Mike Schmidt: Language barrier limits Odubel Herrera

— -- Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt doesn't think outfielder Odubel Herrera is the type of player the Philadelphia Phillies can build their team around.

"My honest answer to that would be no because of a couple of things," Schmidt, who played for 18 years in Philadelphia, told SportsRadio 94WIP on Tuesday. "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.'

"[He] just can't be -- because of the language barrier -- that kind of a player."

Herrera, who signed a five-year, $30.5 million contract in December, was born and raised in Venezuela. He is hitting .243 this season. But the flashy center fielder has improved his play recently, going 8-of-13 with 2 home runs and 8 RBIs in his past 3 games.

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

"... Those are the reasons that I don't think you can build a team around him. Now, I truly think he can hit second or first on a championship team. There's no question about that."