I will be the first to admit that like most Dodger fans, I had never heard of Elian Herrera until his call up to the Dodgers on May 15. And even then I had my doubts that he would stay long, believing that as soon as Jerry Hairston Jr. came off of the DL Herrera would quickly be sent back down to Triple-A Albuquerque. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that almost a month later Herrera would still be on the 25-man roster, let alone hitting .328 with 4 doubles, 6 RBIs, and an OBP of .400; and this doesn’t even take into account his outstanding defense at second base, third base and center field, where he has committed only one error in 26 attempts collectively. Of course, Justin Sellers recently hitting the DL may have also contributed to Herrera remaining with the Big club, but even at that, Herrera has outperformed Sellers both defensively and (especially) offensively.

Elian Herrera continues to play exceptionally well on both sides of the ball. He is currently hitting .328 while having committed only one error in 26 attempts at three different positions. (Photo by Jon SooHoo)

What came as a a surprise to me is that Herrera played in four spring training games this past March and how I missed this is beyond me, especially when you consider that I attended almost half of the Dodgers spring training games and even more so because the switch-hitting Herrera went 3 for 6 (.500) in those four games with an RBI. He truly did fly under the radar – until he got to Albuquerque, that is. In his 28 games with the Isotopes this season (primarily as a shortstop), Herrera hit .358 in his 120 at bats with 14 RBIs, 9 doubles, 4 triples, and 2 home runs.

Unlike most of the other ‘farm hands’ called up from Triple-A in the past month to fill roster spots due to the ever-growing Dodgers disabled list, Herrera has remained consistent on both sides of the ball. Sure, Ivan De Jesus Jr., Scott Van Slyke and Jerry Sands (who was sent back down to Triple-A last week) have had their moments, but they were fleeting moments at best. Not so with Herrera, who is putting every minute of his 7 years of minor league experience to good use in the majors.

Having spent 7 years in the minor leagues it almost feels insulting to call the 27-year-old Herrera a rookie. His at bats and plate discipline resemble someone who has been in the Big leagues for 7 years. He rarely chases bad pitches, he works the count exceptionally well, and he doesn’t try to knock the ball out of the park but instead goes with the pitch and frequently finds a hole. When you put the total package together, you have… well… a total package; one the deserves consideration to fill a permanent spot on the Dodgers roster – and not short-term, either.

Herrera seems to have natural baseball instincts that very few guys have – major or minor leagues. During a recent game in which Herrera was playing center field, former Dodger outfielder and current Dodger broadcaster Rick Monday noted that Herrera would step in the direction of the pitch (inside or outside to the hitter) as it was being delivered. And while Monday and fellow broadcaster Charlie Steiner kidded that Herrera was playing the outfield like an infielder (imagine that), Monday was quick to add that doing so gave Herrera an extra step or jump on the ball. Monday said that the last guy that he recalled who did this was Jim Edmonds, which is pretty respectable company to be compared to.

It should come as no surprise to anyone who follows the Dodgers closely that Ned Colletti, De Jon Watson and new Dodger president and CEO Stan Kasten are seriously looking for a big bat free agent. There is even speculation that they are looking very hard at Mets star third baseman David Wright, who definitely will not come cheap when he hits the free agent market at the end of this season – especially with the MVP-like numbers that he is putting up. And while Elian Herrera is nowhere near the power bat that David Wright is (they’re not even in the same universe), Herrera’s .300+ batting average and .400 OBP are nothing to scoff at. That being said, I would be a fool to even suggest that the Dodgers shouldn’t at least make an offer to David Wright as their everyday third baseman. (Did I mention that Herrera also plays second base, center field and shortstop?).

When all is said and done and when looking for ways to trim payroll, Elian Herrera is a perfect and inexpensive fit to be a permanent fixture on the Dodgers 25-man roster.