Second baseman Brandon Phillips rounds out our look at the 2009 Reds.  Phillips put up a 20 HR, 25 steal season in 2009, showcasing his all-around skills.

Phillips is a slick fielder, winning a Gold Glove in 2008 though he did not repeat this year.  He obviously has power and speed.  Fans have long lobbied for him to move back to his original position of shortstop.  No such change seems to have been seriously considered by Reds management.

In four years with the Reds, Phillips has batted .276, .288, .261, and .276 again.  He doesn’t walk much, but has stolen 25, 32, 23, and 25 bases, and hit 17, 30, 21, and 20 HR.  The Reds would very much like for him to hit like he did in 2007 again, but that seems to be his career year.  He did set a career high of 98 RBI this season, hitting cleanup nearly all year.

Phillips is miscast in Cincinnati, as often happens to players on mediocre teams.  He is more of a #6 hitter, batting cleanup due to a lack of better alternatives.  His speed suggests a higher spot in the lineup, but his career high of walks this year at 44 makes that a dubious proposition.  He did cut his strikeouts to 75 this year.

Now, there is talk of Phillips being traded.  He is beginning to get expensive, with a $6.5 million contract for 2010, still reasonable, followed by an $11 million salary for 2011 and a $12 million option for 2012.  With budget constraints the watchword, rumors are flying that Phillips is on the market.

It is true that Phillips’ perceived value exceeds his actual value.  His good batting average eclipses notice of his mediocre on-base average, and his RBI totals are inflated by his presence in the cleanup spot.  The Reds also have some younger players who could step in and take a spot at second:  Todd Frazier, Drew Sutton, and Adam Rosales could all compete for the spot, and any of them might produce at a decent level, though not up to Phillips’ level yet.  The presence of those players may figure into the decision.

I do not object to the Reds shopping Phillips, but whether they should trade depends on what they would get back.  If they can fill a couple of holes, then a trade could be beneficial.  What I would rather see happen is for the Reds to take a leap and sign, say, Orlando Hudson (who should be available at a relatively low cost) move Phillips to short, and take a shot at the wild card spot.  I think the team could manage to make a contending run with a few relatively low-cost moves, and trading Phillips is risky business.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 11:21 am and is filed under 2009 review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.