Cincinnati Reds ready for final good-bye to their second best second baseman

Brandon Phillips tried to show the Cincinnati Reds he was the best second baseman in team history.

Brandon Phillips made the comment several times since he signed his contract extension that he wanted to be the best second baseman in Cincinnati Reds’ history before he retired.  This was controversial because Joe Morgan, the second baseman of the Big Red Machine, is viewed by many as potentially the best second baseman ever in MLB, alongside Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg.

Morgan was an unusual combination of speed and clutch hitting that has never been seen from the keystone position.  There was talk of moving Phillips to third so that Eugenio Suarez could play second, but that never materialized because of Phillips assertion that he was a second baseman.

Since 2011 Phillips has saved 22 defensive runs net.  By comparison Robinson Cano has saved 25 in the same time frame and Dustin Pedroia has saved 66.  That places Phillips in the second tier defensively.

From 2006-16 Phillips was the starting second baseman for the Reds.  His consistency is unmatched.  Phillips peaked in 2011 and had a down year due to injuries in 2014, but the rest of his career he had runs created scores between 65 and 88 every season.

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Excluding those two seasons, Phillips played between 141 and 158 games every single season.  Excluding those two seasons, Phillips had between 146 and 173 hits every single season.  Even his OBP is very similar ranging from .310 to .331.

This is more about what Brandon Phillips did with the Cincinnati Reds than Joe Morgan, as Morgan is already in the Hall of Fame.

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Morgan has had a varied life.  He came over from the Houston Astros in the deal that created the Big Red Machine.  At the time fans were upset that the Reds traded fan favorite Tommy Helms.

He batted third in what many consider to be the best batting order of all time.  Batting between Pete Rose and Tony Perez is about as good of a spot to bat as exists.  That doesn’t diminish his overall skill.

Since then Morgan has advertised for a few companies, opened a car dealership and announced for ESPN.  He has even educated this generation on how advanced analytics don’t work in baseball.  Ironically, it is advanced analytics that look so favorably upon Phillips.

As far as Morgan’s stats go, they are impressive.  He won the MVP both seasons when the Reds won the World Series in 1975 and 1976.  Much like current Cincinnati Red Joey Votto, Morgan led the National League in OBP four times, while making the All-Star team ten times.

Now Phillips is batting sixth for the Atlanta Braves following the off-season trade and getting ready for his first trip back to GABP.  That trip comes in June.  This may be the year of appreciating Joey Votto, but the first weekend in June will be all about thanking Phillips for his time in Cincinnati.

Next: Reds win first three series to open season!

Phillips may not be a Hall of Famer, but he is one of the most consistent, elite second baseman in baseball history.  He showed acumen both as a defensive and as an offensive second baseman.  His place is set in the Reds’ Pantheon of players.