Heath Phillips

Heath Michael Phillips

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 3", Weight 225 lb.
• School Lake City Community College
• High School Central High School (Evansville)
• Debut September 5, 2007
• Final Game September 30, 2007
• Born March 24, 1982 in Evansville, IN USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Heath Phillips was a left-handed pitcher for the Chicago White Sox organization. Chicago drafted the Indiana native in the 10th round of the 2000 amateur draft as a "draft-and-follow". He was signed by scouts Larry Grefer and Doug Laumann in May of 2001. A soft tosser who relied on control and savvy, scouts compared Phillips to a lesser Mark Buehrle. After compiling nearly 1,000 minor league innings, Phillips made his major league debut with the White Sox in September of 2007. This turned out to be his only taste of the major leagues.

The White Sox sent Phillips to the single-A Kannapolis Intimidators in the spring of 2001. He appeared in 14 games and posted a 3.64 ERA in his first professional season. He pitched for the Winston-Salem Warthogs in 2002, and despite a 3.55 ERA, the southpaw's record fell to 6-16. In 2003, Phillips bounced between Kannapolis, Winston-Salem, and the Birmingham Barons. He remained in Birmingham until being granted a promotion to the Charlotte Knights in 2005.

2006 proved to be a banner year in the young pitcher's career. Phillips was named the International League's most valuable pitcher, and he earned a spot on the IL's All-Star team. His season totals included a 13-5 record and a 2.96 ERA. He was 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA in the qualifiers for the 2008 Olympics, helping the US clinch an entry. He allowed 1 run in 6 innings in a victory against Team Canada, which had four hitters with MLB experience, and allowed 1 in 7 innings against the Dominican Republic. Phillips tied Nick Ungs and Zack Segovia for the US lead in wins in the tournament.

He had a 13-7 record and a 4.30 ERA in 2007 before being called up to Chicago in September of 2007. Phillips surrendered a run and took the loss in his major league debut on September 5th, but bounced back with a scoreless inning and a win in his second appearance. Overall, he went 1-1 with a 3.68 ERA in 6 outings for the Sox.

Sources: Baseball Cube Page, MLB Game Log

Notable Achievements

• 2006 Pitcher of the Year International League Durham Bulls