Phillies Acquire Justin Bour From Marlins For Prospect

Image credit: Justin Bour (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)

The Phillies are powering up for the stretch run.

Philadelphia acquired Marlins first baseman Justin Bour on Friday afternoon, sending back Double-A pitching prospect McKenzie Mills in return.

With offseason signee Carlos Santana locked in at first base, Bour is expected to be used as a platoon/bench bat for the Phillies. He is tied for the major league lead with three pinch-hit home runs and has hit .500 coming off the bench.

 

 

Marlins acquire:

McKenzie Mills, LHP
Age: 22

The Nationals traded Mills to the Phillies a year ago for Howie Kendrick at the trade deadline, and now he’s on the move to another NL East team a year later. Mills has had some success as a starter at Double-A this year, but evaluators are generally skeptical. Mills’ fastball operates 89-94 mph, his curveball sits 73-76 mph and is very inconsistent, and his 77-80 mph changeup is regarded as average at best. Mills is athletic with some arm strength, but he lacks the pitchability or stuff to project as more than a situational reliever.

Phillies acquire:

Justin Bour, 1B
Age: 30

Bour’s overall numbers are weighed down by his struggles against lefties, but he still mashes righthanders. He’s hit 17 of his 19 home runs against righties this season and posted an .835 OPS against them, compared to .590 against lefties. That serves as a perfect compliment to the switch-hitting Carlos Santana, who has hit .209/.362/.387 against righties but much better against lefties. Bour also has made a habit this season of tormenting the Braves, who are chasing the Phillies in the NL East. He has a 1.227 OPS in 11 games against the Braves, who play the Phillies seven times in the final 11 games of the season. Bour is arbitration-eligible at the end of this season and won’t be a free agent until 2021.