With the departure of Marlon Byrd in the rear view mirror, the 2015 outfield for the Phillies looks to be a combination of Domonic Brown, Ben Revere, Darin Ruf, Grady Sizemore and maybe even Jeff Franceour. The one dark horse to get some increased playing time would be Rule 5 pick, Odubel Herrera.
Picked up from the Rangers in the Rule 5 draft, Herrera won the Texas League batting title after slashing .321/.373/.402 with the Frisco Roughriders. While he used to be primarily a second baseman, Herrera has been converted to an outfielder and his offensive success has seemed to roll over to the Venezuelan League. In 207 at-bats, he is hitting .372 with six home runs and 27 RBI's. He has stolen eight bases, struck out 29 times and walked 18 times. With the future of the Phillies outfield unknown, Herrera's offensive dominance in offseason play has to be in the minds of management.
Maikel Franco is also having himself a nice time in the Venezuelan League, homering seven times and driving in 29 runs in 147 at-bats. Franco seems to be a big part of the Phillies future, whether it be at first or third base. He is hitting .272 for Los Gigantes and is sixth in the league in OPS (.805). The top Phils prospect went 10-for-56 with two doubles during his limited time with the team late in the season.
Jimmy Rollins is now a member of the Dodgers, which means Freddy Galvis will get the majority of the playing time at short. He has shown the defensive ability, but his bat lacks plenty to be desired. In 208 at-bats with Aguilas del Zuila, Galvis is slashing .250/.320/.332. He has 12 doubles and 18 RBI's to go along with 45 strikeouts. Aaron Altherr is having a solid offseason, hitting .286 in 105 at-bats with four homers. He spend some time with the Phillies in 2014, primarily as a defensive replacement, tallying no hits in five at bats in 2014.
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