Phillies: Didi Gregorius ‘always hungry’ for the postseason

Didi isn’t surprised the Phillies re-signed both him and J.T. Realmuto.

Just as much as Gregorius was not phased by the free-agent market, he equally is not surprised that the Phillies were able to re-sign both him and Realmuto. “I was not surprised. They had me and J.T. as their priorities, so they went out and got us both,” he said. “Even though I signed later, at the end of the day, I’m still with the team and that’s what’s important.”

Citizens Bank Park did not play a factor in Didi wanting to re-sign.

When asked whether the hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park played any factor in him wanting to re-sign with the Phillies, Gregorius stressed that his approach to every plate appearance is not necessarily on getting a home run.

“You need to get on base, so for me, I don’t worry, going to the plate, that I need to hit a home run right now. If I get on base, the guy behind me hits a home run or gets a ball in the gap and I can run and score, it’s one way or the other,” Gregorius said. “I’m not going to home plate and thinking, ‘They need me to hit a home run right here.’ We have a great team. Everybody in the lineup can do damage, so why do I have to focus on needing to hit home runs all the time?”

Gregorius continued that his approach is to take in what is being thrown to him, make adjustments, and get on base. “For me, that’s the most important,” he said. “It’s not just picking the stadium or something like that. We were in talks the whole time, got things going, and I’m back with the team.”

Joe Girardi is bullish on the Didi Gregorius re-signing.

If anyone within the Phillies organization knows just how special of a player and person Gregorius is on an everyday basis, it is Girardi. The two go far back than just the 2020 season, as they were also a player-manager tandem with the Yankees.

To no surprise, Girardi told reporters that he loves the re-signing and is really pleased. “I know what he brings on the field and in the locker room. I think he solidifies our infield and keeps everyone in the right spot and right frame of mind,” the skipper said. “Didi plays the game with love and hunger and I think it wears off on other people. For me, I think he’s a real leader and I think it was important that we got him back.”

The top observation Girardi noticed in Gregorius this past season was that he continues to improve as an offensive player, to the point where he is a “middle-of-the-order hitter” and is “very dangerous.”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re right-handed or left-handed, he’s very productive,” Girardi continued. “That’s where I’ve seen a ton of growth in Didi.”