Speaking to WIP Radio in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Schmidt expressed his doubts that Herrera could become a team leader - but not because of his on-field performance or even the flair with which he plays.
The National League Most Valuable Player in 1980, Schmidt believes the language barrier - English is not Herrera's first language - goes a long way in preventing the Venezuelan from being the type of building block the Phillies envision.
Schmidt said on Tuesday's 94WIP Morning Show that you can't build around Herrera because of the language barrier. It's nearly as if having the right players around the roster makes up for any supposed language barriers. Or try and learn about the game or discuss the inner workin.
"I think what he said about the language barrier, I think sometimes if you don't speak good English or you don't speak English at all, it's kind of hard to communicate with players". It belongs to players from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela and Puerto Rico and Mexico and Japan and South Korea and a dozen other countries developing talent.
I'm quite sure Herrera knows how to say, "You've got to run that ball out", because it has been drilled into his head in English by manager Pete Mackanin and Spanish by third-base coach Juan Samuel.
Schmidt, who also serves as a broadcaster for the team's weekend home games, has previously weighed in on players like Herrera, who aren't shy about a bat flip or exuberant celebration.
Their greatest player in history.
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Schmidt was never known for an effervescent personality. Schmidt, of course, spoke flawless English, but he was not the leader of the Phillies' first great era because he was not a great communicator. Apparently only English-speaking players can lead by example.
After receiving some criticism for his comments being offensive to Latin American players, Schmidt apologized in a statement to CSN Philly.
It comes down to a clash between the old age of baseball and the future of a constantly developing game.
Now I know more about Schmidt, and I wish I didn't. "That's not taking anything away from them. But we just do it in a different way".
Philadelphia Phillies legend Mike Schmidt has been an iconic figure for the franchise over the past several decades for his play on the field.
As expected, Schmidt's take caused waves on Tuesday. "You can lead by doing other things". "I don't agree with his comments but I respect him as a player", Herrera said. He's not afraid to do that. He's not afraid to do that, and he's learning to play a really good center field. Aaron Altherr and Tommy Joseph are making a claim for that role but they too need to show more consistency in their performances.
But when you say build a team around somebody you're generally talking about a Roy Halladay as a pitcher, Cliff Lee, you're talking about a Mike Trout kind of player. In my case, I think I bring energy to the team.
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