El Torito Comes to Town

Calling WIP’s Jon Johnson was on my agenda for Thursday night.

The night before, he made a cogent point about one of Chip Kelly’s major shortcomings as a coach. I’d wanted to call that night and expand on it, but Jon had Andrew Porter as a guest and Andrew sent me packing to listen to music.

Andrew Porter is the sports editor for @CBSPhilly and he’s a brainwashed “ChipBot.”

Jon Johnson coined ChipBot to define blind followers of Chip Kelly. Brainwashed was my embellishment.

Heaven’s Gate

For the brief time I forced myself to listen to Andrew Porter, I saw how it was possible for 39 people to:

Drink a mixture of phenobarbital, apple juice, and vodka.
Put on matching black shirts and sweat pants and brand new Nikes.
Put a $5-bill and three quarters in their pockets to pay the interplanetary toll.
Tie plastic bags around their heads and await the spaceship that was going to transport them toward the Comet Hale-Bopp.

When it comes to his views about Chip Kelly, Andrew Porter is as cuckoo as the 39 Heaven’s Gaters who committed mass suicide in 1997.

On to El Torito

But last night, Jon Johnson wasn’t discussing Chip Kelly and the Eagles. He was discussing the Phillies, how many losses they’d rack up this season – I have them at 98 – and if there were any bright spots on the team.

A couple of my Twitter buddies spoke on the show – Baseball Giorgio and Rickie Ricardo.

Baseball Giorgio suggested that, should Ryan Howard get off to a horrendous start in the new season, that the Phillies would unconditionally release him. For the record, I’m in full agreement with that move – I woulda done it a long time ago.

Rickie Ricardo, on the other hand, mentioned Odubel Herrera as a potential bright spot. So I tweeted Rickie.

After which, we continued . . .

Probably most non-Spanish speakers know that “el toro” means “the bull.” The “ito” is the diminutive suffix that implies “little.” So “El Torito” means “The Little Bull.”

Odubel Herrera, from Venezuela, is a 5-10, 200-pound, 23-year-old, slap-hitting speedster. He explained the derivation of his nickname in Spanish – which translated to:

“My dad gave it to me when I was a little kid in Venezuela and it stuck.”

Last season, playing in the Texas Rangers organization, Odubel Herrera hit .297 in 29 games with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the A+ Carolina League and then .321 in 96 games after being promoted to the Frisco (Texas) RoughRiders of the AA Texas League. In all, that’s a combined .321 with nine doubles, three triples, and two home runs. He picked up 59 RBIs and stole 21 bases.

Rule 5

His performance turned heads in the Phillies organization. Pro scouting director Mike Ondo said:

“There is some excitement to this guy with the skill set. … He’s a good athlete. He has some speed. He obviously has a feel for hitting. We like the bat speed.”

In December, the Phillies plucked Herrera from the Rangers with the eighth pick in the Rule 5 Draft. In case you’re unaware, Shane Victorino was a Rule 5 draftee the Phillies obtained from the L.A. Dodgers.

Please note that Herrera played second base in the minors, but the Phillies acquired him with the notion of switching him to center-field. So it was back home to Venezuela for the Winter League to play for the Tiburones de la Guaira – to learn how to play center. (Tiburones are sharks.)

And the experiment was a smashing success.

El Torito led the Winter League with a .372 average and his .432 OBP was second. He was not only named Rookie of the Year, but also MVP.

“Grateful to God for all these awards I have achieved,” Herrera said via a Tiburones press release. “I really am very happy and I dedicate it to my parents, who have always supported me in this sport. This award is also for them.”

Odubel Herrera followed that strong performance with another in spring training with the Phils. In 19 games, he went 22-for-62 – a .355 clip and .379 OBP – with one double, a pair of homers, and seven RBIs. His play in center was good enough to push the curious-fielding and feeble-throwing Ben Revere from center to left.

As it stands now, El Torito will be starting in center in the On-Deck promotion Friday night and Saturday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. And he’ll be starting in center on Opening Day against the Boston Red Sox.

If you like a flair, be on the lookout for this – after getting hits during the winter league, El Torito was seen placing his fingers on both sides of his batting helmet to mimic a bull.

Buenos suerte, El Torito.