Both the Phillies and Roman Quinn believe he can be an everyday major-leaguer, but Carlos Santana put that future on hold.
When the Phillies signed Carlos Santana during the offseason, it caused some head-scratching. They were not considered a major suitor for him as the offseason began. The $20 million average annual value of his three-year contract was well above what was predicted for him.
The move was even more confusing when you factored in the personnel already on the team. After starting off his career in left field, Rhys Hoskins had taken over at first base from Tommy Joseph. Hoskins’s rookie debut was historic and he had seemingly cemented himself as the first baseman of the future.
Signing Santana meant Hoskins was heading back to left field. That wouldn’t have been a big deal except for the fact that Nick Williams, Aaron Altherr, and Odubel Herrera all established themselves as everyday players last year as well. Putting Hoskins back in left would cut significantly into all their playing time.
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This also had an effect down the ladder. With four outfielders jockeying for position, this left little room for anyone to come up from the minor-leagues as fill in on a bench role. Perhaps the player affected most by this was Roman Quinn.
Quinn has been so frustrating to follow during his professional career. His 80-grade speed has led to 173 stolen bases in 224 opportunities to go along with a .352 career on-base percentage in the minors.
The problem is the fact that injuries have led to him playing just 68 games per year on average during his career. He has dealt with numerous issues, including a torn Achilles tendon and a sprained ulnar collateral ligament.
Quinn’s injuries have been so frustrating because he can be an everyday player in the major leagues. He believes he can, and so too can team director of player development Joe Jordan: [quote via Bob Brookover of Philly.com]
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"“I think Roman Quinn has the ability to be an everyday player,” Jordan said. “I still feel that way. Again, the fact that he can play all three outfield spots is a huge plus. We’ll see if playing on the dirt and playing shortstop is part of the gig in the future, but I think he’s an everyday player just waiting on the opportunity.”"
Quinn would have had a strong chance to make an everyday impact had Santana been signed. If that were the case, he could easily slide in as the fourth outfielder and be the first one up if someone gets hurt.
Instead, Santana’s signing forced Quinn to compete for a fifth outfielder job. With an extra reliever in the bullpen, that left one less spot for a bench player.
With Scott Kingery unexpectedly making the team, that left Quinn on the outside looking in, even though the team believes he can be a major-leaguer.
It should be noted that signing Santana was not a mistake. He is not off to a flying start this season, but he has a long enough track record to show that he can turn things around. It stinks for Quinn that he couldn’t find a way onto the major-league roster, but the odds were high that he couldn’t stay healthy all season. It’s unreasonable to expect the Phillies to not sign Santana just so Quinn can have a roster spot.
Next: Carlos Santana experiencing early struggles
The best thing Quinn can do for now is produce in Triple-A and stay healthy. If he can do that, he will get a chance at some point this season.