With the first Grapefruit League game of 2015 set to get underway Tuesday with Jerome Williams starting on the mound, Phillies' outfielder Ben Revere is surely ready for the season ahead and improving his game even further.
On October 1, 2014, Revere had surgery to remove two screws from his right ankle. These screws were surgically placed shortly after Revere fractured his ankle on July 13, 2013, which caused him to miss the remainder of that season. He played 151 games last season with these screws, and experienced 'periodic soreness'.
"My [foot] feels great," Revere recently told CSNPhilly.com's John Clark. "One screw went to my main nerve in my leg, which caused so much pain. Luckily I didn't have too much nerve damage. Now, I can do my normal workouts. I have my leg strength back, so I feel good this year."
Revere went on to tell Clark that he is trying to get 'well-over 200' hits and around 50-to-60 stolen bases this season, but is ultimately tying to help the team win.
"Last year, the mechanics may not have been there because of pain I had in my ankle and leg. This year, already after a couple of days I feel great in BP. I feel like I am getting my old swing back. I can drive balls in gaps, turning those singles to doubles to triples."
With two seasons in the books as a Phillie, Revere has been perceived thus far as an unreliable outfielder in terms of his throwing strength. Revere has grit and determination to track down any ball hit to the outfield, however, and that is surely evident in his quote to WPVI's Jeff Skversky, saying that he would 'run through a wall to help this team win'.
When it comes to offensive production, Revere has also been negatively criticized for having seemingly zero capability to drive the ball and produce power numbers, as well as working the count to walk and start a potential rally. He has walked just 29 times in 962 plate appearances in red pinstripes.
One cannot ignore what Revere was able to accomplish last season, however. He tied with Nationals' outfielder Denard Span with the most hits in the National League, 184. Revere and Span were teammates in Minnesota from 2010 to 2012, and both were traded away in the same offseason.
Even with screws in, Revere was able to finally to hit his first career home run after 1,466 at-bats on May 27, 2014. 101 days later on the fifth of September, Revere hit his second, which brought home the tying runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, sending the game into extras.
| Year | Age | Tm | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | TB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 22 | MIN | 13 | 30 | 28 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | .179 | .233 | .179 | .412 | 5 |
| 2011 | 23 | MIN | 117 | 481 | 450 | 56 | 120 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 30 | 34 | 9 | 26 | 41 | .267 | .310 | .309 | .619 | 139 |
| 2012 | 24 | MIN | 124 | 553 | 511 | 70 | 150 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 32 | 40 | 9 | 29 | 54 | .294 | .333 | .342 | .675 | 175 |
| 2013 | 25 | PHI | 88 | 336 | 315 | 37 | 96 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 22 | 8 | 16 | 36 | .305 | .338 | .352 | .691 | 111 |
| 2014 | 26 | PHI | 151 | 626 | 601 | 71 | 184 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | 49 | 8 | 13 | 49 | .306 | .325 | .361 | .686 | 217 |
| 5 Yrs | 493 | 2026 | 1905 | 235 | 555 | 44 | 21 | 2 | 109 | 145 | 35 | 86 | 185 | .291 | .324 | .340 | .664 | 647 | ||
| MIN (3 yrs) | 254 | 1064 | 989 | 127 | 275 | 22 | 11 | 0 | 64 | 74 | 19 | 57 | 100 | .278 | .319 | .323 | .642 | 319 | ||
| PHI (2 yrs) | 239 | 962 | 916 | 108 | 280 | 22 | 10 | 2 | 45 | 71 | 16 | 29 | 85 | .306 | .329 | .358 | .688 | 328 | ||
Revere was acquired by the Phillies from the Twins on December 6, 2012 in exchange for starting pitcher Vance Worley and prized-prospect at the time, right-hander Trevor May.
Worley, 27, struggled in 2013, his first season removed from the Philadelphia Phillies' organization. In ten starts over just 48.2 innings, he went 1-5 with a 7.21 ERA. Minnesota went on to trade the Sacramento, California-native that offseason for cash, landing Worley in a more comfortable situation in Pittsburgh. There in 2014, he seemingly 180'd from the season prior, going 8-4 with a 2.85 ERA over 110.2 innings pitched.
While Worley was drafted in the third round of the 2008 amateur draft, Trevor May, the other pitcher involved in the Revere acquisition with the Twins, was drafted in the fourth round that same year. May, 25, was ranked as the Phillies' fifth best prospect by Baseball America for the 2011 season, and their best overall for the 2012 season. He struggled in his Major League debut with the Twins last Summer, lasting just two innings as he walked seven of the 15 total batters he faced en-route to a losing decision. Overall, May went 3-6 with a 7.88 ERA over 45.2 innings in 2014, which are nearly identical numbers to Worley's in his first year as a Twin. May is currently listed as the Twins' seventh starter on their 2015 depth chart.
This trade is perceived to be one of general manager Ruben Amaro Jr's best in terms of assets acquired and what was traded away.
In his second year of arbitration eligibility, Revere and the Phillies agreed this offseason to a one-year, $4.1 million contract. He made $1.95 million in 2014, and $515,000 the season prior.
Matt Rappa (@mattrappa) is a contributor to Philliedelphia.com.
