The Yankees acquired several bullpen pitchers at the trade deadline and are hoping that will pay off late this season and in the playoffs.
But a minor league contract would be intriguing, too, but that’s still a long way off.
After former MLB outfielder Brett Phillips took the mound for a semipro team on Monday at the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kansas, throwing a 97 mph fastball and showing a knack for a curveball, the Yankees jumped on him.
“We’re keeping an eye on everything from big-name free agents to trade-deadline players,” Yankees director of pro scouting Matt Daly said.
The Yankees were told about the game by Phillips’ agent, Tom O’Connell, and after watching it, they loved it.
“By midnight that night, we had received messages from a number of employees saying they were very impressed,” Daly said.
O’Connell said several other teams had expressed interest, but the Yankees and assistant general manager Mike Fishman were the ones most willing to make a deal.
Phillips played seven major league seasons for five different teams.
He spent three years with the Rays.
He last played in the majors last year as an outfielder for the Angels and appeared in 17 games for the White Sox’s Triple-A affiliate this season before being released.
“I knew what the situation was even before I got cut,” Phillips said by phone Saturday, shortly after throwing his first bullpen session at the Yankees’ training facility in Tampa, near his home.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get another chance as a fielder,” Phillips said. “I’ve always known my biggest strength is my arm, and if I’m not good enough anymore as an offensive player, I wanted to take advantage of that.”
A few days after being released by the White Sox, Phillips began working as a pitcher.
“I’ve been working hard for the last three months to get in shape,” Phillips said. “Monday was my first time pitching. I didn’t expect it all to fall into place so quickly.”
While the Yankees decided to sign Phillips primarily because of the tape they saw in Wichita, they began scouting the right-hander a few years ago, when he was still a player.
“He had great arm strength as an outfielder and there’s a chance he could transition to pitching, so that’s something we’re keeping an eye on,” Dailey said.
Phillips also pitched five times, something Gerrit Cole remembers.
“It was all Ephus pitching,” Cole said. “Now I’m like, ‘What were you doing? [mph] Therefore.’ “
But as Daly pointed out, in Phillips’ short time on the mound in the major leagues, he struck out 94 times on just one pitch other than Ephuss’.
Cole, who learned Phillips had signed with the Yankees, said the velocity Phillips showed on Monday stood out to him.
“Throwing 97, man,” Cole said. “What a great player. It intrigues me, especially since we signed him. It’s not like he doesn’t know baseball. He’s been a pretty good player. He’s not a guy that all of a sudden throws 97. He had a great career as an outfielder. I didn’t think his arm was that good.”
Daly agreed that Phillips’ background should help.
“He’s been in the majors for a while, he’s been on a major league mound, so he knows what it’s like,” said Dailey, who played parts of five major league seasons as a relief pitcher, including his final one with the Yankees in 2013-14. “He’s got all the tools. He’s working at it.”
“This is no joke,” Phillips said Saturday. “I’m here to excite the team and help the Yankees win. They know I have experience and can handle the atmosphere of playing on a big stage.”
Dailey cited two impactful relief pitchers — Boston’s Kenley Jansen and Kansas City’s Lucas Erceg, who was recently traded from Oakland — as examples of position players who have transitioned to pitching, though neither played in the major leagues before becoming a pitcher.
Dailey said the Yankees haven’t decided where Phillips will start as a pitcher, but Low-A Tampa is a possibility.
“I’m looking forward to slogging it out again,” Phillips said. “If I can show them I can help them, we’ll see what happens.”
And Daly argued that the Yankees signed Phillips because they believed he had a promising future as a pitcher.
“His fastball surprised hitters and he had a good feel for his curveball,” Dailey said. “The velocity and the athleticism are there. With the right guidance, something could happen.”
If all goes well, a return to the major leagues could be on the horizon.
“I love to compete and I love baseball,” Phillips said. “Any way I can help, I’ll do it. I can play outfield, I can run. If I’m out there, I’ll do whatever they want me to do.”
