Daily News | Jean Segura’s feeling about the Phillies finally pays off with his first playoff berth
, for J.P. Crawford and Carlos Santana. He arrived at the Phillies spring training home in Clearwater, Fla., a few months later, 30 years old with parts of seven big-league seasons behind him. He’d made two All-Star Games and earned a few MVP votes in 2016, the same year he led the National League in hits. But he felt there was a missing piece.
Segura was never known as being a clubhouse leader in his previous stops. But in Philadelphia, especially this season, that has changed. He has helped newcomer Edmundo Sosa at the plate and become a mentor for rookie shortstop Bryson Stott. He likes to call Stott and third baseman Alec Bohm his “youngsters,” and is frequently checking in on them.“We’re going to need them down the stretch,” he said. “It’s a big run. Regardless of making the postseason, we still have a lot of work to do.
“I told my agent ‘Get me out of Seattle,’” Segura said. “Because it was a lot of negativity. I saw bad comments about the Latin players, the culture of the Latin players, especially Dominicans. That we are dumb, that we are not smart, that we don’t have an education.