White Sox Sign Competition For Right Field

Well, at this point in the off season, minus a Dylan Cease trade, it seems that the White Sox will continue to search the bargain bin for free agents in hopes that one of them will outperform their contract. The newest signing continues the trend, as Mark Feinsand reports that the White Sox have signed Brett Phillips to a contract. Feinsand reports that as of right now it is a minor league deal, but if he makes the team he will be making 1.2 million dollars.

From a purely baseball standpoint, this signing is not going to get anyone excited. Since starting his career with the Milwaukee Brewers, Phillips has bounced around a few teams. He, like many of the signings, has had a stint with the Kansas City Royals, continuing the trend of acquiring players that have ties to the Royals.

Phillips has not been known to be an offensive player. In his career, Phillips is a .187 hitter over 854 at-bats. That is well below the Mendoza line, which is not something you want to be below. To go along with the .187 average, he has added 99 RBIs and 39 stolen bases, reassuring most that he is not much of a threat with the bat.

His best season came in 2017 as a rookie, where he hit .276 over 87 at-bats. He added four homeurns and 12 RBIs in that time-frame. That was a solid rookie year in a small sample size, but he has gone downhill from there.

Since 2017, he has not hit over .200 in a full season except for 2021 where he put together an okay season with Tampa Bay. In that year, he hit .206 with 13 homeruns, 44 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. The average was still low, but he added some decent power numbers to make himself an average player overall.

2021 was the height of his popularity, as he is known as a great guy on and off the field. Fans and players love him, and despite his performance on the field, fans were mad when Tampa Bay let him go in 2022. For a team that is desperate for fans to be engaged, this is not a horrible signing, as many fans will like the way he carries himself on and off the field, as he will likely be a fan favorite if he makes the major league club.

The traits that Phillips has on the field are his fielding and his speed. Phillips has a fantastic arm, one that profiles well in right field. His overall fielding is one of the best in the league and he could make a nice late-inning replacement for Gavin Sheets or whoever is in right. He can also come into pinch run in situations, similar to how the White Sox handled Billy Hamilton.

At this point, the White Sox don’t have much outfield depth with major league experience, as the likely starting right fielder will be Gavin Sheets. So from that standpoint, this signing makes some sense. But, I would much rather have Oscar Colas get time in right field, as he still has some potential to unlock as a very good MLB player. If Brett Phillips is taking away opportunities from Colas, that won’t be a good thing for his development. But, if Phillips is the fourth outfielder and comes in for defensive situations, that will likely be the best case scenario and could be a decent signing.