In December, the Phillies added to an already stacked outfield mix when they claimed Peter Bourjos off waivers from the Cardinals. The outfielder’s time in St. Louis was not terribly memorable and many pointed to his lingering hip injury as the culprit for his struggles. However, Bourjos says it was something else keeping him from playing his best with the Cards. 
“I think it was more just being in and out of the lineup. It was tough getting into a rhythm,” Bourjos told MLBTR in Clearwater, Florida on Thursday. “That’s the role I was in, that was the role I accepted, and you just try to do your best with it. It’s tough coming in and facing the set-up guy or the closer in pinch hit at-bats. It’s tough to get something going.”
Because of his inconsistent playing time, it was no surprise to Bourjos when he was exposed to waivers in the offseason.
“I didn’t really think I’d be back there, just because of how things played out down the stretch. I think I had three or four starts in the second half of the year. I didn’t really have a lot of at-bats. You can just kind of see the writing on the wall, that they had a lot of good young outfielders coming and it probably just wasn’t going to be a good fit,” said Bourjos.
Realizing that he wouldn’t be back with the Cardinals, Bourjos and agent Curtis Dishman huddled up to discuss potential landing spots and which teams would make the best fit for him. With the potential for significant and consistent playing time, the Phillies were “at the top” of his personal wish list. General Manager Matt Klentak told MLBTR back in December that his familiarity with Bourjos from their shared Angels days played a role in acquiring him, but the outfielder says that the Phillies have actually had interest in him for years, dating back to the Ruben Amaro-led front office.
It’s easy to see why the Phillies would have coveted Bourjos for so long. In 2011, the defensive wizard made a name for himself in baseball when he slashed .271/.327/.438. Now on his third big league team, Bourjos is determined to make the most of his fresh start.
“Whenever I’ve had consistent at-bats, I’ve played pretty well, and that goes back to 2013. The at-bats were consistent, but I got hurt. I was playing pretty well up until that point. It’s about getting out there and being consistent in the lineup. It kind of goes both ways, I have to prove that I can do that. I can’t get off to a bad start, I have to prove that I belong out there.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Kyle Kubitza for Bourjos. Come back Pete and take over left field!
I really wish the angels still had him and Grichuk
Wishing Bourjos all the best. I’d be happy to have him back in the Angels fold.
I agree. Bring him back to Anaheim. Best of luck Pete!
I am really surprised with the way the Cardinals used him. I feel like he could have been a valuable lead off hitter for them if he would have gotten the chance to play more. But, as he stated they were deep at OF and someone had to be the odd man out. Hope he does well in Philly, I always liked his style of play.
Lots of love from Angel fans for Bourjos and it’s completely understandable. Good luck with the Phillies Pete
He can play when given the chance. He is just as fun to watch in the field as Mike Trout.
He’s only been on red teams, Angels, Phillies and Cardinals
Best of luck Peter! He never got playing time with the Cards cuz they had really no use for him, so heres hopin he gets some in Philly.
News flash, .271 isn’t all that good nowadays for a regular. He’s still better to have then a pathetic Dom Brown
That’s actually above average Ed. The entire league isn’t .300.
Well, when you play for a contender you have to produce with the playing time you get in order to earn more playing time. In 2014, he and Jay both got similar playing time at the beginning of the season, but Jay outperformed him and kept the starting job that year. Even with all the outfield injuries the Cardinals had last year, both Piscotty and Pham were called up and played well, so they (and Heyward) got the bulk of the playing time over guys like Bourjos and Moss. Playing for a rebuilding team like the Phillies should give him enough chances to prove himself if that truly was the problem with his bat in St. Louis. Good luck, Peter.
I enjoyed watching him in St. Louis. Very nice young gentleman to visit with. Best of luck Pete !!!