When the Phillies signed outfielder Jim Eisenreich before the 1993 season, nobody made much of a big deal about it. After overcoming Tourette’s Syndrome to resume his playing career with the Royals, he had spent several years as a serviceable outfielder. He was expected to serve mainly as a bench piece on the 1933 Phillies, behind the more promising Wes Chamberlain.
At first, Eisenreich was mostly used as a defensive replacement for Chamberlain in right field. (As it turns out, most defensive metrics don’t show much of a difference between the two.) But as Chamberlain struggled a bit against right-handed pitching, Eisenreich thrived. By midseason, the right field spot became a full-on platoon.
Phillies fans, touched by his backstory and his unexpectedly good play embraced “Eisy” and he became a fan favorite. He continued to play well over the next four years even though the team made a dramatic fall in the standings over that time.
After the 1996 season, the Phillies allowed Eisenreich to leave as a free agent, and fans were unhappy. Yes, the team was rebuilding, and he was entering his age 38 season, but why not keep a beloved good clubhouse guy around to help get through the bad times? Especially when the team basically signed 36-year-old Rex Hudler to replace him.
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