Baseball folk hero, former Angels outfielder announces his retirement

Wishing him all the best in retirement!
Detroit Tigers v Los Angeles Angels
Detroit Tigers v Los Angeles Angels | John McCoy/GettyImages

Brett Phillips, a gregarious and energetic outfielder who last played major league baseball with the Los Angeles Angels in 2023, officially announced his retirement. Phillips was a journeyman in baseball, playing in the majors for the Milwaukee Brewers (he played a great role in a Brewers players re-make of "The Sandlot"), Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles and the Angels. Phillips will forever be known for his time with the American League pennant winning Rays in 2020, and the wonkiest walk-off in the history of the World Series with the purest, most joyous celebration of all-time.

For Angels fans, Phillips will not be best known for his time with the Angels but rather a moment he had playing against them. Phillips was playing for the Rays and forced to pitch during a blow-out game. Anthony Rendon stepped into the plate as a left-handed hitter, and blasted a home run off Phillips in what will end up being his most iconic moment as a member of the Angels.

Baseball folk hero, former Angels outfielder announces his retirement

In his Instagram video, Phillips had a white board behind him with names of baseball staffers that helped him stay in the game. In the Angels section, he listed general manager Perry Minasian, then-manager Phil Nevin, then-bench coach Ray Montgomery, then-hitting coach Marcus Thames (who was just fired from the Chicago White Sox), now-MiLB hitting coordinator and then-assistant hitting coach (yes, a lot of these people are not still in their roles) Phil Plantier, then-outfield/first base coach Damon Mashore, Tim Buss AKA "Bussy," then-bench coach Benji Gil, Triple-A manager Keith Johnson, Triple-A hitting coach Jack Santora, Joel Chimelis (who was recently fired as Double-A hitting coach), field coordinator Joe Kruzel, now-assistant coach Jayson Nix, then-third base coach Mike Gallego and Drew Butera (who was also part of the coaches who were fired by the White Sox).

Phillips was a fan-favorite everywhere he went, as he formed true relationships with the fans of his teams. He is a fast-talker and is a human who enjoys the company of other humans. Phillips will undoubtedly find success in his post-playing career, as he is a baseball lifer with a wealth of knowledge and a fantastic personality. Here's to Brett Phillips, a true baseball folk legend who was fantastic in clubhouses and has a World Series highlight that will never get old.

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