Sports Illustrated Publishes Anonymous Scout's Tantrum Over Odubel Herrera [Update]

Sports Illustrated published its season previews for every MLB team today, and the entry for the Philadelphia Phillies features a trip back to a time when an anonymous scout dog-whistling a non-white player was a regular genre in sportswriting.

SI asked an anonymous scout which current Phillies player he would least like to have in his own clubhouse, and the guy absolutely unloaded on outfielder Odubel Herrera:

Name the guy (or guys) on this team you would never want in your clubhouse

Herrera. I’m an old-school guy who likes guys who run balls out and run off and on the field and are focused on playing the game the right way. He’s the antithesis of Brett Gardner. He’s like a clown. From what I understand, it was a controversial signing internally, because none of their baseball people could stomach him, but Matt Klentak liked him because he’s a likable goofball kid. So they ended up putting the cash in his pocket, and what they’ve gotten out of it is a f****** dog who’s hurt them more than helped them.

Jeez, man. Herrera had a down season and bat-flipped at a few inopportune times, but this scout’s analysis is really going for it. If you were filling out a Vaguely Racist Scouting Report bingo card, this report would be hard to beat. We’ve got:

A favorable invocation of Brett Gardner.

Calling the subject a “clown,” “goofball,” and “fucking dog.”

Handwringing about “cash” being stuffed into the subject’s pockets.

“I’m an old-school guy.”

“Playing the game the right way.”

Yep, that’s bingo.

Update (1:15 p.m.): SI has removed a portion of the scout’s comments on Herrera, and included the following editor’s note at the top of the article:

[Editor’s Note: This article has been updated; the original version mistakingly included language that may be considered inappropriate or offensive. We regret the error.]

The updated scouting report now reads:

Name the guy (or guys) on this team you would never want in your clubhouse

Herrera. I’m an old-school guy who likes guys who run balls out and run off and on the field and are focused on playing the game the right way. From what I understand, it was a controversial signing internally. What they’ve gotten out of it is a [player] who’s hurt them more than helped them.