Philadelphia Phillies: Where does Howie Kendrick Slot into the Team?
By Chuck Booth
The Philadelphia Phillies pulled off a great trade for a versatile bat by acquiring Howie Kendrick from the Dodgers. But where does he fit into the 2017 plan?
In case you missed it the Philadelphia Phillies acquired Howie Kendrick from the Dodgers for the price of Darin Ruf and Darnell Sweeny. In a great piece of business by Matt Klentak, the Dodgers were able to dump excess salary ahead of free agency while the Phillies were able to pick op a veteran bat with versatility.
Getting Kendrick isn’t the flashy move that will turn the Philadelphia Phillies into contenders overnight but it is a necessary step forward for the team. It shows that 2016 is being taken seriously but without mortgaging the future for quick fixes. While Kendrick is making 10 million dollars next year, he’s out of contract at the end of the season keeping the Phillies payroll flexibility intact if they’d like to make a splash in the 2017 free agency class.
While Kendrick is a good pickup, his versatility could alter the roster in a lot of ways. Ryan Lawerance of Philly Voice had the opportunity to interview Klentak and below is what he had to say.
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“With the caveat that things could change as the offseason progresses, the plan right now is that Howie Kendrick will be our everyday left fielder,” Klentak said. “But for a young roster, especially with us likely to add many young players to our 40-man roster, having a player on the 25-man who has the ability to play left field, first base, second base, third base, really does provide Pete with a lot of flexibility from a game to game basis. And that’s something just in terms of general roster management is going to be very important to us this year. And Howie Kendrick can play all of those positions. The versatility that the brings to our team is a huge benefit.”
Scenario One: Kendrick in left field.
In what it the most likely scenario for the Philadelphia Phillies according to Matt Klentak Kendrick would be the everyday left fielder for the team. This isn’t much of a surprise because the Phillies had the worst left fielders in baseball compiling a triple slash line of .212/.284/.332. Even the down year that Kendrick had last year hitting, .255 with 8 HR and 40 RBI in 146 games would be an upgrade over what the team had last year.
If Kendrick is doing well at midseason but the Phillies aren’t in contention the team can flip him for prospects to reload for 2018.
Scenario Two: Kendrick at second base.
While Klentak states that he would like to use Howie Kendrick in the outfield, it’s hard to hide the fact that acquiring him makes Cesar Hernandez expendable. While Hernandez ended the season on a strong note, eventually the Philadelphia Phillies will have to choose between him and shortstop Freddy Galvis with J.P. Crawford on the horizon.
Galvis’ Gold Glove nomination solidified his spot on the roster because teams don’t look to move Gold Glove shortstops. The Phillies aren’t actively looking to move Hernandez either but it wouldn’t be a surprise if they did. With the free agency market not being deep at second base, teams may call the Phillies about Hernandez.
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At that point, Klentak would have to listen and would likely move Hernandez if he gets an offer that he can’t refuse. Kendrick would be a ready-made replacement and it would also pave the way for Crawford to join the team in 2018. It may be a long shot but stranger things have happened.
It will be great having Howie Kendrick on the team this season. He’ll find a way to contribute and may have a bigger impact than fans expect right now.