Phillies reportedly contact free agent Surhoff

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com has reported that the Phillies have contacted free agent outfielder B.J. Surhoff to gauge his interest in joining the club. Surhoff turns 42 in August and has played the last three seasons in Baltimore.

In 303 games, Surhoff, a left-handed hitter, hit .257 with a .282 OBP and .356 SLG, some of the worst numbers of his career.

If he's given an offer and accepts, the 19-year veteran would represent another addition with ties to GM Pat Gillick, who signed Surhoff as a free agent before the 1996 season and was with him the entire time he was GM in Baltimore.

Since 1987, including stops in Milwaukee, Baltimore and Atlanta, Surhoff is a .288 career hitter with 188 homers and a .413 slugging percentage. He has not reached 10 homers in a season since 2001, when he tore a ligament in his right knee and underwent season-ending surgery.

Defensively, he would provide some versatility. Recently, he has been used primarily as a corner outfielder, first baseman and designated hitter. He lives in Baltimore.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG
2005	91	303	30	78	11	2	5	34	0	.257	.282	.356
Career	2313	8258	1062	2326	440	42	188	1153	141	.282	.332	.413

Comments

[pat]

i really am beginning to think gillick is trying to win the 98 AL East. what is the point of this move? surhoff has NO upside at all.

[GoSportsCards]

Yah I'm gonna have to agree with Pat on this one. I don't understand this move at all. They are well stocked with outfielders and they are now stocked up on 3rd basemen. There is no DH in the National League so are they just going to play him at first on the days Ryan Howard has off? I guess that would keep Burrell in the outfield. The only other reason to get BJ would be to have some pop off the bench. Does he really have any pop left?

[Billy Mac]

I don't understand this either. They reminds me of the 2002 Dave Hollins fiasco.

[Billy Mac]

The Phils have no slots left on their 40 man roster. If Surhoff is signed, I assume this means someone needs to be cut.

[MichaelZ]

The Garbage Truck of Baseball rolls on. I have never been so disgusted with an offseason as I am now. It seems like an ice age ago that Pat Gillick came here and immediately made a splash with the Thome-Rowand trade, making all us ticket-buying dopes think there were bright days ahead. Since then it's been one broken-down piece of crap after another, from Tom Gordon down to B.J. Surhoff. Pat Gillick, and the skinflints who hired him, can rot in hell.

[xxx]

Any insight on to what kind of defense Surhoff is capable of at his advanced age? Instead of checking up on any of the more advanced defensive metrics available like I should have, I've just gone ahead and totally assumed that his defense is a liability both at first base and in the outfield corners (due to a combination of age, health, and assumptions from the few Orioles games I caught last season). Anybody have a good idea of what Surhoff's defensive skills are like these days?

[RickSchuBlues]

Say, Pat, if you're looking for forty-something utility infielders, I know this hard-nosed guy named Schu...

[Double E]

Nice article from Sunday's Inquirer (may need to register)on Gillick

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/sports/13848938.htm

[George S]

Are you kidding me? Does BJ have a narrow range of skills that are exactly what the Phillies lack? No. Can he pitch? No. And with Ryan Franklin now on the Phillies, who could BJ possibly get a hit off of?
I would say a good rule of thumb might be: if a player is 42 yrs old and BEHIND Mike Lieberthal on the depth chart, it's a good idea not to sign him.

[Tom Goodman]

Wow, when you can get the normally even-tempered George S. riled up you know you are doing something wrong!!

[clout]

I think Gillick has contacted Surhoff about doing color commentary. There's no way a smart baseball man like Gillick would use a 40-man roster spot for Surhoff. The guy is done.