Phillies: Will Odubel Herrera return or be traded in 2019?
By Koy Zdimal
Pros for Odubel
If you watched any of the Phillies games on ESPN this year you know Matt Vasgersian feels Herrera is one of the most exciting players in the game. Herrera does bring an electricity to the Phillies lineup. From home runs off Max Scherzer to home run saving catches, Herrera brings a spark to the team.
Herrera has set a high in home runs, RBIs, and a low in strikeouts thus far. He also stands to finish with his second-best career numbers for SLG, walks, runs, AB/PA and needs to play six more games to record a second best 148 games.
His season started with a ridiculous 41-game on-base streak and a five-game home run streak was equally captivating.
While this was a down year, Herrera has performed at an elite level over the first three years of his career. Prior to this season he had a career .289/.343/.430 slash with a 142 extra base hits and a 462 hits in just 444 career games. Despite not elite speed he posted a 71% successful stolen base percentage in those three years.
Herrera’s contract is also taken care of. The 2016 All Star will make just 23.05 million dollars over the next three seasons before reaching a team in option in 2022. Just over $7.5 million a year is incredibly cheap for a player of Herrera’s caliber.
Many forget Herrera went from playing second for the Rangers Double-A team right to the major leagues thanks to the Rule 5 Draft. His development was ramped up a couple of years and he’s still learning the nuances of the game.
Despite a down sided 2018, Herrera has posted All Star numbers throughout his career. He has often posted stretches in which he has looked like a top player in the league. With a little fine tuning, Herrera could look like that kind of a player over a 162 game span.