Former Orioles’ outfielder makes comeback attempt as pitcher with Yankees

This year's MLB trade deadline provided tons of excitement for baseball fans everywhere. With the dozens of transactions that occurred over the past several days, it’s easy to have missed a few. One of the smallest signings that will be fun for fans to follow is that of former Oriole Brett Phillips.

A journeyman outfielder who had a brief stint with the O’s in 2022, Phillips is most remembered for his ‘airplane’ celebration after walk-off hits and his energy he always brought the ballpark. He always looked like he was having the most fun of anyone on the field.

Phillips played parts of seven seasons in the majors (2017-2023) with the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles and the Los Angeles Angels. The speedster played all three outfield positions, but also made five appearances as a pitcher when games got out of hand. 

Brett Phillips pursuing surprising career as an MLB reliever

Phillips would lob slow pitches to batters when he did pitch in the majors which led to him have a 15.19 ERA in the 5.1 innings he pitched, though it was never a serious effort. That didn’t come until this past Monday, 7/29, when Phillips was the starting  pitcher for the GPS Legends in the National Baseball Congress World Series, an annual tournament featuring collegiate and semi-pro baseball players. Hall of Famers Satchel Paige, Don Sutton, Tom Seaver, Ozzie Smith and Tony Gwynn have appeared in the tournament.

Phillips surprised everyone by striking out all three batters he faced using a fastball that topped out at 97mph and a wipeout slider. He was so good in his brief outing that he has reportedly signed a contract with the New York Yankees to be a pitcher.

There is little information about his pitching experience, but Phillips is only 30 years old so he has time to work. For now, Phillips profiles as a middle reliever but with work he could potentially be a closer.

Several players have tried in recent years to make the transition from the field to the mound. The Orioles signed former Texas Rangers first baseman Ronald Guzman as a pitcher and he was in spring training, though that did not workout. Hopefully Phillips finds more success. We wish him luck and hope to see him back in the big leagues soon.