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Phillies outfield plans: How they look heading into 2018

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ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 06: Odubel Herrera #37, Howie Kendrick #47 and Aaron Altherr #23 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate their 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park on June 6, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 06: Odubel Herrera #37, Howie Kendrick #47 and Aaron Altherr #23 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate their 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park on June 6, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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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.

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