The Phillies announced that outfielder Corey Dickerson has been placed on the 60-day injured list due to a fractured navicular bone in his left foot, thus ending his season. Right-hander Edubray Ramos was activated from the injured list in his place.
The move to acquire Dickerson from the Pirates for international bonus allotments and salary relief proved to be a nice pickup for the Phillies, as the 30-year-old slugger went on to hit .293/.307/.579 with eight homers, 10 doubles and a pair of triples in 137 plate appearances. Injuries prevented Dickerson from playing as often as the organization would’ve liked, surely, but he nonetheless proved to be a high-quality bat who came with a low cost of acquisition.
Dickerson’s season didn’t start until June due to a shoulder strain and will end early due to this foot injury, but the portion of time for which he was healthy will serve as a reminder to clubs of just how potent his bat can be as he enters free agency for the first time. In all, Dickerson came to the plate 279 times this season and raked at a .304/.341/.565 clip with a dozen homers, 28 doubles and two triples.
That marks the sixth consecutive season in which Dickerson has been an above-average hitter, although it’s worth noting that last year’s surprisingly excellent defensive metrics regressed toward his sub-par career levels in 2019. Bat-first corner players haven’t been treated well in free agency in recent seasons, and Dickerson’s modest 5.8 percent career walk rate won’t do him any favors in negotiating with clubs. Still, he’s a clear weapon against right-handed pitching who has held his own against southpaws (.272/.310/.409) in his career and should find work as a regular in someone’s corner outfield and/or designated hitter mix this winter.
Because Dickerson was traded midseason, the Phillies won’t be eligible to issue him a qualifying offer — not that they would be likely to do so even if he were eligible — so he’ll hit the open market without the burden of draft-pick compensation.
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