Denis Phipps (born July 22, 1985) is a Dominican former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

in 2012.

Career

Cincinnati Reds

On May 3, 2004, Phipps signed with the

as an international free agent. He spent his first professional season with the rookie–level Gulf Coast League Reds and

Billings Mustangs The Billings Mustangs are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Billings, Montana, and have played their home games at Deh ...

in 2006. Phipps spent the next two seasons with the Single–A

Dayton Dragons The Dayton Dragons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Dayton, Ohio, and play their home games at Day Air Ballpark. In 2011, they broke the record for most ...

, hitting .238 with nine home runs, 53 RBI, and 18 stolen bases in 2007, and hitting .255 with seven home runs, 57 RBI, 10 stolen bases in 2008. Phipps spent the 2009 season with the High–A

Sarasota Reds The Sarasota Reds were a professional minor league baseball team, located in Sarasota, Florida, as a member of the Florida State League. The team originally started play in Sarasota as the Sarasota White Sox in 1989. They remained in the city for ...

, also appearing in 3 games for the Double–A

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and play their home games ...

. In 134 games for Sarasota, he posted a .239/.288/.385 batting line with 10 home runs, 55 RBI, and 18 stolen bases. Phipps played in 129 games split between the High–A Lynchburg Hillcats and Carolina in 2010, slashing .250/.316/.413 with 12 home runs, 56 RBI, and 17 stolen bases. He spent 2011 with Carolina and the Triple–A

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

, batting a combined .346/.397/.527 with 12 home runs, 64 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. Phipps played in 97 games split between the rookie–level Arizona League Reds and Louisville, hitting .231/.300/.422 with 17 home runs and 50 RBI. On September 1, 2012, Phipps was selected to the

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. Phipps hit the first home run of his major league career, a two-run shot against the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

' Ronald Belisario on September 23. He played in 8 games for Cincinnati in his rookie campaign, going 3–for–10 (.300) with one home run, two RBI, and one walk. On November 30, Phipps was non–tendered by the Reds, becoming a free agent. He re–signed with the team on a minor league contract the following day. Phipps spent the entirety of the 2013 campaign with Triple–A Louisville, playing in 130 games and slashing .248/.331/.385 with nine home runs, 49 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. He elected free agency following the season on November 4, 2013. Phipps played in the

Dominican Professional Baseball League The Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League ( or LIDOM) is a professional baseball winter league consisting of six teams spread across the Dominican Republic; it is the highest level of professional baseball played in the Dominican Repub ...

six seasons with Estrellas Orientales before joining

Leones del Escogido Leones del Escogido (English: ''Chosen One Lions'' or ''Lions of Chosen One'' or ''Picked Lions'') is a professional baseball team in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Established in , Leones are the third most successful team in the Dominican Pr ...

for the 2013/14 season, after posting in 17 games an average of .220. He won the 2012 Caribbean Series with Leones del Escogido, playing as a reinforcement and on loan from Estrellas Orientales.

Chicago White Sox

On November 22, 2013, Phipps signed a minor league contract with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. He played in 19 games for the Triple–A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

, hitting .159/.250/.270 with one home run, three RBI, and two stolen bases. Phipps was released by the White Sox organization on May 9, 2014.

Broncos de Reynosa

On May 28, 2014, Phipps signed with the

Broncos de Reynosa Los Broncos de Reynosa (English: Reynosa Broncos) were a Mexican team that played in the Adolfo Lopez Mateos stadium in the city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas. The Broncos de Reynosa played in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol and it was part of the Zona ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. He played the second half of the 2014 season with the team, hitting .212 in 8 games before he was released on July 17.

Laredo Lemurs

Phipps subsequently joined the Laredo Lemurs of the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

With the team, he accumulated a .335 with 15 home runs and 15 doubles but was unable to reach the championship series, losing to Wichita in the semifinal round. Phipps returned to Laredo in 2015, ending the year with a .336 batting average, 17 home runs, 24 doubles, 76 RBI and a league–leading 127 hits. He was selected to the league's post season all-star team. In the offseason, Phipps initially signed in the

Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League The Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League ( or LBPN), known as the Campeonato Claro for sponsorship purposes, is the professional baseball league of Nicaragua. The league consists of five teams with a 30-game regular season schedule that runs ...

with Gigantes de Rivas but later joined the

Caribes de Anzoátegui The Caribes de Anzoátegui (; ''Anzoátegui Caribs'') is a baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League based in Puerto la Cruz, in the eastern state of Anzoátegui. Franchise history In January 1987, a local businessmen group ba ...

from the

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (, or LVBP) is the top-level professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Background and predecessors Baseball had been play ...

in November 2015 after posting a .205 batting average in 11 games. He debuted on 21 November 2015 and contributed with his team until losing in the playoffs. He finished the season batting .316 with 6 home runs and 4 doubles.

Acereros de Monclova

On February 17, 2016, Phipps signed with the

Acereros de Monclova The Acereros de Monclova (English: Monclova Steelers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports l ...

of the

. Before being released on May 24, he played 44 games and slashed .221/.262/.442 with eight home runs and 23 RBI.

Laredo Lemurs (second stint)

Phipps returned to the Laredo Lemurs of the American Association in 2016, marking his third season with the team. He was later chosen to play the 2016 American Association All-Star Game as a designated hitter. Phipps played 92 games for Laredo, slashing .280/.364/.538 with 24 home runs, 62 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. He was the second player in the league who recorded at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. Phipps returned to the Venezuelan league with Caribes de Anzoátegui during the offseason, winning the Producer of the Year award and was third in the Most Valuable Player voting, when he batted .327 with 11 home runs, 40 RBI and 46 runs scored. Phipps was unsuccessful with Caribes in the playoffs, aside from his three home runs and 12 RBI. He later played the league's finals with the Cardenales de Lara, but lost to Águilas del Zulia in the championship. Phipps was also chosen to play the 2017 Caribbean Series with Zulia. On April 20, 2017, Phipps re–signed with Laredo for his fourth season with the team. However, on May 8, Phipps became a free agent when the Lemurs folded.

Texas AirHogs

On May 17, 2017, Phipps signed with the Texas AirHogs of the

, finishing the season having played in 86 games with 18 doubles and a team–leading .314 average, 10 home runs and 58 runs batted in. He later began the offseason with Anzoátegui, but was released in early November 2017 after hitting .123, and later returned to the Nicaraguan league with the Gigantes de Rivas.

Sugar Land Skeeters

On January 16, 2018, Phipps was traded to the

Sugar Land Skeeters The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the G ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

, and officially signed with the team on May 14. In 98 games for the Skeeters, he hit .265/.344/.396 with nine home runs, 37 RBI, and six stolen bases. Phipps became a free agent following the season. That offseason, Phipps helped the Gigantes de Rivas reach the Nicaraguan league final series, but they lost to the Tigres de Chinandega 2–3. On April 15, 2019, Phipps re-signed with Sugar Land, ultimately playing in 124 games and slashing .261/.350/.458 with 21 home runs and 81 RBI. He became a free agent following the season. Phipps later returned to play for the

of the

during the offseason. On January 17, 2020, Phipps re-signed with the Skeeters for a third consecutive year. He did not play in a game for Sugar Land due to the cancellation of the Atlantic League season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Phipps became a free agent in the offseason.

Tri-City ValleyCats

On February 24, 2021, Phipps signed with the

Tri-City ValleyCats The Tri-City ValleyCats are a professional baseball team based in Albany, New York. The ValleyCats compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the North Division in the Atlantic Conference. The team was established in 2002, along with the ...

of the

Frontier League The Frontier League (FL; French: ''Ligue Frontière'', LF) is a professional baseball league in North America composed of 18 teams – 15 in the United States and 3 in Canada. The FL is one of the eight independent baseball leagues in North Ame ...

. In 93 games, Phipps slashed .277/.354/.524 with 21 home runs and 62 RBI. He became a free agent following the season.

Lexington Legends

On September 18, 2021, Phipps signed with the

Lexington Legends The Lexington Legends are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball. The Legends have ...

of the

. In 21 games for the Legends, he batted .275/.344/.375 with two home runs, seven RBI, and four stolen bases. Phipps became a free agent after the season.

Tri-City ValleyCats (second stint)

On November 21, 2021, Phipps re-signed with the

of the

for the 2022 season. After slashing .296/.398/.648 33 home runs, 91 RBI, and 10 stolen bases, Phipps was awarded the Frontier League's Designated Hitter of the Year honors for 2022. It was announced on January 30, 2023, that Phipps would return to the ValleyCats for the 2023 season. However, on March 3, Phipps was traded to the Charleston Dirty Birds of the

. He did not play professionally in 2023, and became a free agent after the season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phipps, Denis 1985 births Acereros de Monclova players Arizona League Reds players Billings Mustangs players Broncos de Reynosa players Caribes de Anzoátegui players Carolina Mudcats players Charlotte Knights players Cincinnati Reds players Dayton Dragons players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Estrellas Orientales players Gulf Coast Reds players Laredo Lemurs players Lexington Legends players Living people Louisville Bats players Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball center fielders Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen Major League Baseball right fielders Mexican League baseball left fielders Mexican League baseball right fielders Baseball players from San Pedro de Macorís Sarasota Reds players Sugar Land Skeeters players Texas AirHogs players Tri-City ValleyCats players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Nicaragua

Career

Cincinnati Reds

Chicago White Sox

Broncos de Reynosa

Laredo Lemurs

Acereros de Monclova

Laredo Lemurs (second stint)

Texas AirHogs

Sugar Land Skeeters

Tri-City ValleyCats

Lexington Legends

Tri-City ValleyCats (second stint)

See also

References

External links