Tom Brennan - PHIL EVANS IS FOR REAL

Tom Brennan - PHIL EVANS IS FOR REAL

Phil Evans was drafted in the 15th round of 2011 by the Mets as an 18 year old.   They hoped he'd bite.  He did. 

He decided that pro ball was the way to go.  Good for him.  Pursue the dream.

In 2011, he went 5 for 15 - toe dipped in minor league water.

In 2012, he hit a modest .252 in Brooklyn.  Trump looked at the 2017 Cyclones and said, "Brooklyn could use a .252 hitter this year, this much I can tell you."

In 2013, though, he crapped out in Savannah at .203 - I began to think about writing him off by this point as another Mets minors bum who couldn't hit.

In 2014, he was promoted to St Lucie and hit .250.  Better, but still not great.  And little power.  Still disappointing.

In 2015, still with St Lucie, he hit .234 and I reattached the "bum who couldn't hit" label.

In 2016, he hit 5 for 39 in April.  Now I was sure. 

A BUM WHO COULD NOT HIT.

But, promoted to AA in late April, he started hitting in earnest.

In August and September of 2016, in 31 games, he hit .400.  Ted Williams called me and told me personally that Evans is NOT a hitting bum.  Evans' late surge nailed a AA batting title with a .335 average and 38 extra base hits in 389 at bats from his bulked up 5'10", 223 physique.

In AAA in 2017, with my hopes raised, Phil did it to me again: BUM!!  He hit .237 in April, .224 in May, and .239 in June.  He was playing sporadically in a crowded line up, as was the guy I wrote about Monday, blistering hot Jayce Boyd.

But for Phil, 2016 was clearly a fluke.  Well, not exactly.

Actually, on June 13, he hit bottom at .205.  Then woke up.

For the rest of June, he went 19 for 59 (.322).

In 25 games in July, he hit .323 with 20 RBIs.

In 19 August games, he has hit .347.  In July and August, a .390 on base % and .495 slug %.  He has climbed from that .205 nadir in mid-June to .273 now. 

So, for the past 10 weeks, Danny is hitting around the same .335 that won him the AA batting title last year - which tells me he has a legit bat.

Danny Muno used to start his seasons hitting poorly, too, and it does not help to do stuff like that and expect Lord Alderson of the Mets Kingdom to be impressed, but Evans seems to me to be a truly viable future MLB utility guy. 

Danny, older than Phil at each stage, is 3 1/2 years older than Evans, and Evans won't turn 25 until just after the season is over, so he is still young enough and uptrending.

Evans defensively? He has played 2nd, short, 3rd, and some outfield and is pretty average as a fielder.  It is not a plus tool.  Probably a bit better than TJ Rivera.

Speed?  You are looking at the wrong guy. 11 steals and 7 triples in over 2,300 plate appearances.  I wonder if he would beat fellow beefy player Dominic Smith in a foot race.

So Evans, viewed in the positive, has a legit, solid bat, modest power, and versatility.  You could see him in Queens in 2018.  Hopefully, for him, not as a tourist but as a player.