Andy Phillips Named Assistant Baseball Coach at Alabama
1/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 4, 2011
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - University of Alabama head baseball coach Mitch Gaspard announced today that former Crimson Tide and Major League Baseball player Andy Phillips has been named as an assistant coach. Phillips will become the hitting and infield coach for Alabama, beginning with the 2011 season. With the hiring of Phillips, current assistant coach Dax Norris will take over as the pitching coach for the Crimson Tide.
"Andy was a phenomenal player here, and I couldn't be happier with his decision to return to Alabama," Gaspard said. "He is the most well-rounded person I have ever coached, and been around, and we are very fortunate to have him join our coaching staff."
"Coaching has always intrigued me, but only in an ideal situation, and that was here at Alabama," Phillips said. "I never wanted to get into coaching just to say I was a coach. There are a lot of things that I have aspired to do, but I've always had a passion for teaching and soaking in information. I always said that if I had the opportunity to coach here, I would do it, but it would only be here."
A four-year letter-winner and an All-American selection for Alabama, Phillips, a Demopolis, Ala., native, played six seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Cincinnati Reds. Before returning to the Capstone, Phillips played two years in the Nippon Professional League (Japan) for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp (2009) and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (2010).
Phillips added, "Returning to Alabama is exciting to say the least. Thinking about the place where I played and love, have a passion for, and coming home is an unbelievable opportunity. It's something that my family and I are very grateful for."
In his four seasons at Alabama, Phillips posted a career .356 batting average with 61 home runs, 224 RBI and 322 hits. He ended his career as the all-time leader in home runs, RBI and hits, and currently holds the school record in home runs, hits, and total bases (590). In the history of the baseball program at Alabama, Phillips is one of three players with 50 home runs and 200 RBI and one of four players with 300 hits. He is the only player in school history with 50 home runs, 200 RBI and 300 hits.
The Tide advanced to the NCAA Tournament all four years that Phillips wore the Alabama uniform, including three College World Series appearances. As a freshman in 1996, Phillips was part of a 50-19 squad that captured the SEC regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the CWS.
In 1997, Phillips hit .366 with 15 HRs and 64 RBI to help the Tide post a 56-14 overall record, a SEC regular season championship, and a runner-up finish in the CWS, falling to LSU (13-6) in the National Championship Game. As a junior, Phillips finished the season with a .351 average with 21 home runs and a career-high 81 RBI, as the Tide posted a 46-18 record after falling to Long Beach State (L, 5-3) in the final game of the NCAA West Regional.
As a senior, Phillips posted a .398 batting average, with 22 home runs, 22 doubles, 66 RBI, and a .781 slugging percentage. He led the Crimson Tide to a SEC Tournament title in 1999, and after Alabama won the NCAA Regional and Super Regional, the Tide finished third in the College World Series.
After his senior campaign, Phillips was a first-team All-America by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and Collegiate Baseball Insider. He garnered third-team honors by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), Baseball America, and Collegiate Baseball.
Following a stellar playing career at Alabama, Phillips was a seventh-round draft pick by the New York Yankees in 1999. He made his Major League debut on Sept. 14, 2004, and in his first at-bat, he belted a home run over the Green Monster in Fenway Park on the first pitch he saw from Terry Adams. Phillips is one of seven players to homer in his first at-bat as a Yankee and became the 21st player in MLB history to hit a home run on the first pitch of his career.
Also in 2004, Phillips received the Yankees' Kevin Long "Minor-League Player of the Year" award in a season where he led all Yankees minor leaguers in batting average (.321) and RBI (101), ranked second in home runs (30), and was voted the Most Valuable Player of the International League All-Star Game, after hitting a 10th-inning walk-off home run. In 2005, Phillips earned the James P. Dawson Award as the Yankees' most outstanding rookie during spring training.
In 2006, Phillips saw action in 110 games as a Yankee, posting a .240 batting average with seven home runs, 11 doubles and 29 RBI. After returning to the minors for the start of the 2007 season, Phillips rejoined the Yankees on June 19, 2007, and in 61 games, posted a career-high .292 batting average. The season was cut short after he suffered a broken wrist after being hit by a pitch.
His MLB career continued in 2008 as a member of the Cincinnati Reds where he saw action in 52 games with 73 at-bats. After hitting .233, he was designated for assignment by the Reds and was picked up by the New York Mets, where he played four games. He was designated for assignment by the Mets on July 1, 2008, and reclaimed by the Reds off waivers on July 3, but never returned to the major leagues.
On Dec. 22, 2008, he signed to a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and was invited to Spring Training as a "non-roster invitee". In April of 2009, Phillips was traded to the Chicago White Sox, and assigned to the Charlotte Knights of the International League. On June 23, 2009, Phillips signed with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball. After one season with the Carp, Phillips played his final professional season with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2010.
George Andrew "Andy" Phillips, born April 6, 1977, in Tuscaloosa, Ala., was raised in Demopolis, Ala., where he played baseball for the Demopolis Academy Generals. Prior to playing at Alabama from 1996-99, Phillips was a 41st-round selection out of high school by the Milwaukee Brewers as a shortstop in the 1995.
PersonalFull Name: George Andrew (Andy) PhillipsBirth date: April 6, 1977 (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)Hometown: Demopolis, Ala.Wife: Bethany (Married on Jan. 17, 2004)Children: Daughter Isaiah (2)Education: Alabama, 1999Degree: Sports Fitness Management
Alabama StatisticsYear G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI AVG. BB SO TB1996 46 101 18 24 5 0 3 13 .238 10 16 381997 70 279 68 102 25 3 15 65 .366 23 36 1781998 64 265 65 93 11 2 11 82 .351 23 40 1411999 64 259 71 103 22 6 22 66 .398 30 30 203TOTALS 244 904 222 322 63 11 61 226 .356 86 122 590
MLB StatisticsYear Team Avg. G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB2004 New York (AL) .250 5 8 1 2 0 0 1 2 0 1 0-02005 New York (AL) .150 27 40 7 6 4 0 1 4 1 13 0-02006 New York (AL) .240 110 246 30 59 11 3 7 29 15 56 3-52007 New York (AL) .292 61 185 27 54 7 1 2 25 12 26 0-32008 Cincinnati .233 52 73 11 17 3 0 3 10 6 14 0-0 New York (NL) .200 4 5 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0-0TOTALS .250 259 557 77 139 25 4 14 71 34 110 3-8
Career HighlightsJames P. Dawson Award as the Yankees' most outstanding rookie during spring training in 2005Kevin Long Award recognizing the New York Yankees' "Minor League Player of the Year" in 2004Most Valuable Player of the 2004 International League All Star GameHomered in his first career MLB at-bat on the first pitch he sawDrafted in the 7th Round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft by the New York YankeesFirst Team All-America by NCBWA and College Baseball Insider (1999)Third team All-America by Baseball America, ABCA, and Collegiate Baseball (1999)Two-Time First Team All-SEC Selection (1998 & 1999)Drafted in the 41st round by the Milwaukee Brewers out of high school in 1995
Transactions: Andy Phillips named assistant baseball coach at the University of Alabama.
