Brett Phillips Returns to Rays as Brand Executive

Clearwater residents who followed the Tampa Bay Rays this past season watched a familiar face work in a new role. Brett Phillips, a Seminole High School graduate and 32-year-old former outfielder, spent the year as the franchise's brand engagement executive. He returned to his hometown team six years after a specific home run attempt turned him into a local hero. The change in his duties means he no longer carries a bat, but he still knows how to make fans smile.

Phillips began the job in February of this year. The position does not have a fixed job description. His daily tasks involve representing the club in various settings. On game days, he works in the Draft Room Lounge and visits team suites. He walks the concourses and greets children on the field. He also coordinates with sponsors and attends community events. In December, he represented the Rays at the Major League Baseball draft lottery, where the team secured the second overall pick.

The timing of his return coincided with a historic season for the Rays. The team reached the World Series for the first time since 2020. That run brought the championship series back to Tropicana Field for the first time since 2008. Fans in the Tampa Bay area remember the 2020 World Series vividly, particularly Game 4 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. That game took place at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

In the bottom of the ninth inning of that 2020 game, the Rays trailed by one run with two outs. Phillips hit a single off Kenley Jansen. Center fielder Chris Taylor fumbled the ball, allowing Kevin Kiermaier to score the tying run. Randy Arozarena stumbled rounding third base but scrambled home after catcher Will Smith failed to handle the relay throw. The Rays won 8-7, tying the series at 2-2. Phillips sprinted across the outfield with his arms spread in an airplane pose. He later required an intravenous fluid line in the clubhouse.

Phillips grew up in Seminole as a Rays fan. The Houston Astros selected him in the sixth round of the 2012 draft, straight out of high school. He made his major league debut with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2017. He played for the Kansas City Royals before joining the Rays in a trade during the 2020 season. Tampa Bay traded him to the Baltimore Orioles in 2022. After that move, he attempted to reinvent himself as a pitcher before retiring from professional play.

The new Rays ownership group began receiving emails from Phillips. He proposed ways he could assist the organization. This led to a one-hour meeting with CEO Ken Babby at the baseball Winter Meetings in Orlando. Babby created the brand engagement role specifically for Phillips. Phillips, who has a young daughter at home, wanted to stay involved in baseball without the physical demands of a full playing season.

Phillips told MLB.com in February that he keeps going back to the Rays' fans. Babby gave him one standing instruction for the season. Every time the Rays won a game, Phillips had to perform the airplane pose. He had plenty of opportunities to do so during the 2026 season. In May, he pulled off his shirt and joined the crowd in left field during a win over the Los Angeles Angels.

The Rays lost the 2020 World Series in six games, but the memory of Phillips' hit endured. His return to the organization has bridged that moment with the team's current success. He now serves as a link between the club's past achievements and its present activities in the community.