Swiss-Army Man: Phillip Evans Makes Mets Opening Day Roster as Super-Utility Player

Although he’s not a household name, Phillip Evans is one very interesting baseball player. I say that because when you get to the highest levels of pro ball, you’re usually cuckolded into one or two positions. Evans, on the other hand, is capable of playing nearly every position on the field.

While Shohei Ohtani has been getting all the headlines for his ability to pitch and hit, Evans can play six (maybe seven) positions on the diamond — including catcher. Because of this, and his ability to rake in the batter’s box, he made the New York Mets’ 25-man roster for Opening Day. The only three spots he’s not accustomed to are center field, first base, and of course, pitcher. But I imagine he could play all eight if needed.

Last year, Evans — who was drafted out of high school in the 2011 MLB June Amateur Draft — made his presence felt with a .303 batting average in 38 plate appearances. In 19 games, he split his time between second and third base.

This offseason, though, Evans made sure he wouldn’t be left off the Opening Day roster by agreeing to give catching a shot. The team approached him just a few weeks before pitchers and catchers reported, and since ‘utility’ was already key to his resume, he obliged.

With all that said, this is nothing new for the 25-year-old Evans. He originally came up as a shortstop and didn’t play any other position for this first three years in the minors. However, in 2014, he added second and third base to his repertoire, followed by the corner outfield spots in 2017 with Las Vegas.

In 2017, the California native hit .279 in AAA which included 40 extra-base hits (11 home runs, three triples, and 26 doubles).

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Evans did not appear in the Mets’ Opening Day game on Thursday afternoon. The Mets beat St. Louis 9–4 behind 10 K’s from starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard.

You can see the full Opening Day roster for the Mets here.