When the Phillies signed a few outfielders to minor league contracts prior to the 2015 season, they were mostly thought of as AAA inventory. One name that impressed during Spring Training was Brian Bogusevic. Since there was no room on the Phillies active roster, Bogusevic went to AAA Lehigh Valley, where he has performed well. After tonight's game, Bogusevic can decide to opt out of his Phillies deal.
Bogusevic's numbers are good at Lehigh Valley:
- .302 batting average
- 10 doubles
- Six home runs
- 33 runs batted in
Will Bogusevic stay? Phillies fans are surely reminded that in 2011 a player by the name of Brandon Moss was passed over for the likes of John Bowker. Moss went on to become an All-Star and power hitter in the league.
Bogusevic spent the season blocked by plenty of other left-handed outfielders. Grady Sizemore left the mix, while Cody Asche was added to it. Bogusevic watched as Domonic Brown, performing much worse for the IronPigs than Bogusevic, got a call to the major leagues. Brown has not particularly impressed since his recall, either.
The only way that Bogusevic would likely stay is if the Phillies offer him a spot on the big league roster. And that would only happen should the team cut ties with Domonic Brown. However, if that has not happened by now, who knows when it actually would. Let's just hope that Bogusevic does not make the Phillies regret letting him go like they did Brandon Moss back in 2011.
