The Phillies are hoping outfielder Roman Quinn can finally stay healthy in 2018 and contribute at the major-league level.
In terms of raw ability, Roman Quinn should be a major-leaguer at this point of his career. He was the Phillies‘ second-round pick in 2011 and ranked as high as No. 2 in the system per Baseball America. His 80-grade speed makes him one of the fastest in the game. Quinn hits plenty and has the arm and glove to be an everyday center fielder.
The one statistic Quinn struggles with is games played. In six minor-league seasons, he has played only about 67 games per year on average. He has run the gambit of injuries, from a torn Achilles to a strain in his non-throwing ulnar collateral ligament last year. Seemingly, every time Quinn has started to put the pieces together on the field, he gets hurt.
While Quinn was in Philadelphia in September of 2016, he received a full-body exam from an osteopathic doctor. That doctor recommended Quinn stay hydrated and get enough sleep to avoid any more muscular issues. He said he felt better playing the first two months of the season in Lehigh Valley before that UCL strain took him out.
Quinn came into spring training this year with a real chance to crack the major-league roster. The starters are set in place, but there is a bench role for the taking. Even in a reduced role, Quinn would be a dangerous pinch-runner late in games and a significant upgrade over Rhys Hoskins or Nick Williams as a defensive replacement.
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Hoskins, who was Quinn’s teammate in Double-A and Triple-A the last two years, got to see how of much an impact Quinn can make at any one time: [quote via Meghan Montemurro of the Athletic ($)]
"“The guy can impact the game like that,” Rhys Hoskins said with a snap of his fingers. “To have that on the team, not only is it fun to watch, but it can change the course of a game. What a weapon to have.“It’s just fun watching him play because he can do things on a baseball field that maybe one, two other guys in the whole game can do. We’re lucky to have him in the clubhouse.”"
Quinn would be Philadelphia’s first real base-stealing threat since Ben Revere. Quinn has 179 career stolen bases and a 76.8 percent success rate between the majors and minors. Even in a reserve role, Quinn could easily steal 30-40 bases.
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With a limited bench this year, the Phillies are looking for all of their reserve players to be able to play as many positions as possible. To that end, Quinn is not only getting time in the outfield this spring, but also at shortstop. He hasn’t played there since 2014, but manager Gabe Kapler said he could play there as well as second and third base.
This season, as with the last few, it is all about whether or not Quinn can stay healthy. All his speed will be useless if he can never play. Not playing as often as a reserve could help him remain off the disabled list.
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If Quinn does stay healthy, he will terrorize pitchers with his speed. On the other hand, if he gets hurt yet again, the club may run out of patience.