Phillies Rule 5 Draft Possibilities

Blash has 109 homers in six seasons with Mariners org.

(Photo Credit: Richard Trask, Tacoma Rainiers for MiLB.com)

Jabari Blash, OF: This 26-year-old outfielder is a player that should raise some eyebrows in the Phillies organization purely from a numbers standpoint.

In 116 games between Double-A and Triple-A in the Seattle Mariners’ minor league organization in 2015, Blash posted a slash line of .271/.370/.576 to go along with 32 home runs and an OPS of 946.

The Mariners’ 8th round pick in the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft has power from the right side of the plate. Before the arrival of Maikel Franco, only Darin Ruf was supplying that commodity to the Phillies, and then only with success against lefties. With his 6’5”, 225-pound build, Blash could potentially remedy the Phillies’ need for a legitimate power-hitting corner outfielder.

One negative is that the outfield is somewhat of a crowded position for the Phillies. Herrera,  Aaron Altherr, Cody Asche, near-ready prospect Roman Quinn, and potentially Jeff Francoeur all could be fighting for playing time. Aside from Herrera and possibly Altherr, none are clear-cut everyday starters.

Another negative is the 50-game suspension that he received in June of 2014 for a failed drug test, his second for a drug of abuse in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

At the very least, the Phillies could take a chance on Blash to see if he can have a breakout 2016 season on the level of Herrera’s in 2015.

Next: Phillies 2015 Rule 5 Draft Option #2