Twitter helps Brandon Phillips play better

Call him the anti-Tim McCarver -- who hates Twitter -- because @DatDudeBP, a.k.a. Reds All-Star second baseman Brandon Phillips, attributes at least part of his performance last season to his prolific use of Twitter.

"I would not have had the year I had last year without Twitter," Phillips told the Jim Rome Show Friday.

Phillips hit .300/.353/.457 with 18 homers, 82 RBI and 94 runs scored last season. The batting average and on-base percentage were both career highs, as Phillips went to his second All-Star Game, won his first Silver Slugger and won his third Gold Glove. It helped land him a huge six-year contract extension.

I'm not going to dispute Phillips at all here, because baseball is such a mental game. If you really believe that helps -- like wearing the same socks without washing them every game during a winning streak -- it probably does, from a mentality standpoint.

Here's the segment:



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