Like it or not, Herrera next up in center

They might have one of baseball’s best power-hitting outfielders anchoring their lineup, a streaky but sometimes spectacular force at first base, a still-developing offensive weapon at third and baseball’s best all-around catcher handling their pitchers while driving in runs.

Yes, the Phillies have visions of grandeur, but they also found themselves forced this week to dip into the bad old days of the recent past.

It was there that Odubel Herrera resided, a one-time all-star on awful Phillies teams of the late 20-teens, a young player who could hit with power, run with speed and make great use of the Citizens Bank Park middle pastures, especially when running uncertain routes to wherever the ball was heading.

Meet the Phillies’ new every day centerfielder, same as the old loss.

“I saw him when he came in to

today,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said of Odubel Herrera in a Zoom conference from St. Louis Monday. “I said, ‘You’re hitting seventh, you’re playing in centerfield, go get them!’ He had a big smile on his face. I think he’s really excited to have this opportunity to prove himself to his teammates, to the organization and to the fanbase.” Oh yes, them. Sorry, but the guess here is that sports fans in general are growing numb to stories of athletes occasionally engaged in bad behavior.

But what Herrera was accused of by his girlfriend on Memorial Day weekend nearly two years ago was beyond the pale for bad behavior, an alleged domestic assault on an Atlantic City street. She wound up not pursuing charges, and the two are still together. But Major League Baseball wasn’t so forgiving, sidelining Herrera during a long investigation into the matter, then in early July suspending him for the remainder of the 2019 season.

That penalty would be extended by a year thanks to the pandemic, but Herrera did what he could publicly to make amends to his girlfriend, friends and family and his employers. With one year remaining on his contract at $10 million, he received an invite to spring training in Clearwater, almost made the team there,

but eventually landed at the alternate training site in Allentown.

That’s where he’s been while the Phillies’ outfield has suffered a two-thirds April meltdown.

Bryce Harper is doing everything he can and then some in right field, living up to his stature as one of baseball’s best on and off the field. But personal issues forced planned centerfield starter Adam Haseley into a career limbo, while speedy teammate Roman Quinn plods along at a mind-bending .065 batting average.

In left, veteran Andrew McCutchen, brought here in 2019 to either mentor or push (or both) the often puzzling Herrera, is hitting .154 with a .531 OPS. And the promoted Mickey Moniak, who started the season with Herrera

at the practice site in the Lehigh Valley, hit a big three-run homer and little else after being brought in to replace Haseley. He was heading back to Allentown while Herrera was heading to St. Louis Monday.

Smile on his face the whole time, no doubt.

“We liked what he was doing down there,” Girardi said of Herrera, referencing “down there” as the Allentown site. “I thought Mickey struggled a little bit. He had a big three-run homer for us, there’s no doubt about it. But we just felt it was time to give Odubel that opportunity. He’s had 50 or so more at-bats down there, which we thought were important, because when you think about it, he didn’t play the second half of ‘19, didn’t play, really, in ‘20. So we just

felt he needed more at-bats to be more consistent. He got them and he’s got an opportunity now.

“I think he’s really looking forward to it. And I think he’s worked really hard to get this opportunity and he’s going to make the most of it.”

There were the usual questions Monday of whether there will be acceptance in the clubhouse, at Citizens Bank Park, etc. for Herrera, in light of his past. How he went from popular figure in the clubhouse and frequently baffling presence on the field to domestic assault charges that rightfully threw a roadblock on his career path. He’s 29, did the apology tour at every chance during the spring, and like Girardi said, has worked hard to get back to at least this point, playing his first MLB game in nearly two years.

According to Girardi, Herrera, who was unavailable Monday before playing in the series opener in St. Louis, would be the Phillies’ starting centerfielder going forward, although ... “I might have to give him a day off here or there.”

Considering the current state of his outfield and lineup, Girardi could only hope Herrera only needs the occasional day off. For while centerfield has been an abject failure in April, McCutchen’s poor offensive opening month has exacerbated the situation, since he’s been the leadoff hitter. And the only real alternative for that is second baseman Jean Segura ... who is hurt.