By: Brandon Apter, contributor 
When the Phillies selected outfielder Tyler Goeddel in the Rule-5 draft, most knew that we weren't getting another Odubel Herrera, but rather another young talent with a very high ceiling of potential. With the early season injuries to Aaron Altherr and Cody Asche, Goeddel has been used quite a bit, especially as of late.
Goeddel's main attribute coming into the season was his defense. Prior to joining the Phillies, Goeddel was a career .262 hitter in 451 minor league games, so it became clear going into 2016 that the Phils were okay sacrificing some offense for defense in the outfield. During the Phillies recent stretch of games though, Goeddel has shown more than just his defensive ability, but his improved comfort level and approach at the plate.
The 23-year-old outfielder registered just 25 at-bats in the month of April and has already amassed 33 during May. Patience is really a key thing for Goeddel at the plate. Pitchers realize that he's a young player and will attempt to strike him out on pitches both in and out of the zone. What Goeddel needs to do in order to change that is to work the count, because that is when his hitting improves. In 13 at-bats this season following an 0-2 count, Goeddel has just two hits. If the pitcher starts him off with a ball, Goeddel immediately becomes more patient and it shows in his numbers. After starting the count 1-0, Goeddel is hitting .318 (7-for-22). After 1-1 counts, he's hitting .286 (6-for-21). Goeddel struck out 11 times in his first 21 at bats in the majors. In his next 37 at-bats, he only struck out once.
As of late, just getting more at-bats has proved to be beneficial for the former Rays prospect. In Goeddel's last five games, all of which have been starts, he's slashing .438/.500/.625 with a double, triple, two runs scored and three RBIs. Since hitting .159 back on May 11th, Goeddel has played in four of the last five games and started seven of the last eight, raising his average to .241 on the season and .303 during the month of May.
Goeddel has also shown that as a young player, he can bounce back. If he makes a mistake, he doesn't dwell. Instead, he rises above it. Back on May 13th against the Reds, he dropped a routine fly ball before tying the game with a two-run triple, shown above, in the next very inning.
Going back to what Goeddel brings to the team on a pretty regular basis though, strong outfield defense. He made a spectacular play at Marlins Park on May 8th, but his most recent defensive gem came on May 14th against the Reds, a 4-3 win for the Phillies. On the final play of the game, Goeddel gunned the runner down at the plate for the final out.
Although Goeddel is unlikely to become as much of a surprise as Herrera, his recent improvement shows that he may have the tools to become a valuable asset to the Phillies moving forward.
The 6-foot-4 outfielder hit .279 with 12 homers, 72 RBIs and 28 stolen bases with Double-A Montgomery before being selected by the Phillies in the first round of the Rule-5 draft in December. He ranked second in the Rays' system in RBIs and steals en route to being named a Rays Organizational All-Star for the 2015 season. Goeddel was originally a third baseman, but transitioned to the outfield in Tampa Bay's system.
