Atlanta Braves Should Target Brett Phillips
By Adam Herbert
Who is Brett Phillips?
Acquired in the 2015 deal that sent Carlos Gomez to Houston, Phillips logged 37 games as a Brewer in 2017. He slashed .276/.351/.448 with 4 HR, 104 wRC+, 1.0 fWAR, and 8 DRS in his limited time. Phillips’ arm grades as a top-of-scale 80, and has been clocked at 104.7 MPH from center.
His above-average speed allows him to cover a lot of ground. This also allows him to be a threat on the base paths.
At the plate, Phillips’ hit tool is his weakest. His strikeouts are still a tad extreme – an eye-popping 34.2% in his brief 2017 stint – but he has enough power to still provide plenty of offensive value. He hits the ball hard, to tune of a 24.5% line drive rate last year, and only 14.8% soft contact rate. His .412 BABIP is abnormally high, but with contact rates like these, it might not be a complete aberration.
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Even with questions about his offense, Phillips’ true value is tied up in the field. As evidenced by Kemp’s attempt at playing the field above, the key for young fireballers bound for Atlanta will be confidence. With a solid defense behind him, who knows how Whalen’s rest of 2016 may have gone rather than being shut down after his next start?
The ability to keep opposing hitters in check will allow these pitchers to trust their respective arsenals, and dominate as advertised. This will also alleviate some of the pressure on the offense. An improved defense could lend itself to a lot of 2-1 and 1-0 games in Atlanta.
There are obviously some extra pieces that would have to be added to a Teheran-for-Phillips deal, as it is just a framework. Maybe the Braves kick in a reliever, maybe the Brewers throw in a prospect or competitive balance draft pick. Maybe a third team gets involved.
For a deal that could improve both teams, it could be worth looking into.
Next: Braves: Improving Morale
Who knows? It’s the offseason and it’s fun to speculate. It’s what we do.