SEATTLE -- One month after winning the Most Valuable Player award at the Triple-A All-Star game in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, former University of Alabama First-Team All-American Andy Phillips has received his first promotion to Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. Phillips, a native of Demopolis, earned the promotion late Saturday and was in the dugout at Seattle's Safeco Field on Sunday as the Yankees dropped a 7-3 decision to the Mariners. Phillips will wear the number 70 for the Yankees and took the roster spot of All-Star third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who is battling the flu and serving a four-game suspension for an altercation with Jason Varitek in Boston on July 24.
The Yankees have an off-day on Monday and then head to Minneapolis to open a three-game series with American League Central Division leading Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, Aug. 17. In 97 games for the Triple-A Columbus (Ohio) Clippers this season, Phillips was batting .294 (108-for-367) with 22 home runs and 70 RBI when he was promoted to the Yankees. He added 68 runs, 15 doubles and compiled a .537 slugging mark for the International League team. A seventh-round draft pick by the Yankees in 1999, Phillips has spent the last six years in the New York farm system. The versatile infielder has slugged 87 career home runs in just over 500 career minor league games. Earlier this season, he slammed a 10th inning walk-off home run to lead the International League to a 4-3 win over the Pacific Coast League in the annual mid-season All-Star game at Pawtucket's McCoy Stadium, the Triple-A home of the Boston Red Sox. A consensus All-America selection as a senior, Phillips was named the 1999 National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association District III Player of the Year and finished runner up to Baylor's Jason Jennings as the winner of the Dick Howser Trophy, presented by the NCBWA to the best player in college baseball. He was also named First-Team All-American by the NCBWA as well as member of the 1999 NCBWA Super All-American squad. In addition to the NCBWA honors, Phillips was also named First-Team All-American by College Baseball Insider and was Third-Team All-America selection by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the American Baseball Coaches Association. The Demopolis native wrapped up his Alabama career as the school record-holder in eight career statistical categories, including most games played (244), games started (224), at-bats (904), runs scored (222), total hits (322), home runs (61), RBI (226) and total bases (590). In addition, he ranked second in career doubles (63) and triples (11), and was third in assists (537) and 10th in walks (86). As a senior in 1999, Phillips set the standard of excellence for Crimson Tide baseball. He played in 64 games and batted .398 (103-for-259) with 22 home runs and 66 RBI. Phillips also added 71 runs scored 22 doubles, 30 walks and 16 stolen bases for an Alabama team that captured the SEC Tournament Championship and finished third at the College World Series. He also set Alabama single-season records for total bases (203) and set records for most home runs (22) and RBI (66) by a shortstop at Alabama. The 22 home runs are the most by an Alabama senior. The former Tide shortstop also set the SEC record with a 36-game hitting streak during his final season at Alabama, breaking the standard of 33 games held by LSU second baseman Todd Walker (1993). During his record-setting hitting streak, Phillips batted .407 (66-for-162) with 17 home runs and 45 RBI. Phillips is just the fourth former Alabama player to play for the New York Yankees, joining Del Pratt (1918-20), Joe Sewell (1931-33) and Butch Hobson (1982). He will be the first-ever Crimson Tide player to debut with the Yankees. Phillips is the fourth Alabama player in the Jim Wells era to reach the Major Leagues and the second this season, joining Lance Cormier, who made his big league debut in June. Tim Young (LHP, Montreal Expos) made his debut in 1998 and Dustan Mohr (OF, Minnesota/SF Gaints) debuted in 2001 with the Twins. Alabama currently has four former players in Major League baseball, including Phillips, Cormier, Mohr and Frank Menechino (1993-94). Menechino is currently with the Toronto Blue Jays. The four current Major League players are the most for the Alabama baseball program since 1998 when David Magadan (Oakland), Criag Shipley (Anahiem), Joe Vitiello (Kansas City) and Tim Young (Montreal) were all in the big leagues the same season. ______________________________________________________ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List "Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup!" To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
