Phillies 2016 Grades: Outfielders
By Matt Veasey
ODUBEL HERRERA
“El Torito” was the lone Phillies NL All-Star representative in San Diego back in July, his first All-Star nod in just his second big league season.
Herrera was up and down this year, but in the end he improved over his surprising breakout 2015 rookie campaign.
Over 631 plate appearances through this past weekend, Herrera has hit for a .288/.364/.426 slash line with 15 homers and 48 RBI. He leads the club with 85 runs scored and 25 stolen bases.
Right now, Herrera is the Phillies most consistent offensive player, the only outfielder in the current group who was an everyday player.
Defensively he improved over last year, which was the first full season in which he had ever played out in center field.
He got plenty of work this season over his 153 games played, appearing in 1250.1 innings to this point, 13th among all outfielders in the big leagues. His 380 total chances are second among outfielders.
With all that work, Herrera is tied for 10th with 11 outfield assists. He has made four errors, which makes his .976 fielding percentage just middle-of-the-road, but he hasn’t hurt the team.
Frankly, I’m not sure of what to make of Herrera longterm. He turns 25 years old at the end of the year, and can arguably be said to still be adjusting to the outfield and to the big leagues. He may have another level to climb.
For now, Herrera is a key piece to the Phillies rebuilding puzzle. I have advocated that the club should explore trading him while his value is high. But if that is done, it had best be for something valuable coming back in return.