That Balls Outta Here
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Phillies: Will Odubel Herrera return or be traded in 2019?

By Koy Zdimal

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 24: Odubel Herrera #37 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts after being thrown out at second base by Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals (not pictured) in the seventh inning at Nationals Park on May 24, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 24: Odubel Herrera #37 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts after being thrown out at second base by Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals (not pictured) in the seventh inning at Nationals Park on May 24, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – JULY 11: Odubel Herrera #37 of the Philadelphia Phillies strikes out swinging as he looses his helmet during the eighth inning of a game at Citi Field on July 11, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The Mets defeated the Phillies 3-0 in 10 innings. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – JULY 11: Odubel Herrera #37 of the Philadelphia Phillies strikes out swinging as he looses his helmet during the eighth inning of a game at Citi Field on July 11, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The Mets defeated the Phillies 3-0 in 10 innings. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

Cons of Odubel

As many reasons as there are to keep Herrera, there might be even more to get rid of him.

Before getting into the other options to fill his spot let’s acknowledge the bad parts of Herrera’s game. He has posted a career low in AVG, OBP, OPS, doubles, stolen bases, WAR and even posted WAA (wins above average) of -1.6. He posted a defensive WAR of -1.0, another career low, he finished with a career low in almost all sabermetric categories including oRAR, oWAR, 162WL%, RAR and posted a horrific -13 RAA.

Phillies
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JUNE 12: Odubel Herrera #37 of the Philadelphia Phillies slides safely into home plate in the eighth inning during a game against the Colorado Rockies at Citizens Bank Park on June 12, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 5-4. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /

On top of the poor play on the field Herrera also made his annual set of bone headed plays as well, most memorably costing the Phillies a sweep in Boston. From misread balls to poor baserunning Herrera occasionally plays with a baseball IQ and charisma that makes him look uncoachable.

Inconsistency and simple mistakes have been an issue throughout Herrera’s career and he still has yet to show some maturity as a player.

Another thing against Herrera is the surplus at his position.Let us start within the current roster.

Rhys Hoskins is the only lock in for the 2019 season, likely in Left field. This means he will likely be competing with Roman Quinn and Nick Williams.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 12: Roman Quinn
PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 12: Roman Quinn /

Quinn brought a new life to the Phillies offense. The speedster was a spark plug in his 43 game stretch with the club, going 9-12 on stolen base attempts while tying the team high with three triples. While his sample size was smaller his .278/.322/.444 slash was higher than Herrera in every category.

Williams also had a good season posting a .256/.324/.425 line with 17 home runs and 50 RBI after starting the season on the bench.

Williams is also the better defender between him and Herrera, as he has a higher career fielding percentage, a stronger arm and makes fewer mental mistakes. It is a tough call between Herrera and Williams yet I would likely give the everyday nod to Herrera due to his higher ceiling. However Quinn might have the upper hand is argument simply due to the difference he brings as a weapon to the Phillies roster.

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