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Jorge Bonifacio was truly a one-hit wonder this season, in that he only had one hit and every time he came up to bat I wondered who he was and why he was there.
2021 Stats
7 games, 12 PA, 1 H, 2 RBI, 091/.167/.091, -27 OPS+
The good
The bar is so low it’s practically on the floor, but Bonifacio might genuinely be one of the more likeable players the Phillies tried in center field this year. That’s something.
Other than that, I don’t have much for you. Here’s his most interesting highlight from 2021.
The bad
What’s bad is that the Phillies had to use him at all. Jorge Bonifacio was the backup, backup, backup, backup, backup plan.
The Phillies starting Jorge Bonifacio in center field is the equivalent of when the person you like turns you down for the prom, and so does the other person you like, and so do all your friends, and so does that person you spoke to once in math class, and so you have no choice but to go to the prom with your cousin.
Alternatively, I still like this metaphor I came up with when the Phillies DFA’d Bonifacio four days after selecting his contract from Lehigh Valley.
Jorge Bonifacio is like the cheap pair of underwear the Phillies bought because they didn’t want to do laundry, and now they’re throwing it out after one use because it stinks https://t.co/jCTxINF3mJ
— Leo Morgenstern (@morgensternmlb) August 24, 2021
Simply put, a well-constructed team wouldn’t be relying on Jorge Bonifacio in August and September. Just look at the Los Angeles Dodgers, who only used 6 center fielders last season, four of whom were former All-Stars (Mookie Betts, A.J. Pollock, Chris Taylor, Cody Bellinger) and one of whom is a highly anticipated young stud (Gavin Lux). The Phillies’ list of center field options looks embarrassing compared to that.
The future
Just like a bad prom date, Jorge Bonifacio doesn’t have much of a future with the Phillies. If the center field situation is as bad in 2022 as it was the year prior, then Dave Dombrowski should get booed out of town.
The final grade: Incomplete
I cannot, in good conscience, give Jorge Bonifacio a grade. I probably spent more time writing this report card than Bonifacio did playing for the 2021 Philadelphia Phillies – he had fewer plate appearances and fewer innings in the field than any other position player on the team.