Phillies’ Tyler Phillips keeps a self-help book in his locker. Next up, ‘Inner Excellence.’
The pitcher and South Jersey native said he’s looking for any way to get better as he battles for a roster spot.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — A.J. Brown went viral during the Eagles season for his sideline reading of Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy, which Brown said helps him refocus after every drive.
Turns out the Phillies have a reader of their own at camp: pitcher Tyler Phillips, who keeps a copy of the self-improvement book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill in his locker in the BayCare Ballpark clubhouse.
The book has helped Phillips as he enters a pivotal spring. Barring injuries, the Phillies’ starting rotation is set, and there is likely one spot up for grabs in the bullpen. Phillips doesn’t have any options remaining, meaning if he doesn’t break camp with the team, he must pass through waivers to go to Lehigh Valley.
“[The book is] talking about just having this ‘auto-suggest’, and having this burning desire, and not letting any other negative thoughts come in, because a lot of those translate into real world, physical things,” Phillips said. “Just trying to stay positive constantly.”
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Phillips started the Phillies spring home opener against the Orioles on Sunday, tossing two innings and giving up three hits and three earned runs in the 7-3 loss. While Phillips acknowledged he needed to limit free passes — he allowed one walk and hit a batter — true to the advice of Hill’s book, he mainly focused on the positives.
“Used a lot of cutters, used a lot of curveballs to lefties, and the shapes of those were great, kind of right where I wanted them,” Phillips said. “ … I K’d a guy on a front-hip sinker. That’s something I’ve been working on a lot, that glove side. Curveballs [got] a lot of whiffs. I’m not a strikeout pitcher, but that shows a lot of positives there.”
Phillips, a South Jersey native and Bishop Eustace alumnus, said that Inner Excellence is one of the books next up on his list after watching the Eagles this year.
“If I can find one way to get better every day, whether it’s pitching, you can’t throw all the time,” Phillips said. “So if there’s something I can do when I’m recovering, [reading is] something I like to do, and just try to strengthen the mind a little bit, because that’s where I think the game gets separated.”
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