Signed As A Free Agent, Ibanez Leads Phillies
Ibanez Came To Philadelphia To Replace Pat Burrell In Left Field
May 23, 2009
The Phillies signed free agent Raul Ibanez in December to a three-year, $31.5-million deal amidst two major concerns. Some wondered if the 36-year-old outfielder was an upgrade over the much-maligned Pat Burrell, whom the club had little interest in resigning, while others questioned the addition of another left-handed bat to an already lefty-dominated batting order.
Ibanez has proven both concerns to be unwarranted.
He’s made more contact then the strikeout-prone Burrell and has already swiped three bases this season. He’s been solid in the outfield committing just one error, and has brought a likeable demeanor to the clubhouse.
"Raul's a winner," said teammate Jayson Werth. "That's really tough to say about somebody who's played for teams that haven't won. He wants to win, he wants to be good and he wants to do good things."
Signed As a Free Agent, Ibanez Replaced Pat Burrell In Philadelphia
Ibanez leads the league in home runs, RBI, total bases, extra base hits, and runs created and has been the driving force behind the Phillies current road trip. He’s homered ten times since the beginning of May and has hit safely in 16 out of 20 games this month.
He's hitting .353 with a .416 on-base percentage and a .737 slugging percentage, all three figures significantly higher than they have been at this point in any other season. He also has 17 home runs, 49 RBI, and leads the league in runs created with 47.
Ibanez's numbers project to career-high stats for someone who has had some pretty high career numbers already, with five 20-plus homer campaigns and four 100-RBI seasons in the 14 years since he made his big league debut.
“See it and be easy and stay through the middle of the field," Ibanez said of his offensive approach. “I try not to think about numbers too much."
Characterized as a below-average defender by many during his tenure in Seattle, Ibanez has performed surprisingly well in the outfield too. He’s yet to be taken out of a game in favor of a defensive replacement, and has made just one error this season.
Range and speed in the field were often noted as weaknesses for Ibanez, who was often booed in Seattle and devalued by sabermetricians who study defensive abilities by analyzing a wide range of non-mainstream statistics.
“We subscribe to what our guys see with their eyes, especially when it comes to defense,” said general manager Ruben Amaro prior to the season in a press conference. “You can’t study a guy’s routes to the ball by the numbers, it just doesn’t happen.”
Despite it’s alleged inefficiencies by Amaro, Ultimate Zone Rating, the metric created by sabermetrician Mitchel Lichtman, says Ibanez has saved nearly six runs for the Phillies this season, the most in the major leagues aside from Milwaukee center fielder Mike Cameron.
“Sometimes people develop a perception about you,” Ibanez said. “They push that perception, they believe that perception and they spread that perception. I can’t control what people believe about me. I can only control my preparation, my attitude and my approach. If it’s true for offense, it’s true for defense.”
So far, Ibanez Has Outperformed Burrell
In contrast to Ibanez, Burrell has gotten off to a sluggish start. A former No. 1 overall pick who played nine years in Philadelphia and hit 253 home runs with the club, Burrell signed a two-year, $16 million deal in January with Tampa Bay. He’s already spent some time on the disabled list with a sprained neck and is hitting just .250 with a homer and 17 RBI in 30 games.
Signed through 2011, it’s inevitable that Ibanez will struggle just as Burrell is now. For the time being though, the Phillies appear to have made the right decision and Ibanez has silenced the critics.
"He's a good baserunner, a good outfielder and a tremendous hitter," manager Charlie Manuel said. "He's a professional hitter who plays the game like it should be played,"
