Phillies New Guy Report: OF Nate Schierholtz

Born: February 15, 1984 (28 years old)

Height: 6'1", Weight: 205 lbs.

Drafted: San Francisco Giants, second round of 2003 amateur draft

Major League Debut: June 11, 2007

Arbitration Eligible: 2013

Nothing about his stats (.257/.327/.429 line in 2012, .270/.319/.412 career) jumps off the page or screen, but the numbers suggest new Phillies outfielder Nate Schierholtz is an above-average major league hitter. In fact, entering play Wednesday, his 2012 OPS+ of 115 exceeded that of Hunter Pence (109), for whom Schierholtz and two prospects were acquired. While his career splits are almost identical (.731 OPS against righties, .733 vs. left-handers), Schierholtz has been markedly more effective facing right-handed pitchers this season, with an .850 OPS against them compared to .483 versus southpaws. In that sense, Schierholtz seems somewhat redundant with righty-mashing outfielder Laynce Nix, but the new guy has both a better defensive reputation and, this year at least, a higher walk rate.

Under team control for another two seasons after this one, Schierholtz looks like he’ll deliver adequate value for his modest cost. He leaves his hometown Giants, with whom he’d spent the entirety of his nine-year pro career, on something of a sour note after complaining about his limited playing time; evidently, manager Bruce Bochy told Schierholtz earlier this season that he didn’t view the outfielder as a regular. At age 28, he likely is who he is as a player, but there’s hope that his lefty power will play better at Citizens Bank Park—where he hit two homers in a game in July—than it did at San Fran's considerably more spacious AT&T Park.