Tony Phillips

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Keith Anthony Phillips (born April 25, 1959 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a former Major League Baseball utility player who had an 18-year career from 1982 to 1999. He played regularly at three infield positions, primarily as a second baseman, and also as a left fielder and designated hitter. Phillips began his career with the Oakland Athletics. In 1988, he had a poor year, hitting just .203 over 203 at bats, and the A's lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. However, in 1989 he boosted his average to .262 and the A's swept the San Francisco Giants to win the World Series. Phillips left Oakland after that season to join the Detroit Tigers. His offensive production surged with Detroit: he became proficient at drawing walks, leading the American League in 1993 with 132 after posting 114 in 1992. His 114 runs scored in 1992 were a league best, and he followed that up with 113 runs scored in 1993. His 1993 season was recognized with a 16th place finish in the MVP vote. After hitting 19 home runs and drawing another 95 walks in 1994, Phillips was traded to the California/Anaheim Angels in April 1995, with the season yet to start due to the 1994-1995 strike. He set a career-best mark that year with 27 homers, but drove in just 61 runs due to batting lead-off, and walked 113 times. 1996 saw Phillips move on to the Chicago White Sox, with whom he drew 125 walks, most in the league, and scored 119 runs for the second year in a row. Phillips returned to the Angels via a trade partway through the 1997 season and drew 102 walks, his third year in a row and fifth year out of six with over 100. In 1998 he played with the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Mets, and then signed on with the A's for his final season in 1999. He played baseball and other sports for the Roswell High School Hornets in Roswell, Georgia. He is related to former University of Georgia and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers football player Jermaine Phillips.

[edit] See also

• Top 500 home run hitters of all time
• List of major league players with 2,000 hits
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
• Hitting for the cycle
• List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions
• Chicago White Sox all-time roster

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference