The Philadelphia Phillies continued to add depth to their bench, bringing in the Marlins top slugger.
In a somewhat unexpected move, the Philadelphia Phillies have acquired Miami Marlins slugger Justin Bour, an indication of the seriousness of the team to win the N.L. East crown. MLB.com reported this shortly after 2 p.m. Aug. 10. The very large first baseman had cleared waivers before the deal was finalized and will also be eligible for the post-season since he’s being acquired before Aug. 31.
Somewhat interestingly, the Phillies will also surrender “cash considerations” and turn over to the Fish an “unnamed” MiLB pitcher. It’s assumed the team did not give up prized minor leaguer Sixto Sanchez (at least by this observer). Those cash considerations suggest at least a decent pitcher, though.
Bour has been a somewhat significant thorn in the Phillies side for a while, having homered against his new team as recently as Aug. 2 in a 5-2 Phillies win.
He is apparently thought to be a worthwhile addition to Philadelphia because of his power and despite his weakest season in terms of batting average and on-base percentage and his second weakest season in slugging and on-base-plus-slugging. Bour has hit 19 home runs and driven in 54 runs for the struggling Marlins to date.
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One attribute that probably caught Phillies management notice was Bour’s career-long increase in judgement about pitches. Since his debut in 2014, his walk totals have gone straight uphill, and this season he already has 69 bases on balls, 22 more than his career-high in 2017 for a full season.
By now the Phillies are well-known as a team for taking pitches and wearing down opposing pitchers.
The only remaining questions are where and when Bour will play. He is not an equal to the Fightin’s current first baseman, Carlos Santana, in fielding, and both players are now carrying poor BA figures, but walking and driving in runs.
Bour is only a first baseman, pinch hitter or designated hitter, so expect to see him spell Santana for rest purposes and against pitchers he hits well. Clearly, he will also be the big bat some Phillies fans have felt their team’s bench has lacked this season.