Returning to Citizens Bank Park tonight for the first time as a former Philadelphia Phillie will be outfielder Ben Revere. He will bat in the seventh position as the Toronto Blue Jays' starting center fielder.
Revere, 27, was dealt to the Toronto on July 31 in exchange for minor league right handers Jimmy Cordero and Alberto Tirado.
In four appearances with the Clearwater Threshers, Tirado, 20, has allowed just one earned run on six hits and four walks in six innings of work. Cordero, 23, has surrendered three earned runs over six appearances and 6 1/3 innings with the Reading Fightin Phils.
Originally acquired on December 6, 2012 from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for right handers Trevor May and Vance Worley, Revere went on to hit .303/.331/.363 over 335 games in red pinstripes.
While Revere did not have a lot of home run-caliber power, he proved to be reliable in the outfield, and almost always followed-through when called upon to reach base. Last season, the Atlanta, Georgia-native tied with Nationals' outfielder Denard Span for the most hits in the National League, 184.
On the base paths, Revere filled the void left by speedy center fielder Shane Victorino when he was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 31, 2012. Revere successfully stole 81.9% of his attempts (95/116) in comparison to Victorino's 82.1% (179/218).
Off the field, Revere was great with fans. He grew popularity for his presence on social media, as well as his interactivity with fans, especially during events such as the annual Phillies Phestival to help strike-out Lou Gehrig's disease. During the event, he went out of his way by voluntarily agreeing to take a photo with every fan, on top of signing autographs.
Whether or not Revere will succeed in Toronto has yet to be seen. He has struggled so far in 15 games, batting .216 with just 11 hits and one run-batted-in over 56 plate appearances. Regardless, Revere is likely headed to his first career postseason appearance, as the Blue Jays have the fourth-best record in the American League with 43 games to play.
Since the trade deadline, when they acquired ace David Price and All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, Toronto has won 12 out of 15 games.
The Blue Jays' offense currently leads all of major league baseball in runs (622), doubles (225), total bases (1,762), runs-batted-in (600), slugging-percentage (.440), and on-base plus slugging percentage (.769).
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, $515,000 the season prior, and will be arbitration eligible again this offseason.
Although he is no longer with the Phillies, Revere should be remembered for him giving all he got, day-in and day-out. Back in February, Revere told WPVI's Jeff Skversky that if need be, he would 'run through a wall' to help the Phillies win.
Without a doubt, Revere embodied characteristics of the true, Philadelphia athlete that we wish out of any player who laces-up their cleats, sneakers, or blades for this city.
Matt Rappa (@mattrappasports) is managing editor of Philliedelphia.com.
