Catcher aims for brother in bigs

By David Dorsey
Fort Myers News Press

Kyle Phillips hopes to someday catch his older brother in the big leagues.

Kyle Phillips, 21, starts at catcher for the Fort Myers Miracle, the Class A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.

Jason Phillips, 28, starts at catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Separated by seven years, they seem to be taking identical professional baseball paths.

"It seems so far away, and yet, it's so close," Kyle said of getting to the big leagues. "As of right now, it's a few steps away. To play against each other or play on the same team as each other, that would be great not just for us, but for our entire family."

Their father, Clyde Phillips, turns 51 on Monday. He owns a plumbing supply business, and he has earned 15 Gold Gloves as a professional softball player.

"That's a big influence coming up," Kyle said. "Everywhere you go growing up, there's a baseball field or a softball field."

Kyle said it's eerie how his hot and cold hitting streaks seem to coincide with Jason's.

Just look at their statistics from last season: Kyle hit .228 with 11 home runs and 44 RBI for low-Class A Quad Cities.

Jason hit .218 with seven home runs and 34 RBI for the New York Mets.

That trend held true for 2003 as well: Kyle hit .289 with eight home runs and 49 RBI at Elizabethton.

Jason hit .298 with 11 home runs and 58 RBI for the Mets.

"I'll go 0-for-36," Kyle said. "I'll call my brother, and he's 0-for-25. At that point, we just let things happen.

"It's kind of comforting, having someone there who's at the highest level in all of sports to talk to."

Their defense and presence behind the plate have made up for any hitting slumps.

Entering Thursday night's game against the Dunedin Blue Jays, Kyle was hitting .308 (4-for-13) for the Miracle, who had a 6-1 record.

Jason entered Thursday hitting .250 (6-for-26) for the Dodgers.

During a phone interview from Los Angeles, Jason said he enjoyed following his brother's budding career.

The two do not get a chance to see each other play in person that often, but Jason managed to travel to Quad Cities last season on a day off. The Mets were on the road between playing the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers.

"We talk a lot about the game," Jason said. "Mainly it's about how he did. When it's a good streak or a bad streak, we just let it ride. If you're doing good, you don't want it to end.

"It's hard to make it. You have to have a lot of luck."

Like Jason, Kyle converted to catcher after playing first and third base at El Capitan High in suburban San Diego. The Twins drafted Kyle out of high school in the 10th round of the 2002 draft.

Kyle played catcher just two times in high school, and a Minnesota Twins scout had the good fortune to see one of those games.

"He was terrific back there," said John Leavitt, a scout for the Twins based in Orange County, Calif. "I thought, why doesn't he catch all the time?

"I talked to him about it. He said, 'My brother catches. I just want to play. I learned a lot from him. I learned a lot from my dad.' You talk to him for just a few minutes, and you realize he's very outgoing and has good instincts for the game."

So far, Kyle has impressed Miracle manager Riccardo Ingram.

"He's taking charge behind the plate," Ingram said. "He's keeping those guys in control on the mound. He calls a good game.

"That's the main thing as a catcher, to calm the pitchers down and settle everyone down on defense. That's one of the reasons why we're off to such a good start."

Clyde Phillips said he's overjoyed to watch his two sons play professional baseball. He plans on traveling from San Diego to Fort Myers to watch Kyle play for the Miracle later this summer.

Clyde compared his two sons:

"Jason is a really, really good catcher," Clyde said. "He's gold-glove caliber. But potentially, Kyle has more potential because of his size (6-foot-2, 210 pounds to Jason's 6-1, 210). Kyle, I think, will fair better in the power game. He's got a little bit of lift to his swing.

"Jason's more of a line-drive, gap-to-gap hitter with occasional pop."

Kyle also brings some intangibles.

"If you talk to Kyle, he's a little bit over and beyond his years," Clyde said of Kyle, who is engaged to be married. "He's a pretty sharp kid."

Said Leavitt, a scout for the past 11 years: "Of all the players I've ever signed, he's probably the most baseball intelligent of all of them. I think he can hit enough to play in the big leagues. He has a good-looking swing. He really has the desire."