Josh Phelps - Charter Class

Josh Phelps, Class of 1996, was born to Lee and Patty Phelps in Anchorage, Alaska.  Josh has two brothers, Bryan and Casey, who are also graduates of Lakeland High School.  Josh attended Lakeland from 1992-1996, and played football and baseball throughout high school. 

His high school athletic accomplishments include:  2-year football Letterman, 4-year baseball Letterman, played on 2 state-championship baseball teams, (1992 and 1996), and was awarded the 1996 Lakeland baseball’s Most Valuable Player.

Right after Josh graduated from Lakeland, he was drafted in the 10^th round of the major league baseball draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.  He played for 6 different major league teams, the Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, and the St. Louis Cardinals, including a total of 10 different major league organizations and one international organization, Rimini Pirates, Rimini, Italy.

In 2000, Josh became the first baseball player from North Idaho to play major league baseball.  He was voted Southern League’s MVP in 2001, and in 2002 named American League Rookie of the Month for August and September.  He became the first rookie to lead the American League in RBI’s since 1996 (Tony Clark), and was selected to play on 4 different minor league post-season All-star teams.  He also had the pleasure of playing for Team USA in 2005 in a World Cup in Holland.  Josh’s life-time major league batting average is .273 with 64 homeruns and 244 RBI’s, and a minor league average of .283 with 187 homeruns and 632 RBI’s.  Josh is also a member of a very exclusive club, the 500 Level Club, a club that only 14 players belong to. The 14 “500 Club” members are the only players that have hit homeruns into the upper deck of Roger’s Center (SkyDome) since it opened in 1989, and even more amazing, only two of the 14 players Josh, and Jose Canseco, have done it more than once – Josh 2 times and Jose 3.

Josh volunteers as a T-ball and soccer coach at their local YMCA, and is a youth-group volunteer at HOPE United Methodist Church.  He gives credit to his parents, his brothers and his wife of 9 years, Eleanor, for giving him inspiration and encouragement.

Trinity, Florida is where Josh and Eleanor live with their two children, Hannah and Hudson.  His future plans include finishing his degree in engineering from St. Petersburg College and helping his wife raise their 2 children.