Vernon Wells may prove to be a cost prohibitive option
Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is still looking to add a veteran outfielder for opening day.
Amaro has made it no secret that he’s not all that comfortable with the current corner outfielder depth for the Phillies – a platoon system that will see a lot of Darin Ruf, Domonic Brown, and Laynce Nix without a move.
“We had several talks with free agents, although they’re limited now. We’ve also talked about some possible trades…We’re still trying to improve, depth-wise, in our outfield,” said Amaro last Friday.
Reportedly the Phillies two top targets remain free agent Scott Hairston and veteran Los Angeles Angels outfielder Vernon Wells.
Hairston, 32, has decent numbers in his nine-year career. The Phillies should be looking to add a right-handed bat with some pop to aid in the platoons that seem to be forming in the corner outfield spots.
As you can see in the table below, the right-handed Hairston hits much better against the left-handed pitching and provides that pop.
Scott Hairston
|
Split |
AB |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
BB |
SO |
BA |
OBP |
SLG |
|
vs LH Pitcher |
850 |
235 |
61 |
6 |
39 |
63 |
155 |
.276 |
.325 |
.500 |
|
vs RH Pitcher |
1347 |
308 |
63 |
11 |
56 |
99 |
352 |
.229 |
.288 |
.416 |
In a nutshell, Hairston hits left-handed pitching much better than he hits right.
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Vernon Wells
The other option on the Phillies radar is not nearly as enticing. Wells, 34, has been less than impressive in his last two seasons.
|
Year |
G |
AB |
H |
2B |
HR |
RBI |
SO |
BA |
OBP |
SLG |
|
2011 |
131 |
505 |
110 |
15 |
25 |
66 |
86 |
.218 |
.248 |
.412 |
|
2012 |
77 |
243 |
56 |
9 |
11 |
29 |
35 |
.230 |
.279 |
.403 |
The Angels would likely have to pay a lot of Wells contract and not expect a lot in return in the deal. Wells is scheduled to make $42 million over the next two seasons. With the numbers above, he’d be considerably overpaid.
No matter who the veteran outfielder is, the Phillies need one before opening day. Dominic Brown and a left field platoon probably doesn’t sound like heaven to Charlie Manuel.
