The Philadelphia Phillies don’t deserve Didi Gregorius
The Philadelphia Phillies don’t deserve Didi Gregorius.
If there’s one position on the Philadelphia Phillies‘ roster the team has been desperate – desperate – to fill in long-term, it’s shortstop.
Since unceremoniously trading the best shortstop in franchise history, Jimmy Rollins, to the Los Angeles Dodgers for then-minor leaguer Zach Eflin all the way back in 2014, the Phillies have used not one, not two, but three first-round picks on shortstops in the hopes of landing the next Jimmy Rollins, Larry Bowa, or even Granny Hamner. Could Bryson Stott, Cornelius Randolph, J.P. Crawford (technically drafted in 2013) be that guy down the road? Well, obviously not Crawford, as he was traded to the Seattle Mariners alongside Carlos Santana for Juan Nicasio, James Pazos, and starting third basement Jean Segura.
However, if any of these players are going to rise up the ranks and establish themselves as an everyday starter, they are going to have to do so by beating out 2020’s breakout star – through two games – Didi Gregorius.
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Is the sample size small? Totally, Gregorius may not hit another home run this season or could pull an Andrew McCutchen and suffer a season-ending injury on a relatively routine play, but isn’t that rather negative? I mean Gregorius has already hit two home runs in the team’s first two games and according to FanSided’s own Matt Rappa, that’s never happened before in franchise history.
And to think, when the Philadelphia Phillies signed shortstop Gregorius to a one-year, $14 million deal, it was viewed as a pretty low-risk, medium-reward endeavor due to Gregorius’ pre-existing relationship with new skipper Joe Girardi. A career .264, .314, .430 hitter who has averaged 21 homers and 79 RBIs a season since making his big league debut with the Cincinnati Reds back in 2012, Gregorius is the textbook definition of a steady infield presence.
After tricking themselves to believe Freddy Galvis was a viable long-term shortstop for the better part of four years post-Rollins, it’s safe to say that Gregorius is leagues ahead of the team’s current options.
But wait, it gets better. Gregorius is not only a really good player on the field but a transformative figure in the dugout, as seemingly anyone asked the question will gush about the 30-year-old’s natural leadership abilities and steadying presence. Though he’s only been on the team for a few months, arguably a few of the weirdest months in baseball history, Gregorius has looked every part like the kind of player worthy of his eight-figure contract, and maybe even a new, longer-term one down-the-line.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCb87ayBagT/
Heck, Gregorius even wears his face mask to bat as a visible model of proper COVID-19 protection. Granted, that’s also because has a compromised immune system thanks to a pre-existing Kidney Disease, but could you imagine how powerful it would be for a young cancer patient to see a player on one of his favorite teams wearing a mask?
My goodness what a certified mentsh.
Next. Bullpen struggles in season opener. dark
While nothing is set in stone, as it’s pretty darn tricky to count on Matt Klentak and company to do the right thing when it comes to paying even the best over-30 starter, if Didi Gregorius continues to make play both at the plate and in the field, it’s safe to say he’ll be a member of the Philadelphia Phillies for a very, very long time. And frankly, it will be our pleasure.