Philadelphia Phillies: Could They Go After Utility Man Blake DeWitt?
March 20, 2012 by Zak Schmoll
Filed under Fan News
When Ruben Amaro Jr. announced that Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley starting the season at second base is “doubtful,” I could almost hear the collective groan rising from Phillies nation.
Power-hitting first baseman Ryan Howard will already be missing substantial time from his traditional fourth spot in the lineup, and now the Phillies will be missing their third hitter as well. They will be missing a very large part of their offense, and that is definitely not good for a team that has been searching for infield depth all spring.
Finding that infield depth has now become a more important priority. According to Doug Padilla of ESPN Chicago, utility infielder Blake DeWitt “has come up in recent trade rumors.” While he doesn’t specifically mention the Philadelphia Phillies in this article, it is not very difficult to see how DeWitt would fit with the Phillies.
Last season, DeWitt hit .265 with five home runs, 26 RBI and one stolen base in 121 games. While that might not sound like very much in so many games, he only collected 243 plate appearances, so lower numbers are not necessarily surprising. However, even though his offense would be an upgrade over Michael Martinez, he would appeal to the Phillies mainly because he can play either second or third base.
Obviously, the Phillies need second base support right now, but with the somewhat injury-prone Placido Polanco at the hot corner, Dewitt might eventually be needed there.
This could be an interesting fit for the Phillies. Keep paying attention to this story to see if it develops further.
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