Phillip Evans Looking for Opportunity to Breakout in the Bigs With the Bucs
Since joining professional baseball, Phillip Evans has completely morphed his game from changing his position to changing his approach at the plate. When he was drafted, scouts projected him to be a contact hitter with very little power and above-average defense. However, he has since added a power stroke to his game, with 42 home runs in the last three seasons, and was named one of the top-15 prospects in the New York Mets organization. However, Evans was blocked from MLB opportunities when he was traded to the Chicago Cubs. So, he elected free agency at the end of the 2019 season and the Pirates would take a chance on the 27-year old, giving him an invite to Big League Spring Training.
His last season in the Big Leagues was in 2018 with the New York Mets when he appeared in 15 games. However, his offense did not transfer well as he hit just .115 with one RBI in 21 at-bats. He did not show any of the power that he possessed in the Minor Leagues as all three of his hits were singles and he had a BABIP of just .231. One of his problems was his high strikeout rate as he went down swinging eight times in 21 at-bats while walking just twice. Evans did play solid defense in the Majors and hasn't committed an error in his two stints in the major leagues, spanning four different positions.
Evans started his professional baseball career when he was drafted in the 15th round of the 2011 MLB First-Year player draft by the New York Mets. Coming out of La Costa Canyon High School in California, Evans possessed a lot of the skills needed to be a top prospect, but showed little to know transferrable power to his game. After signing late with the Mets, he reported to rookie ball and got the chance to play in just nine games that season. He would appear in just nine games between rookie ball and Single-A and hit .294 with four RBI. His first full season in professional baseball saw him land with the Class-A Short Season Brooklyn Cyclones in 2012.
He would appear in 73 games for the Cyclones that season and showed a glimpse of power with five home runs and 29 RBI while batting a modest .252. However, he wasn't getting much power as of his 74 hits that season, only 14 went for extra bases. He served as the starting shortstop for the Cyclones and played ok defense at best posting a .963 fielding percentage with 13 errors in 658 innings of work. However, he did well at turning the double play with 30 that season. However, his minor league progression would stall after that as he stayed at Single-A for the next four seasons bouncing between Low-A and Advanced-A ball.
It was a combination of injuries and poor performance stopped him from climbing the Minor League ladder. In those four seasons, Evans's highest batting average was just .250 with little power to provide. Evans also had his fair share of injuries landing on the disabled list four times over the course of a three-year span. It was knee problems that plagued Evans as two of those four trips were due to a strained right knee. While he wasn't getting a lot of reps on the field, the time off helped him take a step back and learn the game from afar. He came back better than ever and started to develop a whole new approach.
He finally made the jump to Double-A during the early part of the 2016 season and his offense started to soar. In 96 games with the Binghamton Mets, Evans set new career-highs in every offensive category hitting .335 with eight home runs and 39 RBI. His power saw a significant increase as he racked up 38 extra-base hits, including a team-high 30 doubles. With his defense at shortstop starting to fail, 2016 was also making the move to third base, which would be more beneficial in the long-run. He played 24 games at the hot corner and had a .980 fielding percentage in 203 innings of work. Compare that to his .970 fielding percentage at shortstop, where he committed four errors in 251.1 innings of work, and it was looking like a move that would make the most sense.
Evans would make the Mets' choice pay off the next season as he advanced to Triple-A and continued to see offensive success. His average dropped to .279 with the Las Vegas 51s, but his power numbers continued to grow as he hit 11 home runs and drove in 56 RBI. However, for as much success as Evans was having at Triple-A, the New York Mets were having just as much success with their infielders. Names like Asdrubal Cabrera, Neil Walker, and Wilmer Flores were blocking Evans's path to the Big Leagues. With this in mind, the 51s started moving Evans around the field, trying to make versatility another level of Evans's game.
That season, Evans appeared at five different positions for Las Vegas, including his first-ever appearances in the outfield. He fared better at some positions than others, but his best work came at second base, where he posted a .974 fielding percentage. He also played near-perfect defense in the outfield not committing an error in 140.2 innings of work. Because of his offensive success, and his versatility on defense, Evans got the call to the MLB on September 8th, 2017, and he made his MLB debut against the Cincinnati Reds later that night. Evans appeared in 19 games for the Mets and played well going 10-33 (.303) with an RBI. He appeared at both second base and third base at the MLB level and did not commit an error as he helped give guys a day off.
His good performance helped him make the Mets Opening Day Roster in 2018, but it was only for eight days as he was sent down to Triple-A on April 5th of that year. However, his second run with the Mets did not go nearly as well, as he hit just .143 in 15 games for the Mets between May and August. Another injury would end his 2018 season as a Broken Tibula sent him to the 60-day Disabled List. Not only would the injury end his season, but it ended his time with the Mets as he elected free agency following the season. The Chicago Cubs would sign Evans and gave him an invite to Spring Training last season.
He gave the Cubs a good look in Spring Training, hitting .386 with one home run and 12 RBI. However, Evans was once again blocked at the MLB level by Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, and Been Zobrist. He would spend the entire year with Triple-A Iowa and ended up hitting .283 while continuing to increase his power with a career-high 17 home runs and 61 RBI. However, his defense at third base took a tumble as he posted just a .948 fielding percentage, with 10 errors in 772.1 innings of work. Evans now showed the opposite problem than when he was drafted as his bat was ready, but his defense was suffering.
Evans once again elected free agency and that is when the Pirates signed him and gave him another invite to Spring Training. With not as much certainty around the Pirates infield in 2020, Evans saw it as an opportunity to possibly find his way to the Major Leagues again. He has made a strong case for a promotion hitting .346 with a home run and seven RBI in 15 games before camps we're suspended. With Colin Moran underperforming at the MLB level, and Hayes still needing more time to develop his bat, Evans could be a candidate to be a stopgap between the transition.
Another plus to Evans's game is the fact that he is versatile and can play so many different positions on the field. Evans has registered time at five of the nine positions on the field in his Minor League career, and versatile players have always fit well into the Pirates mold. Evans could possibly earn a spot on the Pirates bench to start the season and fill in when he can to get guys needed days off. If he can hit the ball the way he has through his recent years in the Minor Leagues, he would force manager Derek Shelton to get his bat in the lineup as much as possible getting him more playing time.
The big thing for Evans to work on as he transitions to a possible Big League spot is going to be his defensive ability. When he was first drafted, defense was not a question for the light-hitting Evans as he regularly posted fielding percentages in the .990's range. However, since he started moving around the diamond, it seems as though his defensive abilities have started to slip at the hot corner. The key for Evans to be able to pull off the versatility role is going to be his defense and he has to be good at every position. If he plays poorly, he is going to earn less and less playing time, and his opportunity at the Big Leagues may vanish.
The 2020 season offers a rare opportunity for Evans with the possibility of rosters expanding and double-headers becoming the new norm, Evans might get more of a chance in the Big Leagues this season than previously thought. With Hayes still in need of some development at Triple-A, it may be Evans rather than Hayes that gets the call as the first third base prospect to join Pittsburgh. If he can perform well, he may afford the Pirates some more time to develop Hayes's power while giving the team a reliable option at third base.
Prediction: .276, 5 HR, 32 RBI
After seeing Phillip Evans's growth over the last several seasons, including the revitalization of his offensive game, I think Evans is a prime candidate to serve as a back-up infielder for the Pirates this season. I don't think his run in the MLB will be as good as his 2017 season or as bad as his 2018 season. I see him being an average hitter at the Big League level with average power and run production numbers. His ability to play several positions makes him a more marketable player and allows him to see some more playing time as opposed to him just being a middle infielder.
It is still uncertain as to when the 2020 MLB season is set to begin, but we at Buccos Cove are determined to continue to bring you strong content. Until the 2020 season begins, we will continue looking at the players who make up the 2020 Pirates organization and how they will impact the organization this season.
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