Philadelphia Phillies Should Not Be Fooled By Peter Bourjos' Hot Start

Sometimes players can be a victim of circumstances or benefit from them, and for the Philadelphia Phillies, newcomer Peter Bourjos falls into the latter category. He came over from the St. Louis Cardinals because his prior tenure with the Los Angeles Angels got him to know current Phils GM Matt Klentak. Bourjos has hit well so far, but he’s also benefited from a shortage of outfielders.

Bourjos will probably be the starting right-fielder for the Phillies on opening day, but the club should not be fooled by his .355 spring training so far. The Phils need a long-term solution in right and Bourjos is not the answer — not after hitting .200 in 117 games for the Cardinals a year ago or his history prior to that. In half of his six MLB seasons he’s hit .220 or under, and that’s probably the better barometer of his ability.

What Bourjos brings to the table is defense, but a good arm and range is a luxury a light-hitting team like the Phillies cannot afford to have at a corner outfield position. In December, the Phillies claimed Bourjos off waivers from the Cardinals. The outfielder’s time in St. Louis was strictly as a defensive replacement, and a lingering hip injury added to his struggles. Klentak was around as an assistant GM with the Angels when Bourjos had his best season in 2011, hitting .271 with 12 home runs. That’s obviously what Klentak is hoping for this season; he believes Bourjos can be a place-setter until higher-upside stars like Nick Williams and Roman Quinn can post more impressive numbers in Triple-A.

When that happens, one of them will be up and Bourjos will be back to the role he is more suited for—a defensive replacement. If the Phillies are thinking otherwise, they are fooling themselves.