Pete Happy or Rally Killer?

Which one is the real Pedro Feliz? 3B Pedro Feliz was a controversial signing for the Phillies this off-season for several reasons. He doesn't take a lot of pitches, nor does he hit for average or get on-base more than 30 % of the time. He does however have an outstanding glove and gives the Phillies 2 Gold Glove caliber fielders on the left side of the diamond. We're now just two months into a two year experiment by Pat Gillick on what is more important from the Hot Corner: Offense or Defense? For the first month of the season, Feliz was absolutely brutal at the plate and he quickly earned the ire of the Phillies fateful as a Rally Killer who either would pop up weakly or ground into a double-play in a critical situation. He didn't do the little things at the plate like advancing the runner or sacrificing a run in. He was more liable to simply swing at the first pitch and weakly end an inning and a potential rally. After about 3 weeks of this type of play, I dubbed him Rally Killer in honor of his dubious penchant for doing exactly that.

The bottom line is that Feliz is simply a flawed player. He is outstanding defensively and he has decent power for a 3B but he will not ever have a high OBP nor will he take pitches. Its simply not in him. A high-water mark for him statistically as a Phillie would be something in the 25 HR, 80 RBI, .305 OBP range with around 20 GIDPs and great defense. Considering what he was replacing in the Helms/Dobbs/Nunez platoon, I would consider it a slight, albeit very costly, upgrade. While Dobbs is a much better hitter than Feliz, he is absolutely brutal in the field. The same could be said for the projected Helms/Dobbs platoon that the Phillies were slated to use before the Feliz signing: Decent offensively but way below average defensively. Dobbs is much more useful as a utility player and pinch-hitter than as an everyday 3B and the Phillies recognize that fact. While Feliz is not the ideal option for the Phillies at 3B, he was the best available option at the time and, money being no option, was a good signing.

The Numbers:

Offense

...................G....AB...R....H....2B...HR..RBI...BB...SO....AVG....OBP.....OPS

Current:....52...181..19...49.......11.....7......26.....11....18......271.......313......760

Projected:.61..560...59..152......34...22.....81.....34....56......271.......313......760

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Defense

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Errors: 4 (4th in MLB)

Fielding %: .970 (5th in MLB)

Range Factor: 2.97 (6th in MLB)

Zone Rating: .812 (6th in MLB)

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Feliz is giving the Phillies outstanding defense with average offense at the moment. Considering that the Phillies already have one of the most explosive offenses in the Majors, I would argue that Feliz was primarily signed for his defensive prowess, which he has demonstrated consistently so far.

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Conclusions: For now your moniker will be Pete Happy until you hit another slump at which time I may reevaluate my decision and go back to Rally Killer.