Phillies outfield plans: How they look heading into 2018


Dylan Cozens
This is where the outfield situation gets murky as the prospects start to come into play. The biggest outfield prospect in Triple-A right now is the power-hitting right fielder Dylan Cozens.
Cozens is one year removed from hitting 40 home runs in Double-A Reading – which is an achievement regardless of the friendly confines – and has 23 more home runs this year. Thanks to those home runs, Cozens’ OPS stands at a respectable .756 with a 108 wRC+.
It’s safe to say Cozens has the biggest power of any internal outfield option by far, but the other areas of his game are lacking. He has a .225 batting average and .305 on-base percentage this season, thanks in part to his astronomical 34.5 percent strikeout rate, the highest mark of his career by far. If Triple-A pitchers can do this to Cozens, major-leaguers will absolutely embarrass him.
Cozens doesn’t seem ready for the major-leagues, but neither did Williams last year. This time next season, Cozens could force his way into the outfield situation the same way Williams did this year.