An influx of new players at one's position can be enough to make most players look over their shoulder a bit.
"Your job is always going to be on the line," Arkansas Travelers shortstop Anthony Phillips said. "You've got younger guys coming up and everybody is hungry to play."
But despite the addition of two infielders to the Travs' roster this week, Manager Mark Parent said he doesn't think Phillips should have anything to worry about.
The South African-born Phillips showed why Saturday, when he singled and scored in the sixth ining, tripled and scored in the eighth and played his signature stellar defense in the Travs' 3-0 victory over the Tulsa Drillers at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
"Anthony was signed to come here to steady an infield and play shortstop," Parent said. "If he gets hits, that's great. What he does at shortstop, he does pretty good."
That's the case, Parent said, even with a couple of new faces.
Tim Arakaway, who was promoted to the Class AA Travs from Class A Inland Empire, and Sean Coyle, claimed off waivers from the Boston Red Sox, have each joined the Travs in the past week. But neither Arakaway, who can play second base, shortstop and left field, or Coyle, mostly a second baseman, should cut into Phillips' at-bats.
That's mostly because of Phillips' defense, which he showed in the eighth inning Saturday when he drifted to the right side of second base to field a ground ball hit by Tulsa's Cody Bellinger and throw cleanly for an out.
Phillips, who went 2 for 3 and drove in three runs in Friday's doubleheader, singled off Tulsa starter Lisalverto Bonilla in the sixth Saturday, then scored on Coyle's double down the right-field line. In the eighth, he tripled on a line drive over the head of Alex Verdugo in center field. After the ball ricocheted off his foot on Verdugo's throw to the infield, Phillips scored when the ball went into the Tulsa dugout to make it 3-0.
The combination of defense and offense at least helps ease Phillips' mind, even if Parent thinks his spot is solidified.
"I'm assuming at some point there is going to be some rotation with the guys," said Phillips, who is hitting .243. "But I think, like everything else, you got to go out and prepare and go about your business like you're going to play that day."
Sports on 07/24/2016