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Let’s All Freak Out About How Well Odubel Herrera is Playing
By Jim Adair
Published:
If your favorite Phillie this year isn’t Odubel Herrera, you’re doing something wrong. The dude has everything you want in a young player: he’s patient at the plate, he hits the ball, he’s quick, and he’s got a cool nickname. He’s also good for a brain fart or two every game. But he’s young and he was your Rule 5er last year. The expectations were low, and he’s blown them away.
So, are you ready to completely overreact to Herrera’s season so far? I am.
Herrera’s slash line is .327/.440/.461. The last player to have those numbers on a season as a center fielder? Some drunk:
Odubel, after the 8th inning IBB: .327/.440/.461
Last CF to hit .320/.440/.460: Mantle, Doby. https://t.co/wOb4OuN1pC
— Baseball Paul (@paul_boye) May 25, 2016
Mickey Mantle first did it in the 1956 season (and then twice more), when he was 24, the same age Odubel is now. So there’s really no reason to even watch the rest of the season or look deeper into statistics. Odubel Herrera is Mickey Mantle.
When he's not writing about sports here or ranting about them on Twitter, Jim is probably watching X-Files on Netflix or drinking a beer somewhere. Jim has nothing against hockey, it's just not his style. He once met Duce Staley at a Sixers game.