PBR - In an effort to sure up their outfield the Phillies traded pitchers Vance Worley and Trevor May on Thursday to the Minnesota Twins for outfielder Ben Revere.
Revere, 24, has experience playing all three outfield positions and has tremendous speed. In 124 games last season he hit .294 with 40 stolen bases. He certainly is not a power threat though; he's yet to hit a big league home run through 254 games and more than a thousand plate appearances.
Worley's name was circulated in several trade rumors over the past few days so it's really not a surprise he was involved in a move to get a center fielder. In three seasons with the Phillies the right-hander was 18-13 with a 3.50 ERA. Durability always was a concern, but the 25-year-old was a solid option at the back end of the rotation.
May entered last season as the Phillies top prospect, coming of a 2011 campaign where he struck out 208 batters in 151 innings at Single-A Clearwater. The 23-year-old right hander regressed a bit at Double-A Reading last season (10-13, 4.87) but he still projects as a future middle of the rotation starter.
Now the question for the Phillies becomes power in the lineup and where Revere fits. The move also provides some flexibility as the club may still go after a power bat for center field and put Revere in one of the corners. That, however, means Michael Bourn (another non-power threat) is likely out of the discussion - leaving Josh Hamilton as a possible long-shot play.
- Patrick Gordon is the editor of the Philadelphia Baseball Review. Contact him at pgordon@philadelphiabaseballreview.com or @Philabaseball on Twitter.
