Phillies could give bench spot to Roman Quinn this year
By John Town
The Phillies bench situation is up in the air this season, which leaves the chance for Roman Quinn to make the major-league team as a fifth outfielder.
Matt Breen of Philly.com dropped an interesting tidbit about the Phillies Wednesday: he wrote that injury-plagued outfield prospect Roman Quinn has a “real chance” to make the major-league team this season.
Seeing this surpsied me because I didn’t expect the team to roll with a fifth outfielder. When I projected the team’s roster for this season, I expected them to go with a backup catcher, two backup infielders, and a fourth outfielder. I figured that Pedro Florimon could be the fifth outfielder in a pinch, and Carlos Santana could also move to a corner need be.
Instead, Breen writes that Quinn could be on the Opening Day roster as a fifth outfielder, leaving the club with one backup infielder. Manager Gabe Kapler told Breen that Quinn could play a role the team doesn’t really have:
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"“All of the positive attributes that he brings to the table — the speed. the athleticism, and the explosiveness — fits a profile that we don’t really have…“There’s no question that he’s a very athletic individual that, if he’s healthy, can be a strong contributor.”"
Breen wrote that the team is desperate need of some speed.
Their 59 stolen bases were fifth-worst in the league and they had a 69% success rate stealing bases. Odubel Herrera, Cesar Hernandez, and Freddy Galvis were the top base stealers the last two yeas with 33, 32, and 31 stolen bases, respectively. After that, the number of stolen bases drops considerably.
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Quinn would certainly add some base-stealing ability to the team. Since he was drafted, Quinn has been praised for his 80-grade speed, easily the best in the system and among the best in the pros. In 401 minor-league games, he has gone 169-for-219 in stolen base attempts. During his major-league debut at the end of the 2016 season, Quinn went five-for-six in stolen bases.
If Quinn is on the bench, he could be a dangerous late-game option when the Phillies need a run to take the lead or tie the game up. The Reds used Billy Hamilton in this role when his career first started, and he was successful in it.
However, as Kapler and Breen noted, Quinn just can’t stay on the field. He hasn’t played more than 88 games in any one minor-league season, and that was four years ago. He played just 45 games last year after straining his non-throwing elbow sliding into third base headfirst. A bench role may be what Quinn needs to stay healthy long-term.
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While a bench role isn’t what you hope for from a former first-round pick, considering what Quinn has been through, him finding a way to be a major-league contributor certainly can’t hurt the team.