Jason Phillips

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Jason Lloyd Phillips (born September 27, 1976 in La Mesa, California) is a catcher, most recently with the Toronto Blue Jays. Since 2001, he has been a catcher and part time first baseman in Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed.

Phillips made his major league debut with the New York Mets on September 19, 2001. In 2003, Phillips was tried out at first base and was also a backup catcher to Mike Piazza. That season he broke out, batting .298 with 11 home runs and 58 RBIs. In 2004, his offensive numbers dropped a bit, but through the entire season he only made one error. On March 20, 2005, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii. His offensive production improved slightly, and he recorded a career high in starts and games as a backstop.

On January 3, 2006, Phillips signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays. He also received an invite to spring training where he and Guillermo Quiroz were slated to compete for the backing catching job behind incumbent starter Gregg Zaun. However, with the signing of Bengie Molina, it seemed unlikely that either of them would get the backup spot. Quiroz was later claimed on waivers by the Seattle Mariners, and Phillips started the season with the team after Zaun was put on the disabled list. A few days into the regular season, Phillips was designated for assignment on April 7, a day before Zaun came off the disabled list. On April 12, Phillips was outrighted to AAA Syracuse. After Shea Hillenbrand was traded in July 2006 to the San Francisco Giants, Phillips was recalled to fill the void in the roster. He was soon outrighted again to Syracuse for Francisco Rosario.