Tyson Gillies Freaks the Hell Out on Eastern League for About a Week

The Reading Phillies seem to take turns tearing things apart in the Eastern League, and from May 21-May 27, that Reading Phillie was Tyson Gillies.  But Tyson’s week was a little more special, in that the trail of destruction he left behind him is coffee-spittingly shocking.

"From May 21st through May 27th, Gillies led all Eastern League hitters in batting average (.500), triples (3), on-base percentage (.560), slugging percentage (.909), and OPS (1.469)."

And while you’re wiping the joe off your internet windshield, know that those numbers were enough to crown 23-year-old Tyson Eastern League Player of the Week.  Sure, it was last week and in a few days, Tyson’s glory will be replaced by that of another young stallion buried somewhere in Double-A.  But what were you doing that week?  Building a treehouse for your kids?  Please.  We all know your kids took off months ago.

Five of the R-Phils are ranked in the top 30 of all EL offensive categories (Darin Ruf, Troy Hanzawa, Cesar Hernandez, Tyson Gillies, and Leandro Castro), and despite Tyson’s glacial start, he registers among them, leading all of them in triples, as well as head injuries that occurred last Saturday.

Yes, it seems that all of this success couldn’t protect Tyson from a collision during a game in Harrisburg, and he has been etched onto the disabled list with the rest of the Philadelphia Phillies organization.  It was a concussion that did Tyson in, after placing his skull in direct contact with Jiwan James’ at a devastating velocity.  Added to his regiment of hamstring-strengthening activities will be skull-powering exercises to prevent both injuries with more success in the future.

But that hasn’t stopped him from indulging in a celebratory feast and getting on Mike Trout’s good side before he’s too rich and powerful to associate with other human people.