Odúbel Herrera

Odúbel Herrera
Herrera with the Phillies in 2016
Philadelphia Phillies – No. 37
Center fielder
Born: (1991-12-29) December 29, 1991
Zulia, Venezuela
Bats: Left Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 6, 2015, for the Philadelphia Phillies
MLB statistics
(through 2018 season)
Batting average .279
Home runs 59
Runs batted in 217
Stolen bases 54
Teams
Career highlights and awards

David Odúbel Herrera (born December 29, 1991) is a Venezuelan professional baseball center fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). After he spent 2008 to 2014 in the Texas Rangers' farm system, the Phillies selected him in the Rule 5 draft.

Early life

Herrera grew up in Venezuela, and was known for being "strong and powerful when he was a kid." Consequently, his father gave him the nickname "El Torito" – Spanish for "the little bull".[1]

Professional career

Texas Rangers

Herrera was signed by the Texas Rangers as an international free agent in 2008 at age 16.[2] He began his professional career in the Dominican Summer League, making 34 errors in 51 games at shortstop for an .863 fielding percentage in 2009, and slowly progressed through the farm system, albeit behind several other top prospects.[3][4] In 2012, he made 51 errors playing 110 games in the field between second base and shortstop, for the Class A+ Myrtle Beach Pelicans.[3]

Playing for the AA Frisco Roughriders in 2013, he batted .257/.289/.339 with 2 home runs in 389 at bats.[3] Predominantly an infielder in the Rangers' system, he began playing sporadically in the outfield during the 2014 season, in which he split time between the Class A-Advanced Myrtle Beach Pelicans and the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders, winning the Texas League batting title.[4] He also participated in the Venezuelan Winter League, where he earned recognition as the most valuable player (MVP) by posting a .372 batting average with six home runs and a .988 on-base plus slugging (OPS).[5]

Philadelphia Phillies

Herrera with the Phillies in 2015

Herrera was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies from the Rangers in the 2014 Rule 5 draft, which stipulated that he must remain a part of their roster for the 2015 season.[6][7] Phillies' general manager Rubén Amaro, Jr. said that the Phillies viewed Herrera as an intriguing prospect, insofar as he "fits the bill" of what the club sought to do – develop speed and athleticism within their lineup, as well as give younger players a chance to prove themselves.[8] Paula Wolf, a writer for LNP, compared Herrera to another former Phillies' outfielder selected in the Rule 5 draft, Shane Victorino. "With the departure of Aaron Rowand to free agency in 2007, Victorino took over center field, and the rest is history", he wrote. "He was as important a component of the Phillies’ five playoff appearances from 2007–2011 as anyone in that lineup. Herrera, of course, will be playing for a club that seems to be at its nadir, while Victorino came on board just as the team was building momentum for sustained success."[7]

2015

He was named the 2015 Opening Day center fielder, with the Phillies moving Ben Revere to left field. Herrera later got his first hit against the Washington Nationals, hitting a walkoff double. Herrera then got less playing time, with Revere moving back to center field. Herrera then became a starter again after Revere was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays.[9] He finished the season batting .297/.344/.418 and 8 home runs.[10]

2016

Herrera talking to reporters at 2016 All-Star Game

In May 2016, Manager Pete Mackanin benched Herrera for not hustling on a ground ball, something he had observed Herrera do before.[11][12] Herrera would go on to have a breakout season in 2016. On July 5, Herrera was named to the NL All-Star team, the first time in his career. He finished the season batting .286/.361/.420 and 15 home runs.[13] On December 15, 2016, Herrera signed a 5 year, $30.5 million contract extension.[14]

2017

In June 2017, Herrera hit 14 doubles, a Phillies franchise record. In July, following him catching the unfavorable attention of his manager for ignoring signs and taking what his manager felt was a lackadaisical approach to the game, he was benched mid-game by Manager Mackanin for not hustling.[15] He finished the season batting .281/.325/.452 and 14 home runs.[16]

2018

On May 7, 2018, Herrera became the fastest player in Phillies history to reach 500 career hits since Chase Utley in 2007. He recorded his 500th hit in his 476th career game. Utley did so in 474 games.[17] On May 20, 2018, Herrera's 45-game on-base streak came to an end with a dropped third strike against the St. Louis Cardinals. It was the 4th longest on-base streak in Phillies history.[18] From June 17 to June 22, Herrera homered in 5 consecutive games, tying the Phillies' franchise record.[19]

Player profile

Standing 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighing 200 pounds (91 kg), Herrera focuses mostly on hitting for a high batting average. Entering 2015, he cumulatively hit .294 during his minor league career, with a .354 on-base percentage.[4] Power hitting is not a strength, but the Phillies were optimistic about his potential to develop as a major league hitter.[6] Scouts called him a line drive hitter with the ability to "use his speed to create havoc."[20] An athlete with excellent speed, some felt he had potential to develop into a base stealer if he could embody a more cerebral approach on the basepaths. Defensively, he spent most of his early minor league career as a second baseman or shortstop before transitioning to the outfield.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Breen, Matt (April 2, 2015). "No bull: Odubel Herrera has a nickname". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  2. ↑ Cole, Jason (February 28, 2012). "Scouting Rangers Prospect #28: Odubel Herrera". Scout.com. Scout.com. Retrieved April 4, 2015. (Subscription required (help)).
  3. 1 2 3 Odubel Herrera Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com
  4. 1 2 3 4 Floyd, Jay (January 24, 2015). "Prospect Nation 2015: #18 IF/OF Odubel Herrera". Prospect Nation. Phillies Nation. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Top Houston prospect Carlos Correa bids Astros farewell with big night". MiLB.com News. Minor League Baseball. April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Gelb, Matt. "Phillies Notes: Phils select intriguing outfield prospect in Rule 5 draft". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  7. 1 2 Wolf, Paula (April 3, 2015). "The Phillies' Odubel Herrera has earned the chance to play". LNP. Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ Zolecki, Todd (March 30, 2015). "Amaro weighs in on Opening Day roster decisions". phillies.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Phillies move Ben Revere to left field to make room for Odubel Herrera in center". NBCSports.com. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  10. ↑ https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/herreod01.shtml
  11. ↑ Phillies manager didn't like his player's lack of hustle, so he benched him - CBSSports.com
  12. ↑
  13. ↑ https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/herreod01.shtml
  14. ↑ https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-hot-stove-phillies-sign-odubel-herrera-to-five-year-contract-extension/amp/
  15. ↑ Odubel Herrera flips his bat on a fly ball, gets benched for lack of hustle – HardballTalk
  16. ↑ https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/herreod01.shtml
  17. ↑ https://www.mlb.com/phillies/news/odubel-herrera-extends-on-base-streak-to-36/c-275704990
  18. ↑ Harris, Joe (20 May 2018). "Odubel's on-base streak ends at 45 in Phils loss". Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  19. ↑ "LEADING OFF: Herrera's HR streak, Kershaw back, Mariners dip". 22 June 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  20. ↑ Baer, Bill (March 5, 2015). "Odubel Herrera could prove dynamic to the Phillies". Crashburn Alley. SweetSpot Network, an ESPN affiliate. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.