Longtime skipper signs with Lexington
Admirals skipper moves on to Atlantic League
The Vallejo Admirals’ longtime leader is leaving for greener pastures.
PJ Phillips, the veteran skipper who guided the Admirals to the 2017 Pacific Association title, has agreed to manage the Lexington Legends of the Atlantic League. The Atlantic League is an official partner with Major League Baseball, while the Admirals are an independent team, part of the Pacific Association of Baseball Clubs. The Legends were the league champs in 2018 and 2019, while the Admirals did not play last season due to the pandemic.
“It feels great to be the new manager here, but I also have to thank Vallejo because if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have ever been a manager,” Phillips said. “I especially have to thank Tim Fitz (Fitzgerald, ex-Admirals broadcaster) for getting me into managing. I would never have tried it if it wasn’t for him urging me to give it a shot.”
Phillips, a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Angels in 2005, joined the Admirals early in the 2014 season before returning to the Atlantic League to finish out the year. He had an outstanding season at the plate in 2015, batting .302 with nine home runs and setting the Pacific Association single-season record for doubles with 27.
About halfway through the 2016 season, Phillips took over managing duties. From July 1 of that year through 2019, he guided the Admirals to a 127-146 record. His wins are the most in Admirals history.
The pinnacle for Phillips came in 2017 when he
guided the Admirals to a 24-15 record in the second half, good enough to get Vallejo in the championship game. The Admirals then beat Sonoma to win the league title.
“I love Vallejo, I guess that’s why I kept coming back year after year,” Phillips, who grew up in Atlanta, said with a laugh. “I loved the people there, I loved the grind, the fans, the housing, the players we brought up. I loved it all.”
Phillips said he knows he has a lot of work to do in Lexington, but is ready to get down to business.
“Basically I want to keep up the success that the team has had,” Phillips said. “I plan on using some of my connections as well as using people they have. I feel very comfortable there. They didn’t have to pick
me. They could have gone with someone else, someone with more experience, but they picked me and I’m ready to bust some (butt) andmakeitwork.”
While the Admirals may hate to see Phillips go, General Manager Heather Luna said that at the same time the organization was thrilled to see its longtime skipper promoted to a higher league.
“That’s our mentality,” Luna said. “We always want to see our players and coaches go to the next level. PJ was with us during some great times, especially 2017 when he helped the team win a title. The Admirals will always be home to him and his legacy will live on here for sure. I’m so ecstatic for him, especially going to the Atlantic League which has Major
League ties.”
Luna said they haven’t begun a search for a replacement yet and the team is waiting on county COVID-19 guidelines to change before they begin the search.
“We don’t want to sign a contract and offer someone their dreams until we’re sure we can have a season,” Luna said. “When that time comes we’ll hit the ground running. Dave (Phinney, the Admirals owner) and I will look at some people at that time. I don’t think we’ll have a problem filling that position when the time comes. We’d definitely like to have a season of some kind this year and have fans, even if it’s just at 20 percent capacity.”