(Ed.: Bumped to the top; new posts below.)
It’s no secret that Brandon Phillips has long wanted be what he called, “The Face of the Franchise.”  Heck, writing “The Franchise” on his spikes got him into a lot of trouble when he did it as a Cleveland rookie.
While he was the Reds’ 2007 team MVP, BP never got the attention he wanted — he was never The Man in Cincinnati, as long as Junior Griffey and Adam Dunn were in town.  They (Junior in particular) really commanded the fans’ attention and were the focus of the team’s promotion efforts.
BP finally got his wish last summer, when Junior and Dunn were traded in quick succession.  Anyone who’s been to GABP this season has seen Phillips grin on the new HD video board, on signs, the program, etc. etc.  He’s finally the Face of the Franchise.  The problem is that he’s fallen flat on that face.
Since Adam Dunn was traded on August 11, 2008 (not counting Friday’s game), Brandon Phillips has:
- .200 AVG (30 for 150)
- .285 OBP (18 BB, 2 intentional)
- .327 SLG (5 HR, 4 2b) in the cleanup spot
- 612 OPS – aka Castro Country.
- 3 SB in 7 attempts.
Essentially, the FoF has been Corey Patterson (.205/.238/.344 last year), with less success on the basepaths.
As Marty might say, that just ain’t gettin’ it done.