Skip to content
Phillies
Link copied to clipboard

Mike Schmidt apologizes for blasting Phillies' Odubel Herrera on WIP

Schmidt thinks the "language barrier" is just one reason Herrera can't be a leader for the Phillies.

Phillies centerfielder Odúbel Herrera (left) hasn’t impressed Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.
Phillies centerfielder Odúbel Herrera (left) hasn’t impressed Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.Read moreAP / Staff File Photo

Phillies legend Mike Schmidt has apologized for suggesting the Phillies can't build a team around centerfielder Odubel Herrera because his first language is Spanish.

"I'm very sorry that this misrepresentation of my answer occurred and may have offended someone," Schmidt said Tuesday afternoon. "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."

Schmidt made the comments during an appearance on 94.1 WIP's morning show on Tuesday, saying that the bat-flipping 25-year-old was "almost the exact opposite" type of player the Phillies broadcaster and Hall of Famer was during his 18-year career.

"He's not afraid to do things that sort of irk the other team if you will, and you know what that is," Schmidt told Angelo Cataldi. "I probably would hate him if I played against him because of his antics on the field, but he's not afraid."

Herrera has had a disappointing season so far for the Phillies, considering the $30.5 million contract he signed last year. He has a .234 batting average and a .276 on-base percentage in 53 games, and has struck out a team-high 51 times. But he was the team's lone all-star last season, batting .286 with a .361 on-base percentage in his second major-league season. And he is coming off three big games for the Phillies.

Despite that, Schmidt said he didn't think Herrera is the type of player the Phillies can build their team around.

"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.' "

Schmidt then said again that Herrera, a native of Venezuela who has used an interpreter at times for on-camera interviews, "just can't be — because of the language barrier — that kind of a player."

According to Phillies beat reporter Matt Breen, Schmidt also called Herrera personally Tuesday afternoon to personally apologize for his comments.

"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."

It didn't take long for sports writers to call out Schmidt for his comments.

"Remember when Hideki Matsui accepted his 2009 World Series MVP trophy with his translator by his side? Mike Schmidt does not," wrote ESPN the Magazine writer Kavitha A. Davidson.

Jon Tayler, MLB editor at Sports Illustrated, called Schmidt's remarks "casually racist," noting that the Phillies have nine Spanish-speaking players on their roster. Tayler added that Schmidt's opinion is "the kind of lazy and stupid racism that you should expect when you ask baseball's crustier old men to bloviate about a sport they haven't played in decades."

My colleague, columnist Mike Sielski, also jumped on Twitter to offer his take on Schmidt's comments.

Listen to the full interview:

Staff writer Jonathan Tannenwald contributed to this report.