Phillies: Evaluating the case for Justin Bour over Carlos Santana
By John Town
With Carlos Santana’s struggles this season, some have called for the Phillies to start Justin Bour at first base over Carlos Santana.
The bar has been high all season long for Carlos Santana after the Phillies signed him to a three-year, $60 million contract during the offseason. His signing has forced Rhys Hoskins to play in left field, further raising the bar for Santana. While his season hasn’t been bad, it’s certainly not up to his usual standard.
The team made a surprising pickup Friday when they made a waiver deal for Justin Bour with the Marlins. Bour was Miami’s starting first baseman all year long, but the Phillies want to use him as a weapon off the bench.
Considering Santana’s struggles, some fans have clamored to insert Bour into the starting lineup consistently, if not make him the full-time first baseman. Here we will see just how viable that would be.