Posted on June 11, 2008 by Andrew Flynn
Manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday that shifting Brandon Phillips to shortstop is not an option. “I know everybody says that, and he could probably do it, but how many guys do you want out of position?” Baker said. “You want one or you want two or three?” Paul Janish will start there until Jeff Keppinger returns. (Rotoworld)
Posted on June 10, 2008 by Andrew Flynn
Reds 2B Brandon Phillips homered for the first time in nine games Monday at Florida, finishing 2-for-5. He entered the game batting .156 (5-for-32) in June. Phillips tends to go through hot and cold streaks during the season, but he’s too good to sit ever. He remains one of the premier power-speed threats at his position and an obvious must-start in Fantasy. (CBS Sports)
Posted on May 13, 2008 by Andrew Flynn
Brandon Phillips hit a 428-foot homer to provide the ultimate margin of victory in the Reds’ win over the Marlins on Monday night. Clearly he’s fully recovered from last week’s minor calf injury. Phillips is 7-for-15 (.467) with two homers and three RBI over his last four games. Analysis: In case you missed the memo, Phillips is no longer struggling at the plate. After seeing his average drop to .250 April 24, Phillips has hit safely in 12 of the last 15 games. He has five homers in that span and his average is back up at .290. Fantasy owners can once again take confidence in starting Phillips. (Rotowire, CBS Sports)
Posted on May 11, 2008 by Andrew Flynn
Brandon Phillips is back at second base for the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Mets. Phillips was not penciled into the lineup Friday after fouling a ball off his left calf Wednesday. Thursday was an off day for the Reds and Friday’s game ended up postponed due to rain. (Rotoworld)
Posted on May 4, 2008 by Andrew Flynn
Brandon Phillips went 1-for-4 with an RBI single and a stolen base on Saturday. Phillips provided the only run for the Reds. He’s hitting .274 with 15 RBI and now has five steals. Phillips has had mini hot and cold streaks all season, and a new hot one might be on its way. Just another reason not to bench a man who went 30-30 last year, though you obviously shouldn’t anyway. (Rotoworld, CBS Sports)
Posted on April 28, 2008 by Andrew Flynn
Brandon Phillips homered twice and drove in three runs in a 10-1 blow out of the Giants on Sunday. Phillips hit an RBI single in the first, then added solo homers in the seventh and ninth. He’s living up to his lofty draft day price so far with a .280 average, five homers, and four steals. Since getting the night off from the starting lineup on Friday, he’s hit a pinch-hit homer that night, gone 2-for-6 on Saturday with a double, and then the two homers on Sunday. Perhaps the day off on Sunday for Adam Dunn could have the same effect. Phillips is heating up right now, batting .500 (6-for-12) over that three-game stretch to raise his season average to .280. He tends to be a streaky player, but one of the few who offers 30-30 potential to the second base position. Keep him active in all Fantasy formats. (Rotoworld, Rotowire, CBS Sports)
Posted on April 24, 2008 by Andrew Flynn
Reds 2B Brandon Phillips recorded two doubles Wednesday in a 9-3 loss to the Astros. He now has six on the season already, after only having 26 all of last season. Phillips is in a little bit of a slump lately, but has eight total bases over his last two games. He is still far too talented of a second baseman to slump for long, so keep him active in all Fantasy formats. (CBS Sports)
Posted on April 23, 2008 by Andrew Flynn
Brandon Phillips homered off Esteban Loaiza with one out in the fifth inning of Tuesday’s 8-1 win against the Dodgers. Phillips finished the game 1-for-4 and has just four hits in his last 30 at-bats. The homer Tuesday ended a 17-game home run drought for Phillips. Phillips is off to a slow start and as a consequence has been moved all around the batting order, but on Tuesday he was back in his original cleanup spot. (Rotowire, CBS Sports)
Posted on April 17, 2008 by Andrew Flynn
Phillips is getting the day off on Thursday against the Cubs and Ted Lilly, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Ryan Freel is starting at second base in his place. It may seem odd for Phillips to sit against a lefty, but he has a pretty poor track record against Lilly. “I think he needs a day,” manager Dusty Baker said. “He’s played every day, every inning. I see him swinging at bad pitches and taking good ones. He’s really upset with himself. Plus, he’s 0-for-13 against Lilly. Day game after a night game. When you add all up, this is the day.” (Rotowire)
Posted on April 7, 2008 by Andrew Flynn
Reds 2B Brandon Phillips had three hits, including his second double, in five at-bats during Sunday’s game against the Phillies. He now has multi-hit games in three of his first six contests. He has hit safely in five of six for a .375 average. Phillips is seeing plenty of great pitches to open the season sandwhiched between Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn in the lineup. We felt this might be the season Phillips challenge Chase Utley as the top Fantasy 2B, and he is off to a fine start. Keep him active going into Fantasy Week 2 (April 7-13). (CBS Sports)
Posted on March 31, 2008 by Andrew Flynn
Reds 2B Brandon Phillips, hitting cleanup on opening day, went 1-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored Monday against the Diamondbacks. He also struck out three times. Phillips joined the 30-30 club last year — an accomplishment that makes him one of the top Fantasy second baseman going into this season. We rate him just behind Chase Utley, so keep him active, obviously. (CBS Sports)
Posted on January 8, 2008 by Andrew Flynn
In Part II of my look at possible protections for 2008 (due February 1st), I’ll highlight the second group of protectables - the “Almost Automatics.” Something about them makes you pause, just for a moment, before you commit. In this case, it’s the price, which is close to what they’ll go for at auction, but certainty may be better than risk.
The Almost-Automatics: