Phillies 2013 Review: Right Field

The right field position for the Phillies in 2013 might have been one of the worst in recent franchise history. Seven players played the right field position for the Phillies at some point during 2013 and they combined for a -2.8 WAR which was the worst in Major League Baseball by .7.

Darin Ruf led the Phillies right fielders with a .1 WAR, not impressive in the slightest. Ruf did not play right field every game. He played first base and played some games in left field. Ruf's natural position is first base but the Phillies have been playing him at the corner outfield positions because first base has been occupied by Ryan Howard over the past several seasons.

In 2012, Ruf had a breakout year in the minor leagues. In 139 games in Reading, he hit 38 home runs and late in September he got a chance to play for the Phillies and he played in 12 games and hit three home runs and a .351 OBP. Small sample size, yes, but Phillies fans were hopeful that Ruf could potentially be the answer in right field after trading Hunter Pence at the 2012 trade deadline.

In the off-season the Phillies signed Delmon Young to a one year deal with some incentives based on performance and weight. However, Delmon "Twinkle Toes" Young was suppose to miss the first month of the season. To most, Ruf was the obvious answer to fill in at right field because he had potential that the other back ups did not have like John Mayberry Jr. and Laynce Nix. With that being said Ruf started 2013 in Triple-A.

In Triple-A Ruf played better than any right fielder that was with the big club. Ruf had a .343 OBP in 83 games, but he only hit 7 home runs. Since the Delmon Young experiment failed miserably, Darin Ruf finally started playing every day. Ruf had high expectations and everyone was hoping that he could fit into a role for the team. However, Ruf did not meet the expectations and at the end of the season Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said that he would not be starting for the Phillies next season. Hopefully, this means they plan on getting help from the outside for RF because right now they have absolutely nobody to play that role everyday efficiently.

I do not understand what the Phillies front office was thinking going into the 2013 season with John Mayberry Jr., Laynce Nix, and Delmon Young playing everyday. These players are at best bench players and it is scary to think the front office thought Delmon Young could be the answer.

Final Stats from Phillies Right Fielders in 2013:

Darin Ruf: 73 Games, 293 Plate Appearances (PA), 14 HR, 30 RBI, 11.3 BB%, 31.1 K%, .247 AVG, .348 OBP, .458 SLG%, .1 WAR

John Mayberry Jr.: 134 Games, 384 PA, 11 HR, 39 RBI, 7.0 BB%, 23.4 K%, .227 AVG, .286 OBP, .391 SLG%, -0.4 WAR

Delmon Young: 80 Games, 291 PA, 8 HR, 31 RBI, 4.8 BB%, 23.7 K&, .261 AVG, .302 OBP, .397 SLG%, -1.0 WAR

Laynce Nix: 81 Games, 136 PA, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 5.9 BB%, 32.4 K%, .180 AVG, .228 OBP, .258 SLG%, -0.7 WAR

Those were the main right fielders in 2013. You can see they all played bad, with Ruf playing the best of the worst.

Here's a pic of Delmon Young's Dad (not his actual dad just a look alike, you might recognize as Karl Winslow from Family Matters)