Phillies should play Adam Haseley until he gives a reason not to
The Phillies called up outfield prospect Adam Haseley to replace Andrew McCutchen. Haseley should play him over Jay Bruce as the trade deadline approaches.
With Andrew McCutchen going down for the year Monday night with a torn ACL, the Phillies have selected the contract of Adam Haseley from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Though the team acquired Jay Bruce from the Seattle Mariners over the weekend, he should not get priority in the lineup over Haseley.
Bruce, 32, has been impactful this season with his 17 home runs and .894 OPS. A high slugging percentage primarily drives his high OPS as a result of those dingers.
However, Bruce has struggled to get on base with a .297 OBP and just 24 singles and doubles (no triples). Further, per Fangraphs, Bruce’s soft-contact rate is at 20.0%, increasing four percent from 2018.
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Conversely, Haseley was successful in the minors this season with little drop-off in his six-game stint at Triple-A. Haseley had an .824 OPS in 47 minor-league games with seven home runs and 23 runs batted in. He also improved his walk-to-strikeout ratio from 0.48 to 0.59.
Haseley did not commit any fielding errors either, though how he grades out in advanced metrics like defensive runs saved remains to be seen.
If the team needs a replacement for McCutchen approaching the trade deadline, they should take a healthy look at Haseley before making more moves. They have at least a month to make that look starting now in early June. If they like what they see, then perhaps no more assets need be dealt for outfield help next month.
At 23, Adam Haseley may not be ready for the majors. But if he is, he could prove to be a productive player via harder contact, better ability to get on base, increased speed, and promising upside that will get more fans watching.
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In the meantime, Haseley and Bruce should play next to each other often with Scott Kingery taking more time at third base instead of center field. If Haseley proves he can handle himself in the majors, he and Bruce could be the team’s starting center and left fielders the rest of the season.
If Haseley needs to go back to Lehigh Valley before the trade deadline, perhaps the Phillies should take a look at a rental for the last two months of the season. Next year, the team could re-evaluate their outfield with McCutchen, Odubel Hererra (pending the results of MLB’s investigation), Bryce Harper, Bruce (contract expires at the end of 2020) and perhaps Haseley if one of the first four is unable to play or moved.
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Phillies fans will have their first opportunity to see Haseley at Citizens Bank Park this weekend in a series against the Cincinnati Reds.