underrated," said Piazza, whose 345 career home runs lead all active catchers. "It's a lot of work."
Piazza joins Yogi Berra (1,430), Ted Simmons (1,389), Johnny Bench (1,376), Carlton Fisk (1,330), Gary Carter (1,225), Bill Dickey (1,209) and Gabby Hartnett (1,179) in the 1,100-RBI club.
"There's some great company there," he said. "It's a fraternity-type position so it's something that I'm very proud to be a part of."
The 20-.300 club: Mets shortstop Jose Reyes is on course to join a unique club of his own.
Should Reyes, who entered Wednesday night's game hitting .310, keep his average above .300 the rest of the way, he would become only the fifth shortstop in Major League history to hit over .300 in a season (with at least 300 plate appearances) at age 20.
That would put him in very exclusive company, as only Alex Rodriquez (.358), John McGraw (.321), Arky Vaughan (.318), and Travis Jackson (.302) have performed the feat.
Vaughan, Jackson and McGraw are already in the Hall of Fame -- although McGraw actually made it as a manager -- and it's safe to say that A-Rod is on the way.
Murff's law: On this day in 1964, Mets scout Red Murff signed left-handed pitcher Jerry Koosman.
Koosman set the standard for Mets left-handers and still holds almost every franchise career mark for lefty pitchers, including wins (140), complete games (108), innings pitched (2,545), starts (346), strikeouts (1,799), and shutouts (26).
"I didn't even think I'd be up in the big leagues for more than a month this year," he said. "So getting chances to play up here have far exceeded anything I expected."
The 26-year-old Phillips, a 24th-round pick in 1997, began the season with 26 Major League at-bats.
He started 2003 with the club, but over the first six weeks of the season made three separate shuttles back and forth between Shea Stadium and Triple-A Norfolk.
When he came up the fourth time on May 18, the day after Mike Piazza went down with a strained groin, Phillips was determined to stick. If he was going back to Norfolk, he'd go down swinging.
After seeing his swing a little more, the Mets knew Phillips was in the Majors to stay.
While his black, triangular-framed glasses would make the Fab Five from "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" blanche, Phillips' batting eye has been pure Madison Avenue.
Hitting .373 over his first month, Phillips has never really cooled off. He hit .408 in June, .391 in July, and was hitting .365 heading into Wednesday night's game, including a .346 clip in 60 starts.
"I'm lucky," said Phillips when asked about his success. "I hit 'em where they're not."
Hitting coach Don Baylor offered a different explanation.
"Jason is a guy who knows he can hit," said Baylor. "He's a guy who if he hits .320 it's a hard .320 somewhere because he's not going to get any leg hits. That's for sure. He's just not a speed guy. So when he gets hits they're going to be in the hole or off the end of the bat or whatever. But he will put the ball in play."
With Piazza's return, Phillips knew another move was imminent. But this time the move was 90 feet, to first base.
"I'm enjoying it a lot," said Phillips, who started his 62nd game at first Wednesday night. "Every day it's a new adventure. It's much easier physically to play first base than catch. That makes it much easier."
And what about all the new-found free time between pitches?
"I try to stay in the game, but I lollygag and daydream and do a bunch of stuff over there just try to maintain my time," he said with a laugh. "That puts more pressure on my hitting because if you don't hit at first base you really don't do much over there."
Phillips credits shortstop Jose Reyes with helping him keep on his toes.
"The guy's got a cannon," he said. "Sometimes I miss [his throws]. I don't know how I missed them but I miss them. With him, when he throws it, you better be ready to go."
Welcome to the club: With his three-run homer Tuesday night, Mike Piazza recorded yet another milestone, recording his 1,100th RBI.
Piazza became the eighth player in Major League history whose primary position was catcher to reach that plateau.
"In this day and age I think it's a position that's kind of underrated," said Piazza, whose 345 career home runs lead all active catchers. "It's a lot of work."
Piazza joins Yogi Berra (1,430), Ted Simmons (1,389), Johnny Bench (1,376), Carlton Fisk (1,330), Gary Carter (1,225), Bill Dickey (1,209) and Gabby Hartnett (1,179) in the 1,100-RBI club.
"There's some great company there," he said. "It's a fraternity-type position so it's something that I'm very proud to be a part of."
The 20-.300 club: Mets shortstop Jose Reyes is on course to join a unique club of his own.
Should Reyes, who entered Wednesday night's game hitting .310, keep his average above .300 the rest of the way, he would become only the fifth shortstop in Major League history to hit over .300 in a season (with at least 300 plate appearances) at age 20.
That would put him in very exclusive company, as only Alex Rodriquez (.358), John McGraw (.321), Arky Vaughan (.318), and Travis Jackson (.302) have performed the feat.
Vaughan, Jackson and McGraw are already in the Hall of Fame -- although McGraw actually made it as a manager -- and it's safe to say that A-Rod is on the way.
Murff's law: On this day in 1964, Mets scout Red Murff signed left-handed pitcher Jerry Koosman.
Koosman set the standard for Mets left-handers and still holds almost every franchise career mark for lefty pitchers, including wins (140), complete games (108), innings pitched (2,545), starts (346), strikeouts (1,799), and shutouts (26).