Philadelphia Phillies: Why Shane Victorino Deserves an Extension

While Cole Hamels has received much of the attention in terms of impending free agents of the Philadelphia Phillies, another player has recently discussed his long-term contract status with the Phils.

Shane Victorino is set to join Hamels as another potential free agent of the Phillies following this season.

Victorino batted .279 with 17 home runs and 61 RBI in 132 games last season.  He also hit 16 triples, the highest total of his career and tied for the most in the National League. Victorino is also a two-time All-Star and a three-time Gold Glove winner.

The career .279 hitter hit the second-highest number of home runs in his career last season, while batting .303 prior to the All-Star break.

As Victorino plays out the final year of a three-year, $22 million deal, his long-term status with the Phillies comes into question as the team attempts to re-sign Hamels while keeping the luxury tax threshold in mind.

Victorino recently stated he prefers a five-year deal, but would also consider giving the Phillies a hometown discount if it means reaching a deal prior to the start of free agency.

While a five-year deal may be a difficult agreement for the club and the 31-year-old center fielder to reach, an extension may still be the best option.

If no deal is reached mid-season, Victorino will join Michael Bourn and B.J. Upton as free agent center fielders. 

Out of the three, Victorino has the highest batting average over the past five seasons combined and the highest average number of hits over the past five seasons. If Victorino is willing to give even a slight hometown discount, it may be difficult to find a significant upgrade through free agency.

Victorino’s future with the Phils may be decided by the play of Dominic Brown and John Mayberry, Jr., this season.

If the Phillies were to look for internal candidates to replace Victorino in center field, Mayberry may become an option to move over from left field. 

However, this move may also be contingent on Brown being ready to take over full-time in left field.

Mayberry started 26 games in center field last season, and has currently started more career games at the position than he has in left field—the position he is likely to start at this season.

Mayberry batted .273 with 15 home runs and 49 RBI in 104 games last season—the most of his career.  Mayberry will battle to become the starter in left field during Spring Training, and may also see time at first base while Ryan Howard recovers from Achilles surgery. 

However, the player who Mayberry is competing with in left field may play a large role in the team’s outfield going forward.

Brown batted .245 with five home runs and 19 RBI in two stints with the Phils last season, and batted .261 with three home runs and 15 RBI at Triple-A.  Brown was forced to change positions following the acquisition of Hunter Pence, and is now attempting to make the Phillies roster as a left fielder.

If he can show improvement this season, Philadelphia may decide to use Brown, Mayberry, and Pence as the team’s outfield following this season.

But that’s if Brown does improve while Mayberry proves he can handle being a full-time starter in the major leagues. 

That may be a big risk for the Phillies to take.

The Phillies may attempt to re-sign Victorino to a three or four year deal while giving some of the team’s younger outfielders more time to develop.  By the time the deal runs out, one of their minor league players may be ready to take over center field duties. 

In addition, the league’s luxury tax threshold is set to increase from $178 million to $189 million for the 2014 season.

Victorino and his .997 career fielding percentage in center field may become an opportunity to save money following this season, as Hamels and Pence near free agency and players such as Carlos Ruiz, Placido Polanco, and Joe Blanton have either upcoming options or expiring contracts.

However, as one of the main contributors and one of the more consistent center fielders in the major leagues, Victorino’s presence in the team’s lineup and in the field may be too difficult to replace through other options.

A five-year deal may be asking for too much, but fewer years in addition to a hometown discount could make for the extension that Victorino deserves following his play in recent years.

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