Did the Phillies land another Keith Hernandez?
Keith Hernandez, of course, is accurately recalled by most fans as a slick-fielding first baseman. In retrospect, he didn’t have the new-fangled fielding versatility modern general managers like. He played precisely 2000 games at first, but only 14 elsewhere. He may not be on many lists of good OBP players, but he should be.
First, he hit .296 for his career. His OBP was .384, and his OPS .821. Hernandez walked almost exactly once every eight times he batted, very slightly better than the guy people called a god of walks about ten years after he retired.
Talking about this player’s pay is almost silly at this late date (except for regular working people). He started playing in 1974. He didn’t quite make $17 million altogether.
OK, then, keeping in mind Youkilis played a decade and Hernandez 17 years, it’s time for Santana’s numbers. He will be 32 years old on Apr. 8; he has eight years MLB service, all in Cleveland: BA – .249; OBP – .365; OPS – .810. He walks in 15.2% of his plate appearances.
Carlos Santana has averaged 25 home runs a year; Youkilis had 23, Hernandez 13, and keep in mind the former New York Mets great probably never heard the phrase “launch angle” before last year. Citizens Bank Park, Santana’s new home, is pretty small; perhaps his HR total will jump.
If he is representative of players considered “elite” for reaching base now, though, they don’t quite seem to be what they used to be. Relative to Youkilis and Hernandez, perhaps Santana’s higher walk rate, and power potentially balance his lower batting average, but the OBP and OPS numbers say, so far, they haven’t done that. And the Phillies’ 2018 god of walks cost $20 million a year.
So, a bad deal for the Phillies?
Maybe not. Maybe Santana’s enthusiasm for his new job, also duly reported by Gelb, will translate to three fabulous years by a skilled veteran hitter. However, the key to his worth may be his fielding versatility. The Phils are assumed to be planning to use Rhys Hoskins, a monster, young first base talent, in left field now, but if that doesn’t work out, well, Santana has also played the outfield.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Nonetheless, Santana should expect some skepticism if he starts slowly in April. He has said, “I’m excited. I know the Phillies have a lot of young players. I signed here because the Phillies want me. They believe in me.” The fans are undecided at this point. Believe it.
He had better also believe; whatever GM Matt Klentak and manager Gabe Kapler have told him, he needs to have at least nine homers by June 1. That’s roughly one a week with a week when he hits two. A decent OBP by then will also help.
Philly is Philly. Fans here understand the game. They’re already puzzled by not playing Hoskins at his best position. As Bob Brookover put it, this is a guy who “hit 18 home runs in his first 18 big-league minutes last season.”
Next: MLB Hall of Fame: Breaking down the ballot
The respected Brookover has also written, “The rebuilding project has gone on long enough.” Of course, the fans always beat the respected writers to that punch. Philadelphia Phillies fans are tired of the rebuild.