Section 215
Fansided

Philadelphia Phillies: A Declining Outfield Defense

By Chuck Booth

Aug 3, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Aaron Altherr (23) fields the double of San Francisco Giants center fielder Denard Span (not pictured) in front of center fielder Odubel Herrera (37) during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 3, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Aaron Altherr (23) fields the double of San Francisco Giants center fielder Denard Span (not pictured) in front of center fielder Odubel Herrera (37) during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Baseball is in the air and for the Philadelphia Phillies, this means that it’s time to get acclimated to some new faces.

The outfield needed a refresher for the Philadelphia Phillies and that’s just what it got in the form of Michael Saunders and Howie Kendrick. The corner outfield positions were offensive black holes for the team outside of Odubel Herrera and that has led to the team moving on from Cody Asche, Tyler Goeddel, Peter Bourjos and Aaron Altherr.

It makes sense in an offensive sense to move on but where it draws concern from a defensive standpoint. Mike Petriello of mlb.com did an article on outfielder arm strength where the Phillies current crop of starters ranked 26th in baseball. It makes sense since Kendrick and Herrera are converted second basemen while Saunders is more known for his homers than his defensive plaudits.

But it should be a cause for concern in 2017. The pitchers were bailed out on multiple occasions by amazing catches by Goeddel, Bourjos, and Altherr and they won’t be able to rely on that this year. It will also have a large impact on Herrera’s defense after he was nominated for a gold glove last season.

More from Philadelphia Phillies

Herrera is not a gold glove outfielder having been bailed out by his defensive partners on multiple occasions. He also doesn’t take great routes to the ball but was able to make up for it due to his athleticism. With less mobile partners in the corners, Herrera will be exposed in center field but with the decline of Altherr’s bat, he’s the best option to play there for the Philadelphia Phillies this season.

Going by defensive runs saved above average, things begin to get a little ugly for the Phillies outfield. In 2016 the numbers were Herrera (+6), Asche (-5), Goeddel (-3), Bourjos (+1), and Altherr (+3). That brings us to a total of plus two for the outfield as a whole. Altherr’s numbers stand out the most because this was in limited time and it can be expected that he would be in line with or above Herrera on a full season basis. The new additions aren’t upgrades in the field at all checking in at -1 (Kendrick) and -11 (Saunders).

Kendrick’s numbers can be dealt with but Saunders’ are downright cringeworthy. If Saunders is able to have an entire year that is in line with his first half for the Blue Jays, the defensive numbers can be mitigated but if he slumps again like he did in the second half of last season, it could be a tough time watching Saunders out there.

Next: Phillies Will Look For More Improvement

I’d be okay with plugging Saunders into an outfield with two plus defenders but since he isn’t the Philadelphia Phillies are taking a large gamble on his offensive abilities. Only time will tell if that will pay off.

Home/Philadelphia Phillies