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By BOB PUTNAM
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 16, 2001
Andy Phillips, considered one of the best hitting prospects in the Yankees' farm system, has always had the spotlight on him at the plate.
The only problem was the spotlight rarely finds him in the field.
A third baseman converted to second base, Phillips struggled with the switch at Class AA Norwich, and his glove became a liability. He was swapped with Victor Rodriguez and sent down to Tampa, where he played last season.
Phillips still is adjusting in the field. (He has seven errors.) His hitting, though, has not suffered.
Phillips is on an 18-game hitting streak, his longest of the season. During the streak, Phillips is batting .397 (31-for-78) with 5 home runs and 20 RBI.
Phillips' streak should come as no surprise. A seventh-round pick from the University of Alabama, Phillips holds six career hitting records at Alabama, including an SEC-record 36-game hitting streak.
He also is one of four players in SEC history to hit 60 or more home runs in a career. (The others are Rafael Palmeiro, Will Clark and Eddy Furniss.)
The hits continued after he was drafted. As a first-year player with Staten Island, Phillips led the team in batting average and RBI and was named the best hitter of the '99 Yankees draftees in Baseball America's Yankees draft report card.
He has had a strong outing last season and has continued to hit for average and power this season. His return has helped Tampa, which is 34-18 and has a five-game lead over Dunedin in the Western Division.
CLEARWATER: The Phillies sent Bobby Sismondo to Huntsville, Milwaukee's Class AA affiliate, as the player to be named in the trade for Reading shortstop Mickey Lopez. Sismondo was 2-2 with a 3.00 ERA with Clearwater.
TAMPA: Orlando Hernandez will move on after his rehab start last week. ... Former Jesuit pitcher Sam Marsonek leads the Florida State League in complete games with four.