After Didi Gregorius’ poor 2021 performance, his future with the Phillies is uncertain
After a solid COVID-19 shortened 2020 in which Didi Gregorius hit 10 home runs with an OPS of .827, the Philadelphia Phillies re-signed the shortstop to a two-year deal worth $28 million. However, after a tumultuous 2021 season which included injury, the future for Gregorius in a Phillies’ uniform is iffy at best. Let’s take a look back at the 2021 campaign for Gregorius.
Gregorius started the season on fire, hitting safely in his first 11 games, batting .317 during the stretch. After cooling off the rest of April, Gregorius was hitting .250 with two home runs and 14 RBI entering May.
A 5-for-13 stretch with two home runs and eight RBI from May 2 through May 5 highlighted an otherwise disappointing month. Gregorius left the game against Washington on May 12 with elbow stiffness, ending his month with a .190 batting average and .229 average overall with four home runs and 22 RBI.
Gregorius remained out of the lineup for weeks and finally, on June 25 his injury was diagnosed as pseudogout, a form of arthritis. He returned to the lineup in July and whether the injury was a factor in his poor play or not, he hit only .163 for the month with four home runs, six RBI, and an OPS of .622.
There were signs of life at the plate in August for Gregorious. He produced seven multiple-hit games, had 10 extra-base hits, 13 RBI, and a respectable .268 average and OPS of .768. The RBI and power production was solid in September, but it was all or nothing for Gregorius. He had three home runs and 12 RBI, but his batting average was an anemic .169 with a dreadful OPS of .544.
The most nightmarish season at the plate ended for Gregorius with a .209 average and an OPS of .639. On the positive, he hit 13 home runs and 54 RBI, averaging an RBI nearly every seven at-bats.
Defensively, it was frankly tough to watch Gregorius at times. Some of the issues were clearly due to the elbow injury which hindered his throws from shortstop. In the end, he committed 18 errors, had a .953 fielding percentage and -0.5 dWAR, all of those numbers were the worst of his career.
There was very little positive about this season for Gregorius with the exception of the occasional power and solid at-bat per RBI ratio. That saved him from a failing grade.