Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
For Williams and Altherr, platoon seems about right
NEW YORK » It’s the second week of July and Nick Williams still doesn’t seem completely clear on Gabe Kapler’s right-field modus operandi.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
In comparing some of his offensive stats from last season, when he was largely a full-timer after his June 30 promotion to Philadelphia, to this year, when only recently he’s been playing a lot, Williams said: “I have half the at-bats and almost as many homers. So that’s crazy.”
What Kapler has been doing with his pair of right fielders, Williams and Aaron Altherr, hasn’t seemed so loony, though. For the most part, the Phillies manager has been following the ages-old rule of righty (Altherr) against lefthanded pitching and lefty (Williams) against righties.
But Kapler has also been going with the hot bat hand when it comes to who gets starting calls in right.
Lately that has been Williams, who had three more hits Monday in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Citi Field, a 4-3 loss in 10 innings to the Mets. That raised his recently rocketing batting average to .249 with an OPS of .780. He didn’t play a lot at the start of the season and briefly voiced his discomfort with the rotation system back then.
“I guess early on (Kapler) said was going to try to rotate us all so that we could play,” Williams said. “But I didn’t know necessarily what that meant. I really try not to think about it. I just try to do the best I can with whatever situation I’m in. In this situation, I didn’t really get competitive with it, because I just wanted to continue to grow and master my craft. That’s just the thought process I’ve had. I’ve had this same thought process every time, to just get better in general.
“It was confusing at first,” Williams added. “I was kind of lost. I was wondering what’s going on. But I don’t make the decisions, so it wasn’t for me to wonder about it. Not really. I just wanted to stay positive and just make the best of it.
“Mentally it was hard to not try to do too much. It wasn’t like, ‘I need to beat this guy at something’ or ‘I need to be better than this guy.’ It was just better for me to not try to do too much and not put too much pressure on myself.”
To that end, Kapler has found a way for both outfielders to stay involved. The right fielder with the cooler hand has at least been a frequent pinch-hitter.
Altherr, who came into the season expecting to be a run producer has really been dropping off. Entering the doubleheader, he was hitting .278 (5-for-18) with a home run and three RBIs as a pinch-hitter, and a heck of a lot worse when starting.
“It’s all about results right now,” Altherr said of his .176 overall batting average and resultant warm seat on the bench. “Obviously, everybody’s doing well. Nick’s doing well. We just happened to have a whole bunch of righty starters that we’ve been playing against. It’s just been the way it goes.
“I’m just waiting for the chance again; waiting for pinch-hits or these kind of starts.”
Altherr was referring to his start in a nightcap against the Mets. Considering an ugly 0-for-5 in the opener by Odubel Herrera, Altherr found himself starting in center, with Williams again in right.
Altherr’s lone appearance in the lid-lifter was as a pinch-hitter, grounding into a double play.
So for now right field is Nick Williams’ territory in which to thrive, but Kapler isn’t about to leave Altherr out in the cold of the dugout.
“It’s a lot harder to get hot when you’re just pinchhitting,” said Altherr, acknowledging that he’s been a bit of a streaky hitter during his career. “It’s not the easiest thing. Like I said, I’m just going to wait for my opportunities and try to take advantage of them. We’re doing well as a team. We’re winning games and that’s really all that matters.”