Former Phillies prospect thriving in Milwaukee
Shortstop Jonathan Villar said he enjoyed his time in the Phillies organization, but he's having the time of his life as a regular with the Milwaukee Brewers.
It's the first time the 25-year-old Villar is a Major League regular and he's made the most of his opportunity.
A switch hitter, Villar helped the Brewers ice Thursday's 4-1 win over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, with a 420-foot, two-run home run in the ninth inning to right-center field off Jeanmar Gomez.
Of all the surprises this season in the Major Leagues, VIllar ranks near the top. He is now hitting .305 with three home runs, 21 RBIs, a .409 on base percentage and .840 on base plus slugging percentage. Villar leads the Majors with 19 stolen bases.
Even the Brewers have been taken aback by his development. After the Brewers traded Jean Segura to Arizona during the offseason, the shortstop job was open and Villar seized the opportunity. Even the Brewers couldn't have envisioned such a strong start.
"I think when a young player has a .400 on base percentage, it is surprising, even if Mike Trout had a .400 on base percentage," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "He has played very well, very consistently, and it is surprising, but we saw right away that this is a talented player."
Villar reached low Single-A Lakewood with the Phillies. In 2010 he batted .272 with 18 doubles and 38 stolen for the BlueClaws before the trade.
"I liked it a lot with the Phillies," said Villa, who was signed by the Phillies for $100,000 out of the Dominican Republic as an amateur free agent on May 20, 2008. "When I was traded, I didn't speak English that well, didn't know the guys."
Since then, his English and his offensive game have improved dramatically.
Villar's departure from the Phillies organization in 2010 didn't make many headlines, simply because the story was about the person arriving to Philadelphia.
Villar was dealt to the Houston Astros along with J.A. Happ and outfielder Anthony Gose at the trade deadline for righthander Roy Oswalt.
That brought together the celebrated four aces, which consisted of Oswalt, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. In 2010 and 2011, this unit would lead the Phillies to only one playoff series win, over Cincinnati in the 2010 NLDS.
The Brewers acquired Villar from Houston this past November for minor leaguer Cy Sneed.
During the previous there seasons, Villar split time with the Astros and at Triple-A. Last year he hit a career high (at any level) .284 with the Astros in 128 plate appearances.
He has hit all over the Brewers order, but has recently been at leadoff. This year in his starts, he has batted leadoff 25 times, second 14, seventh (4), eighth (2) and ninth (6).
He has started 51 of 54 games for the Brewers (25-29).
"It's good to have him behind you making good plays, swinging the bat well," said righthander Chase Anderson, who was the winning pitcher on Thursday. "I am happy for Jonathan and hope he continues doing what he is doing and hope he is an all-star because he is playing really well."
One person who hasn't been surprised by his stellar play has been Villar himself.
"For me, no," he said. "I know that is my game and I can play like that. When I am in the Dominican Republic I can play like that."