5 Reasons Why Marlon Byrd Will Dominate With Philadelphia Phillies
5 Reasons Why Marlon Byrd Will Dominate With Philadelphia Phillies
Other than the buzz surrounding the MLB trade deadline, it is hard to match the excitement of the last month of the season. It’s arguable that even Opening Day or the July trade deadline still fails to match it. Though some disagree surely, Marlon Byrd most certainly would not disagree that a postseason run in September is one of the greatest things about the game of baseball.
One reason he might like the idea so much is because of that he was a fairly high-level free agent outfielder this offseason before the Philadelphia Phillies picked him up. Byrd has been a journeyman for the majority of his major league career and when given the chance to sign with any number of teams interested he chose to sign with the Phillies.
This choice might make a few scratch their heads at first. The Phillies haven’t seriously competed in a few years and Byrd seemed to love playing with the Pittsburgh Pirates at the end of 2013. Why would he move from the team on the rise to a Phillies team that at least could be said to be on the way down or at best stagnant?
There are many possible answers to that question and we will get into some of them during this slideshow. Byrd is going to be a dominant force during at least some of the upcoming season. I believe you will see the same type thing you saw in September for the majority of the season with the Phillies. Do you want to know why I think that? Good, this is the top 5 reasons that Byrd is going to dominate with the Phillies in 2014.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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5 – Pride
Most of his career has been spent hopping from one place to the next but while Byrd was fairly popular on the free agent market, he wasn’t the top available either. Look for him to go out ready to prove that he is just as valuable as the most valuable outfielder in the game when 2014 regular season hits.
4 – Sandberg Effect
The atmosphere improved when Ryne Sandberg took over as manager in 2013 for the Phillies. Nothing against Charlie Manual but Sandberg somehow just clicked better with the team. This kind of relating to his players is going to be something very productive for Byrd.
3 – Pennant Race
I don’t think the Phillies will win the N.L. East by a long shot but they are bound to compete for a while at the very least. This competition has been proven to be a good thing for Byrd and it will be again for as long as the Phillies are in contention for a playoff berth in 2014.
2 – Familiar Shoes
It was the Phillies that drafted Byrd some years ago and he started his MLB career with them though not full time. He should be excited for the chance to return to his draft team and show exactly what he is capable of on a full time basis.
1 – Riding 2013 High
The end of the 2013 season was great for Byrd. He hit .318 with a .843 OPS, 3 homers and 17 RBI in the final 30 days of the season with the Pirates. That momentum is going to carry over into the early parts of the 2014 season for him and should get him off to a dominating start indeed.
