I hated Brandon Phillips going into last year. I felt he was overrated. I thought he was being drafted like his feces smelled like Reese’s Pieces. Then, as is the case in the game of fantasy baseball, one year changed all of that. I don’t necessarily think my perception of Brandon Phillips has changed for the 2009 fantasy baseball season. He still seems like a guy who can’t figure out whether to swing or not. A .312 OBP isn’t exactly the quantum of solace (sucked!). He only had 39 walks all of last year in over 600 plate appearances. His .209 after July 31st gives me the Montezuma’s Revenge shakes (which are great with a side of fries. Yum!). With praise like this, who needs insults, right? So what is the 2009 outlook for Brandon Phillips for fantasy baseball and did he improve from last year?
He hasn’t improved. Zoinks! Everyone else’s perception has changed. Last year, Phillips was coming off a 30/30 season and, in anticipation of drafting him, everyone was sticking their wood through holes in the wall. Now Phillips comes off a bad season and everyone thinks Pedroia is the new King of Siam. People need to chillax. Phillips is still the number three 2nd baseman off the board. He’s not below Uggla, he’s not below Roberts and he’s NOT (caps for emphasis, not for the hard of seeing) below Pedroia. Brandon Phillips will not hit .300. Shoot, he probably won’t hit .280. He’s a .265 hitter, but he’s also a 20/20 guy and that needs to be respected. So, as much as I don’t like guys that don’t walk, Brandon Phillips is still someone you should be drafting.
