Damon Roswell "Dee" Phillips (June 8, 1919 – November 4, 2004) was an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

player,

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

and scout. A

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

and

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

born in

Corsicana, Texas Corsicana is a city in Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45, 56 miles northeast of Waco, Texas. The population was 23,770 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Navarro County, and an important Agri-busines ...

, Phillips threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and weighed 176 pounds (80 kg). He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

for the Cincinnati Reds (1942) and Boston Braves (1944; 1946).Dee Phillips page at Baseball-Reference
/ref> Phillips' professional career began in 1938 when he was signed by the Detroit Tigers after a tryout with the Tigers'

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

farm club In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

, the

Beaumont Exporters The Beaumont Exporters was the predominant name of a minor league baseball team located in Beaumont, Texas that played between 1920 and 1957 in the Texas League and the Big State League. Beaumont rejoined the Class AA Texas League (1983-1986) and ...

. However, he was declared a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

Commissioner of Baseball The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive officer of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the associated Minor League Baseball (MiLB) – a constellation of leagues and clubs known as "organized baseball". Under the direction of the Commiss ...

Kenesaw Mountain Landis Kenesaw Mountain Landis (; November 20, 1866 – November 25, 1944) was an American jurist who served as a United States federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death. He is remembered for his ...

after the season and was barred from re-signing with Detroit. He eventually joined the Reds' organization and was called to the majors in the middle of the

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in w ...

season. He appeared in 28 games for Cincinnati and batted .202 in 84 at-bats. On October 1, 1943, he was acquired by the Boston Braves and spent the entire

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...

campaign in Boston, playing in 140 games and hitting .258 in 489 at-bats. He then served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

and lost the 1945 season, and most of 1946, to military service. The Braves played Phillips in two games in September 1946, but the remainder of his playing career would be spent in minor league baseball and winter baseball. He played for ten years at the Triple-A level with the Milwaukee Brewers,

Montreal Royals The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm club (Class AAA) of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939; p ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

and Richmond Virginians. Phillips managed in the farm systems of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

and the MLB

, then scouted for Baltimore and the Tigers in his native

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. Among those he signed for the Orioles was future MLB second baseman and manager

Davey Johnson David Allen Johnson (born January 30, 1943) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He played as a second baseman from through , most notably as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dynasty that won four American League ...

.Kelley, Brent P., ''The Pastime in Turbulence: Interviews with Baseball Players of the 1940s;'' Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2001, page 121 Dee Phillips died at age 85 in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Dee 1919 births 2004 deaths Baltimore Orioles (IL) players Baltimore Orioles scouts Baseball players from Texas Binghamton Triplets managers Boston Braves players Cincinnati Reds players Columbia Reds players Dayton Ducks players Detroit Tigers scouts Durham Bulls players Fargo-Moorhead Twins players Harlingen Hubs players Henderson Oilers players Indianapolis Indians players Lake Charles Skippers players Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third basemen Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players Modesto Reds players Montreal Royals players Pensacola Pilots players Richmond Virginians (minor league) players Riverside Reds players St. Paul Saints (AA) players Stockton Ports players Syracuse Chiefs players United States Army personnel of World War II