Philadelphia Phillies: Jonathan Villar would be a good fit
Major League Baseball and the Players Association will get the current lockout settled at some point, and when they do, MLB member clubs will have to be ready to pounce on the top remaining unrestricted free agents still out there. And while the Philadelphia Phillies might be hunting for big game in the form of players like Kris Bryant or Trevor Story, more reasonably priced players who can still make an impact can not be ignored. Players like infielder Jonathan Villar.
As someone might surmise by him being introduced as “infielder”, Jonathan Villar possesses positional versatility that will come in handy for any team who signs him. Most frequently used at shortstop throughout the first eight seasons of his MLB career, Villar saw the bulk of his duties at third base with the New York Mets in 2021. Throw in all of the time that he’s spent at second base in the big leagues, and you have a genuine utility option.
No, Villar does not qualify as a whiz at any position, but it seems to me that the Phillies would benefit from the presence of this type of player, one who can slide around the diamond while also providing the kind of offense that frequently seems missing from the jack-of-all-trades types who have come through town in recent years.
Villar is not some depth option along the lines of a Sean Rodriguez or Phil Gosselin, and he’s a demonstrably more productive player than part-timers who achieved a small cult following: Ronald Torreyes and Brad Miller. He’ll be priced accordingly, of course, but the Phils really should consider digging deep for a player with legitimate bat and baserunning skills who can play basically everyday.
Villar could provide the kind of boost the Philadelphia Phillies need.
Would Villar be the designated starter at a specific position for the Phillies? That’s tough to say. With Didi Gregorius and Jean Segura both still on the roster at the moment, you wouldn’t think so. But if either is traded or the National League finally goes ahead with the Designated Hitter, that would really open things up for Villar to make an impact on the Phillies.
Villar would have to be on board with signing somewhere that he was expected to move around the field, but he could fit nicely at either middle infield spot in Philadelphia. Then, he could flex over to third base if either Alec Bohm or Rhys Hoskins were to get a day off. Don’t forget, Villar is also a switch hitter, so it wouldn’t pigeonhole the Phillies into having a lineup that’s too heavy from either side. Or maybe Bohm just slides over to first full time (Hoskins to DH) and Villar is given starter duties at third base. There really are a lot of possibilities, and the Phillies must do their due diligence as they try to put together a club that can improve on its 82-win performance in 2021.
The Phillies’ long-term view of young infielders Nick Maton and Bryson Stott will also affect their willingness to give considerable money to a player like Villar. Ultimately, perhaps his salary or contract length demands may not jive with the kind of commitment that the Phillies want to make. And maybe the Phillies’ last-minute signing of bench player Johan Camargo right before the lockout started is also a signal that they don’t want to make any major changes to their infield before the 2022 season. It’d be a crying shame if that were the case, but I can’t rule out the possibility.
What I do know is that Villar, now 30, is a slightly above average hitter who can still make things happen on the basepaths. He can provide solid returns batting 6th or 7th in the lineup, and he would be a capable fill-in at leadoff from time to time. It’s a lot of what the Phillies got from Andrew McCutchen the last few seasons, just packaged differently. Plus, being a switch hitter, his presence would help keep the Phils’ lineup from becoming too righthanded-heavy against righthanded pitching.
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Maybe I’m barking up the wrong tree, and the Phillies think they’re already good enough in the infield to set their sights elsewhere entirely. But I believe that it’s a flawed group that could be strengthened by the presence of a player like Jonathan Villar. As a team desperate to get back into playoff contention, the Phillies have to seriously consider improving themselves in any area that they can. To do otherwise would be foolish. And the Phillies wouldn’t do that, would they?