Mike Schmidt called Odubel Herrera after ripping him on the radio
"It’s really not as big of a deal that people are making it sound like,” the outfielder said.
ATLANTA - Odubel Herrera and Freddy Galvis huddled around a cellphone on Tuesday afternoon as Mike Schmidt - the greatest player in Phillies history - offered an apology.
Schmidt ripped Herrera in the morning on WIP-FM (94.1), saying Herrera was unable to lead because he doesn't speak English.
His comments created a firestorm, spreading across the internet throughout the day and into the Phillies clubhouse at SunTrust Park. Manager Pete Mackanin said Schmidt's comments were ill-advised and would let Schmidt and Herrera "sort it out." The matter by then was already addressed as Herrera received a call from a player he said he admires.
Herrera, who speaks English with teammates but chooses to use the team's interpreter for interviews, said he did not agree with Schmidt's comments but accepted his apology.
"It is disappointing because you never want to hear negative comments," Herrera said through an interpreter. "But he called me, he apologized, and explained what happened. Everything is good. It's really not as big of a deal that people are making it sound like."
Schmidt, who is employed by Comcast SportsNet as a commentator for weekend Phillies home games, was asked on the radio if he thinks the Phillies could build around Herrera.
"My honest answer to that would be no," Schmidt said. "First of all, it's a language barrier. Because of that, I think he can't be a guy that would sort of sit in a circle with four, five American players and talk about the game; or try and learn about the game or discuss the inner workings of the game; or come over to a guy and say, 'Man, you gotta run that ball out.' "
The Phillies issued a statement from Schmidt after he spoke to Herrera and Galvis.
"It's been made known to me that my answer on a radio interview this morning to the question, 'Can the Phillies build a team around Odubel Herrera?' was disrespectful to Herrera and Latin players in general," Schmidt said. "I'm very sorry that this misrepresentation of my answer occurred and may have offended someone. I assure everyone I had no intention of that. Odubel is a dynamo on the field, and as he becomes more comfortable with the language, his leadership skills will improve, and no doubt he will be a centerpiece in the Phillies future."
"I've known Schmidt for about eight years or something like that. He always was a good guy," said Galvis, whom Mackanin labeled as the leader. "I don't think he meant to say that. I don't think he meant to say something bad about Latin guys or whatever. I think he's a pretty good guy. I believe some people are taking his words out of context. I believe that for sure. I talked with him already and I think everybody is on the same page. I think everything is good and I think that's it. There's nothing left to say. You don't have to create a big deal where there isn't a big deal."
Herrera said that he told Schmidt to "calm down" and that everything was OK.
"I actually told him that I still admire him as a player and that everything is all right," Herrera said. "Quite frankly, I'm more focused on my game. I want to get better. I'm not thinking about it too much."
Herrera may not be the team's leader, but he is certainly a spark in the lineup. He entered Tuesday with eight hits in his last 13 at-bats as he works out of a wicked slump. Herrera hit two doubles and homered on Monday as the Phillies won their third straight game. Mackanin said that Herrera is an outstanding centerfielder and that he "has no issues" with him. Galvis said Herrera has showed that he can be a good leader.
"Of course it helps to speak English if you're a baseball player. This country is better if you speak English. It's the main language. I want to speak English," Herrera said. "But sometimes you can lead by example. You can lead by doing other things. In my case, I think I bring energy to the team. I think they can feed off of that. That's the leadership I have right now. In the future, when I learn English better and be more comfortable doing that, maybe I'll be the kind of leader that some other people want me to be."
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