Phillies: Five position players to watch in spring training
Odubel Herrera
Where to begin with El Torito. Last season was just a weird season for Herrera. He started off hot, batting .322 with seven home runs and 32 RBIs in April and May. Even looking at his production stats, he had his highest home run and RBI total of his career.
I remember whisperings of “If he can keep this up…”, and then I remembered that April/May is much different from August/September. Herrera put up a batting average of .189 with 30 strike-outs and only 11 runs scored in the heat of a division race. He was even dropped down to the bottom third of the lineup at one point. He looked disheartened at the plate, and that carried into the field.
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Defensively, he was worth 16 runs above average every year from 2015-2017, based off of the number of plays made. In 2018, he was worth -10, meaning he was a significant detriment in the outfield. And I really think that ties into his struggles at the plate. It also didn’t help that, in his stead, Roman Quinn was a major bright spot in the final two months when the team desperately needed one.
In 2019, I need to see the old Odubel. The patient approach at the plate. The hustle on base to the point where his helmet falls off. The flying around the outfield, making diving plays or robbing home runs.
The Phillies don’t need him to hit 20+ home runs They need him to set the table with the other guys at the top of the lineup. I want to see 2016 Odubel, or else the Phillies will have to turn to someone else at CF.