Matt Vierling probably shouldn't have been put in the situation he found himself in on Opening Day 2022, and he probably shouldn't have been starting a World Series game either.
Yet, there he ended up all the same.
With an injury to Mickey Moniak during the final game of Spring Training, Vierling became the lone center fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies to begin the year.
Simón Muzziotti was on the roster too, but only by virtue of being the only other healthy center fielder on the 40-man, and his time on the active roster was short-lived.
After ending 2021 on such a torrid pace, batting .324 with an .843 OPS in 77 plate appearances, expectations were unreasonably high.
Hopeless for so long in center field, it seemed the like Phillies finally found their man.
But Vierling started off the year almost impossibly poorly, going 0 for his first 18. By May 10 he was demoted to Triple-A, giving full-time center field duties over to Odúbel Herrera.
The Matt Vierling Experiment had ended in disaster. With Joe Girardi at the helm, a manager notorious for lacking trust in youngsters, it seemed like Vierling's 2022 was dead on arrival.
But the underlying stats were there. Vierling had been making good contact and working walks at a reasonable pace, the hits just weren't falling.
Jun. 3 marked a special time for the Phillies. Rob Thomson took over as manager and life was given to Vierling's chances as a Phillie in 2022. Just days later he was called up and thrust into a big spot as a pinch hitter.
Unlike Girardi, Thomson trusted the 'Daycare', and that trust paid off. For his first Major League at-bat in over a month, Vierling faced the most fearsome closer in baseball, Josh Hader, and promptly took him deep.
The Phillies had rallied back off the bats of Alec Bohm and Vierling for an improbable victory, and suddenly, Vierling was back in the clubhouse for good.
From Jun. 7 through Jul. 7, Vierling slashed .310/.391/.517, taking long at-bats and working walks, showing off his power and the elite speed that made him a competent center fielder.
The good times just couldn't last. Vierling proved himself to be a playable back-up center fielder and nothing more. From the end of his hot streak through Aug. 22 he went back to his old ways, going just 21-114 in that span.
From then through the regular season's end he had an OPS of .789, very good, but not good enough to off-set his two month-long slumps.
Since Vierling is a right-handed hitter, he was given several starts against lefties throughout the playoffs, but his production was meager, going just 2-for-13.
Final Grade: C+
Vierling showed flashes of being a solid Major League player, but like many other Phillies throughout the last several years, he was too streaky to put things together entirely.
Due to his elite speed and positional versatility, Vierling should find a spot on the bench for the 2023 Phillies, but he'll need to improve his hitting if he ever wants a Major League starting role, even on a middling team.
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