The Red Sox signed senior citizen Brandon Philips to a minor league deal in an effort to no longer use Eduardo Núñez as an almost everyday player. This is more than likely because over the off-season Núñez forgot how to catch and throw baseballs, a vital part of the sport.
Philips has been an electric second-basemen over his sixteen year Major League career. He is a three-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove Award Winner, and 2011 Silver Slugger Award Winner. Philips is a career .275 hitter with 210 HRs and 949 RBIs. Last season “Dat Dude” hit .285 with 34 doubles, 13 homers, and 60 RBIs in 144 games. His .735 OPS was more than serviceable and I believe he still has gas in the tank.
Philips, now in his age 37 season has just been promoted to the Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA) for a brief stint before his call-up back to the big show. He went 1-3 with a run scored and a walk in his PawSox debut. Prior to that game he played six games for the Lowell Spinners where he hit .318 with a HR and 7 RBIs. I would expect to see Philips after he gets a few games in at the AAA level. He should fill-in for Pedroia at second-base while Nunez see’s time at third-base for the injured Rafael Devers. Holt will get some at-bats against lefties and be used around the diamond as he is accustomed to. Tzu Wei-Lin will most likely get the demotion when Philips is ready to go. Philips will be a massive defensive upgrade over Eduardo Núñez, although so would I.
Here is a video of Brandon Philips making unreal plays in his prime, my favorite video on the internet:
Scott Neville – Head Baseball Writer – WTF Sports
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