Heredia “should” be better vR, he’s younger, swings hard, plays CF, etc.
The problem is that he isn’t better vR. His hot 1st half was still just a .706 half, and considering that he OPSed 200+ pts better vs. LHP than he did RHP (over the season), then he probably wasn’t crushing RHP in the 1st half. That 1st half was entirely fueled by a hot April (.855 in 52 PA), as the next three months were .679, .664, .693.
The guy brings a glove and hits lefties, that’s good enough to be a 4th OF in the bigs, a valuable one. I am not a believer in his vR abilities, but will gladly admit the error in my ways if he shows the ability to be a fulltime COF bat.
I am not a huge Nieuwenhuis fan, either. He’s a 4th OF type, too. However, his track record indicates he is better vs. RHP. He brings a + glove, a good arm, can play CF, hits the ball out to all fields, and hits RHP better than Heredia.
If Heredia rips RHP for a month, even if he’s a +.700 guy, I will fess up. But I am not betting on it.