Brandon Phillips breaks down MLB swag, names All-Swag team
In an important and thought-provoking interview with Fox Sports' Jon Morosi, Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips discussed, at length, the varying definitions of "swag" as it relates to baseball. Phillips subscribes to the Troop 41 Theory of Athletic Swag -- notably, that one must perform both for the city and the fans.
His thesis is that MLB lacks sufficient levels of swag -- but those who have it, wear it well.
Let's break down the swag taxonomy as Phillips sees it:
Professional Swag -- Andrew McCutchen
Outrageous Swag -- Yasiel Puig
Undercover Swag -- Adrian Gonzalez
No-Swag Swag -- Tim Duncan
Phillips then went on to describe the MLB All-Swag team:
Manager -- Ron Washington
Designated Hitter -- David Ortiz
Pitcher -- Felix Hernandez
"One pitcher with a lot of swag is King Felix," Phillips says. "King Felix has nothing but swag. I love his swag."
Catcher -- Yadier Molina
"Yadi has swag," Phillips insists. "I respect guys. I respect Yadi to the fullest. Great player, man. He has swag. I love it. A lot of swag."
First Baseman -- Prince Fielder
"Prince Fielder has nothing but swag at first base."
Second Baseman -- Oh, come on.
"Myself," Phillips says, in a fashion that suggests this is like questioning whether Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer of all time. The answer is self-evident. "Do I think I'm a showboat?" he asks at one point. "No. I'm an entertainer."
Third Baseman -- Miguel Cabrera
"King of swag."
Shortstop -- Hanley Ramirez
"I'd take Hanley Ramirez's swag over Tulo's swag," he decides. "Hanley's swag is off the chain."
Left Fielder -- Carlos Gonzalez
"Oooooohhhh," Phillips says, shaking his head. "He has nothing but swag. Wow! I love his swag."
Center Field -- Adam Jones
"My boy AJ has swag in center field."
Right Field -- Hunter Pence
"The most funked-up stuff I've ever seen ... I love his swag," Phillips says admiringly. "He has swag. Nobody else plays the game like him. His swag is hustle, hustle, hustle, hustle. … He's unique. I call him the unicorn, (because) you'll never see another guy swing like him."