Odubel: From Rule 5 to Phillies Best Hitter

Jimmy Rollins, who is the Phillies all-time leader in base hits, is gone.

Chase Utley, who was the Phillies’ best overall hitter for 10 seasons, is gone.

Ben Revere, who led the team in batting average for the 2013 and 2014 seasons, is gone.

Maikel Franco, who was developing into the Phillies’ next great hitter, is on the disabled list.

So, who can claim the title as the best hitter in the Phillies lineup? Well, that honor, believe it or not, belongs to a Rule 5 draft pick, Odubel Herrera.

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Herrera was a July 2nd free agent signee of the Texas Rangers way back in 2008. After six seasons in the Rangers’ farm system, Herrera became eligible for the “Rule 5” draft last fall, a system put into place by MLB to prevent teams from stock-piling players in the minors whom other clubs would be willing to give a job in the big leagues.

The Phillies selected Herrera in that December draft. At spring training in Clearwater, the team saw exciting signs of a legitimate hitter, one who had won the Texas League batting title in the minors last year, and then another in the winter while playing in his native Venezuela.

Making the team out of spring, Herrera earned more and more playing him, and eventually took an opportunity to be the Phillies’ everyday centerfielder and ran with it. Since Revere was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays just prior to the MLB traded deadline in late July, the 23-year-old “El Torito” has batted .343 with a .403 on-base percentage.

He ranks third among all center fielders with 90 or more at-bats in August batting average with a .346 mark, while his on-base percentage ranks fourth in that same group. Herrera has also been one of the best offensive center fielders in baseball since the All-Star break. His .348  average since the Midsummer Classic ranks second only to Arizona’s A.J. Pollock, and is 22 points higher than NL All-Star Andrew McCutchen’s .326 average.

Among Phillies hitters, Herrera is establishing himself as the cream of the crop. His 4-for-4 day at the plate on Sunday afternoon – the first and likely not the last 4-hit game of his career – only helped solidify his status as the Phillies’ best current hitter. His .295 average is tops on the team among those with 200 or more at-bats, and his .753 OPS is third only behind Franco (.830) and Jeff Francoeur (.779).

What has made Herrera so successful in his first Major League season is an ability to hit to all fields. Sunday’s game was an encapsulation of that approach. He had two hits to left field, one up the middle, and one through the hole between second and first base.

On the season, Herrera is batting .370 or higher to all three parts of the diamond, with a .374 average on pulled balls, a .432 average on balls hit up the middle, and .371 average on balls hit the opposite way. Herrera has benefited from some luck, as he holds a .378 BABIP (batting average on balls in play). Regardless, his scrappiness at the plate and ability to make contact have been rewarded.

Herrera has also been one of the most clutch hitters for the Phillies in 2015. In 154 at-bats with men on base, Herrera has a .325 average with 28 RBIs. In situations with runners in scoring position, he has an average of .292 with 26 RBIs, and has helped prop up a generally weak Phillies offense that ranks 15th in the league with a .245 average with RISP.

The 23-year-old has really impressed during this first season. His production saw him take a stint as the #3 hitter in the order, and his consistent approach at the plate is earning him consistent looks at the leadoff spot in the Phillies’ lineup. Cesar Hernandez’s recent struggles have made that top-of-the-order decision much easier for interim manager Pete Mackanin.

On top of being arguably the Phillies’ best hitter, Herrera is, by far, the most entertaining player to watch day in and day out. Some of that excitement stems from a lack of experience, in centerfield especially. There have been some “adventures” out there as he refines his knowledge of the position. The final out of the Cole Hamels no-hitter being a perfect example.

But the energy with which Herrera plays on a nightly basis is a joy to watch. Nothing about Odubel Herrera is dull. His seemingly uncomfortable, unorthodox, yet undoubtedly successful stance at the plate, and the way he leaps and jogs down to first base after drawing a walk, exude excitement and energy. Now, just imagine if that energy was being channeled for a contending ballclub.

Herrera has had himself one heck of a 2015 season to this point after only hitting a meager .249 through the first two months. He’s bounced back quite nicely, and is beginning to figure out how to succeed as a hitter at the highest competitive level. For the Phillies, they might just have something special in a Rule 5 Draft pick with a chip on his shoulder.