Opinion: The Phillies Cannot Continue to Start Herrera

Odúbel Herrera has an .820 OPS since being activated from the IL in April, but since May began, that OPS is .375.

© Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

You cannot separate the player Odúbel Herrera from the person Odúbel Herrera. Both are widely disliked by Philadelphia Phillies fans for obvious reasons. However, the player Herrera is a former All-Star. He was one of the only bright spots during a dismal Phillies rebuild.

After signing a free agent deal with the Phillies and taking over at centerfield since his arrival back with the club from injury on April 22, he's played just like the Herrera we all remember from his previous six years with the club, and that's not a good thing.

Sure, Herrera's OPS in 44 plate appearances this year is .820, good for an OPS+ of 132. But those figures are highly unstable. He's striking out 10.8% more often than he has in his career, and he's walking at just 1/3 the measly rate he had set through his first six years in the majors.

His defense is bad by both DRS, UZR and the eye-test. His defensive inadequacies were one of the catalysts in the Phillies 7-1 debacle against the New York Mets on Thursday.

Since May began, he's slashed .167/.167/.208 with a 33% strikeout-rate and no walks. His plate discipline is abhorrent, Herrera will frequently end rallies by swinging at the first pitch or striking out on just three pitches, as evidenced by his 3.73 pit/PA in 2022, the lowest total of his career.

Herrera's a liability on the field and at the plate, but until Mickey Moniak returns from injury, the Phillies don't have another option at centerfield besides Roman Quinn since Matt Vierling got demoted to Triple-A on May 11. Quinn is serviceable for his defense, arm, and speed on the base paths, but the Phillies are likely looking to avoid overexertion, Quinn's struggles with injury are well-documented.

Herrera's current downward trend will probably right itself with enough plate appearances, but it simply isn't worth it for the Phillies to ride out his lows just to experience the highs. 

Herrera isn't Rhys Hoskins, he isn't a player who can put a team on his back for a week and carry them. When he's playing his best, Herrera is a low, All Star-caliber player, but the bone-headed mistakes and uncompetitive at-bats mean that he's an overall detriment to the club.

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