Patient Evans blooming
Hot bat, versatility should keep him in lineup for Pirates
MILWAUKEE — Phillip Evans doesn’t have to search for a reminder of who he is or what he believes.
On the handle of Evans’ bats is a shaka sign, which is probably better known as the way to gesture “hang loose”: three fingers down, the thumb and pinky outstretched. Below the hand in bold, black letters are the words “Just Cruisin’,” a mindset that traces back to Evans’ upbringing in northern San Diego.
Although he isn’t a big surfer — paddleboarding is the preferred alternative — Evans grew up heeding the many lessons the sport can teach. To appreciate what you have, go with the flow and enjoy the process, even if it requires one to wait.
“We’re playing a kid’s game for work,” Evans said. “I always try and remember that. I know we sometimes get lost along the way, but at the end of the day, people are paying to come see us play a kid’s game. I’m thankful for that, and I just try to enjoy every minute of it.”
There has been a lot to enjoy lately for the late-blooming, positionswitching, baseball- obsessed product of La Costa Canyon High, a soft-spoken San Diegan who’s finally starting to
make some legitimate noise at the major league level and might be carving out a niche with the Pirates.
A decade after Josh Harrison — a Cincinnati native — broke through with the Pirates, bouncing all over the place and leaning on his bat to stay in the lineup, Evans is seemingly doing the same thing as a West Coast equivalent.
In 24 starts with the Pirates over the past two seasons, Evans, 28, is hitting .311 (28 for 90) with four home runs and 23 RBIs while playing five different positions — with two more he could probably handle.
It’s likely been enough to keep Evans as a regular part of manager Derek Shelton’s rotation once Ke’Bryan Hayes returns later this week, and it also has been enough to evoke those Harrison comparisons, which Evans has certainly heard.
“It’s not a bad one; he’s doing OK,” Evans said with a laugh. “I mean, it’s awesome. You get compared to anyone in the big leagues, you’re doing a good job. It’s what you want to hear, and I’m grateful for it. But I just want to continue to build every day and maybe even do better than Harrison.”
‘It’s showing off’
There’s a reason Evans grew up with a surfer’s mindset. A rather prominent one, as a matter of fact.
At La Costa Canyon, Evans played for Justin Machado, who’s the brother of Hall of Fame surfer Rob Machado. It goes without saying that surfing — and what you might experience while doing it — was frequently linked to the ultimate process sport of baseball.
“Surfing is so fickle,” Justin Machado said. “You might get good waves one day, and the next you might have to figure out a way to enjoy whatever you have. Phillip really developed that mentality.”
But it wasn’t immediate, Machado said. As a freshman and sophomore, Evans would get upset when he’d make an out, ignoring an inevitable outcome of baseball. But as Evans grew, so did his appreciation for the process.
Even though he has experienced plenty of not-so-enjoyable times throughout his professional career, including injuries and a lack of opportunity, Evans has refused to let it get him down, always believing that next wave will come.
“I truly believe that mindset has helped him push things aside, keep going and keep fighting,” Machado said. “Right now, it’s showing off.”
Added Evans, who’s actually dating his former coach’s daughter: “At the end of the day, I know I’m a major league player. I just try to enjoy where I’m at and take that attitude into every game that I play. It has definitely helped, and it’s been a huge part of this journey.”
But don’t mistake Evans’ easygoing attitude for laziness or a lack of care. That would be 180 degrees wrong. Evans is the stereotypical baseball rat who simply can’t get enough.
There was one time where Evans remembers taking ground balls in the dark with former Pirate Tony Wolters at the University of San Diego, the two agreeing to leave only after the lights shut off and it started to get unsafe.
Brad Marcelino would know. He was an assistant coach when Evans played for Machado, and the two have remained friends. When Evans is home during the offseason, he’ll work out with Marcelino at 5 Tool Hitting Center, where Marcelino trains other pro ballplayers.
Marcelino routinely has to call it a day before Evans wants to be done.
“He’s ‘crazy, work-ethic guy’ all the time,” Marcelino said. “It’s like, ‘Dude, I’m not going to hit you any more ground balls. Go home.’ ”
For Evans, taking ground balls is how some see surfing — it’s almost food for the soul.
“I just love being out there,” Evans said. “I do think taking ground balls is a form of therapy for me. It always makes you feel good. Who doesn’t like to go out on the field and take ground balls and make those plays?
“I do like to work hard, and I take pride in my defense and offense. Every advantage I can get at every position on the field, I’m going to do that.”
‘Huh, Phillip Evans’
Before breaking off to do his own thing, Marcelino was the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of San Diego for seven years. Though he was plenty busy with his own life and responsibilities, he always kept tabs on Evans and what turned out to be a busy minor league career after the latter was drafted in the 15th round by the Mets in 2011.
Marcelino was following intently when Evans had his breakout season in 2016, when he wound up winning the Eastern League batting title on the final day of the regular season. (Evans went 4 for 6, had hits in his last three at- bats and barely edged out Aneury Tavarez, .33518 to .33506.)
Class AAA and a promotion to the big leagues followed the next year, where Evans hit .303 for the Mets but wound up playing just 19 games. After 15 more in 2018, when it looked like Evans might have earned a regular role, a controversial slide from Washington’s Adam Eaton in August left Evans with a fractured left tibia and ended his season.
Evans would eventually become a free agent and signed the next spring with the Cubs, working his way back to what became a career-best minor league season — .841 OPS in 130 games, 17 home runs, .283 average, 61 RBI. But he didn’t get another shot with the big club.
It was, however, enough for the Pirates to take notice and identify Evans as someone who was versatile and who might have something more to give at the plate.
“He does a lot of things well and is the type of player who historically does sometimes get overlooked,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “He wasn’t a super high pick, so he didn’t have draft-pick pedigree or that kind of profile coming through the minor leagues. But he takes good at-bats. He makes good decisions on the bases. He’s obviously versatile defensively. He’s reliable. He’s a good teammate. And on top of all that, we saw some signs of progress when he was in Class AAA with the Cubs just in terms of the exit velocity and potentially getting to a little bit more power than he had previously.”
Marcelino, meanwhile, saw a player who never really had the right opportunity or enough of it at this level. Evans was often passed over in favor of players with flashier tools.
But from the offseason work the two did, where Marcelino saw the control Evans had over his swing and approach and how much work he put into refining his defense at multiple positions, there was little doubt in Marcelino’s mind that Evans could succeed if given a chance.
That was evident last season, when Evans hit .359 over 11 games with the Pirates, his season cut short because of a concussion and broken jaw suffered during a collision with Gregory Polanco. Although the injury was miserable — Evans had to drink his meals from a straw — the preceding performance proved that he could play.
“It’s not like there’s a lot plus-plus-plus MLB tools, but I love it because he kind of reminds you of an old school player,” Marcelino said. “He’s strong and athletic and does a lot of things really, really well. He just shows up at the right time, the ball sticks in his glove, and he finds a barrel. All of a sudden it’s like, ‘Huh, Phillip Evans.’ ”
Opportunity ahead
Evans’ latest quest for the slightest advantage traces back to his time with the Cubs. It was spring training in 2019, in Mesa, Ariz. In the runway adjacent to Sloan Field — their LECOM Park — Evans spotted a man who was helping a few of his teammates stretch.
“I just came over and asked, ‘What do we have going on here?’ ” Evans said.
Quite a bit, Evans would find out. Tyler Skovron was the guy Evans met. He’s a posture and movement specialist and owns Zero Limits Performance in Dallas, which specializes in a practice known as postural therapy.
For anyone who’s unfamiliar, Skovron described postural therapy as “restoring optimal movement function to the human body” and “essentially attacking the musculoskeletal system” without manual manipulation like something a chiropractor might do.
Former Cubs pitcher Cole Hamels and a current member of the team in David Bote have championed the practice, explaining how it has helped their bodies feel younger and recover faster. So Evans this offseason decided to give it a shot.
Definitely no complaints so far, he said.
“It’s a reset of your body,” Evans said. “Things like holding postures for long periods of time, those little aches and pains that you wake up with in the morning start to fade away.”
As Skovron explained, postural therapy negates the body’s natural compensations for doing the same stuff over and over again. It can also help to create a more optimal movement pattern, which could translate into Evans being quicker, more in control of his body and also having the ability to stay fresh.
“We’re giving him that kick in the right direction, so that he can take the talent he has and use it to his fullest potential,” Skovron said.
Added Evans: “It’s a routine thing, too. It helps get your mind right. And if your body is feeling good, I think that’s the best mental space you can be in going into the day.
If Evans has his way, he’ll need the postural therapy now more than ever, if he has indeed earned that Harrisonor Ben Zobrist-type role. The Pirates certainly have a need, given some of the players who have underperformed this season, while Evans has never really enjoyed this much playing time.
The same for a lot of his teammates, Evans is excited to use these at-bats and innings as a potential proving ground for something more, the same wave he’s been riding his entire life.
“I feel great,” Evans said. “I’ve gotten a lot of smallsample-size at-bats; I’m excited to see what I can do in a long season. Hopefully more ups than downs, but it is baseball. You hit the ball hard, and sometimes it finds some leather. The mental aspect, I’m all good.
“I’m just excited to see what this team can do. I think we’re going to be better than people think and surprise some people.”