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Odubel Herrera: From Rule 5 pick to all-star?

PHOENIX - Last weekend, a Phillies official placed all-star ballots on every player's chair in the visiting clubhouse at AT&T Park. The 24-year-old bundle of constant energy that is the Phillies centerfielder breezed through the room to campaign.

PHOENIX - Last weekend, a Phillies official placed all-star ballots on every player's chair in the visiting clubhouse at AT&T Park. The 24-year-old bundle of constant energy that is the Phillies centerfielder breezed through the room to campaign.

"Vote for me!" Odubel Herrera said. "Vote for me!"

Herrera does nothing in a traditional manner. So it is appropriate for the former Rule 5 pick to take a most unconventional route to his first All-Star Game. The teams will be announced Tuesday, and Herrera has a good chance at representing the Phillies in San Diego.

"It would be huge," Herrera said through an interpreter. "It's definitely something that would make me very proud because that's just going to make me feel that I am having success in my career. That's something every ballplayer wants."

The history of Rule 5 picks as all-stars by their second seasons in the majors is short. Dan Uggla became an all-star in his rookie season as a Rule 5 selection in 2006 with Miami. Both Joakim Soria (Royals, 2008) and Josh Hamilton (Rangers, 2008) were all-stars in their second seasons.

The National League outfield is crammed with viable candidates, but every team must have a player at the game, and Herrera makes the most sense. Jeanmar Gomez, who has 20 saves in his first season as a closer, is another option. Either way, a Phillies player will have to be put on the team by a player vote or manager's decision.

"Odubel, to me, he deserves it," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He's hitting .300. If you're comparing him to some of the other outfielders that are having better years, then that's different. But they have to pick somebody from our team. He's the obvious choice.

"I voted for him. Let's put it that way. I voted for him and Gomez."

Herrera relishes the idea of a chance to introduce a national audience to his style. On Tuesday, he worked a 10-pitch at bat against Zack Greinke and chopped a ball toward first. Herrera belly-flopped into the bag for an infield single, with his gold chain flopping and his helmet flying.

He has flair, but he has numbers to back it up. Herrera entered the day fourth among all NL outfielders with a .397 on-base percentage. Only Bryce Harper, Christian Yelich and Dexter Fowler had better clips. Carlos Gonzalez, Ryan Braun, Gregory Polanco, Marcell Ozuna, Yoenis Cespedes, and Jay Bruce boast solid cases for inclusion, too. There will be snubs in the outfield.

What has impressed his Phillies teammates the most is the substance behind Herrera's escapades.

"If he makes it, I'll be real happy," catcher Carlos Ruiz said. "You can see the improvement he's made from last year. You can tell he's more comfortable. He opened everyone's eyes with the way he's been playing. Everybody here enjoys playing with him."

"From where he came from," Andres Blanco said, "to make the All-Star Game out of nowhere, that'd be great."

Herrera has matched his total in homers (eight) from his rookie season. His doubles are down but his walks are up. The overall profile is that of a hitter forced to adjust with the league, although his methods are unusual.

"The thing that is interesting about him is he's so unorthodox," Mackanin said. "He could swing at a ball over his head and a ball three feet outside, take two pitches for balls, and then slap a single up the middle. Or hit a home run. He's kind of an enigma."

So the Phillies will keep prodding him, especially with regards to his shaky center-field defense. Herrera is far from a finished product and nowhere near a star, but his ascension to all-star status is something the Phillies would celebrate. The Phillies once paid Texas $50,000 to draft Herrera. The immediate return is immense.

"Yeah, it's huge for me to know that people everywhere in America and the world can watch me and know who I am," Herrera said. "It would be great for me."

Then, the man dubbed "El Torito" flashed his trademark bull horns gesture and scurried to batting practice.

mgelb@philly.com

@MattGelb