Phillips epitomizes East County's diamond qualities

EL CAJON - Rarely has the East County produced a more consistent hitter than El Capitan's Kyle Phillips. The Vaqueros senior first baseman has not been hidden in the shadow of, nor has he had to take a backseat to, his brother Jason Phillips, arguably the finest catcher in all of minor league baseball today.

What the younger Phillips does best is hit. He is a contact guy with a clue and an excellent power base. A fluid defender around the bag, the left-handed swinging Phillips hit safely in 30 of 35 games while compiling a Grossmont Conference-leading .496 batting average for the Vaqueros this season. His totals included 20 multiple-hit games, 14 home runs, 46 RBI and a slugging percentage of .941. The East County Rookie of the Year as a junior, Phillips was a unanimous choice for the 2002 East County Player of the Year in balloting conducted by the EastCountySports.com staff.

Small wonder the Minnesota Twins agreed. They made the talented Phillips their 10th round draft pick earlier this week and both parties believe the .461 career hitter has a future behind the plate.