Phillies: Evaluating the case for Justin Bour over Carlos Santana
By John Town
The verdict
There is a case to keep Santana in his spot as well as hand it off to Bour. Santana should be performing better based on his underlying numbers, but this year has been an aberration. Taking away the position from him could cause a rift the rest of the time he is a Phillie.
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On the other hand, Bour has produced at a higher level this season, and in-game production is far more important when trying to win games this year. He has been a solid power hitter, especially against right-handed pitching.
What should the team ultimately do? Personally, I don’t think Santana has been as everyone has made him out to be. Despite that, getting Bour some starts when the team faces a strong righty couldn’t hurt.
As Gabe Kapler has stated, Bour can be a dangerous pinch-hitter, so I can certainly understand why you want him on the bench.
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All things considered, I don’t lean one way or the other, so I’ll live with whatever the club decides to do. I will at least admit there is a case to be made for Bour to get some starts.