Philadelphia Phillies: Shane Victorino’s Return Will Be Greatly Appreciated
July 19, 2011 by Zak Schmoll
Filed under Fan News
According to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, Shane Victorino is going to be activated tonight against the Cubs.
What will this mean for the Phillies?
The obvious answer is that one of the most dynamic players in the lineup will now be able to have his spot back.
In the 68 games that he played in, Victorino is batting .303 with nine triples, nine home runs and 13 stolen bases.
Even though he has played in fewer games, according to FanGraphs, Victorino is still the 11th most valuable batter in Major League Baseball in terms of Wins above Replacement.
According to that metric, Victorino is sandwiched between Adrian Gonzalez and Joey Votto. That is pretty impressive company especially considering that Wins above Replacement is a cumulative statistic that builds up as the year goes on.
Victorino has been comparable to these players while playing in fewer games
Why is Victorino so valuable?
Mainly, he plays an all around solid game with power, speed and defense.
He has hit double digits in triples and home runs the past two years and should do that again this year.
He has won a Gold Glove in each of the last three years.
The biggest implication of his return is obviously that John Mayberry Jr. will not start in center field anymore.
The other effect of this return is that Pete Orr was sent down to Lehigh Valley.
I like Mayberry a lot, but there’s no way that he would stop Victorino from taking his spot back.
With Orr going down to AAA, the Phillies have five infielders on the roster unless you count Ross Gload who has started one game at first base in which case there are six.
Although having only five seems a little bit thin, the Phillies have a very consistent lineup for the most part, so this move should not really hurt the Phillies either.
There are no negative side effects to Victorino’s return. He is a high-impact player who might be able to help the Phillies offense get a little bit hotter.
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