That Balls Outta Here
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Ranking the Phillies’ biggest trade needs this season

By Seth Humeniuk

BOSTON, MA - JUNE 10: Mike Minor #23 of the Texas Rangers pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the third inning of a Major League Baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on June 10, 2019. (Staff Photo By Christopher Evans/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JUNE 10: Mike Minor #23 of the Texas Rangers pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the third inning of a Major League Baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on June 10, 2019. (Staff Photo By Christopher Evans/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images) /
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – June 08: Kevin Pillar #1 of the San Francisco Giants runs out of the dugout onto the field for the start of a Major League Baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park on June 8, 2019, in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Center Fielder

Center field has been a cursed position for the Phils this year. As is customary, Roman Quinn went down early in the season with a groin injury, Odubel Herrera was then arrested for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend in May, and when Andrew McCutchen slid over to center to replace Herrera, he tore his ACL. Adam Haseley was then promoted from Lehigh Valley, but he too went down with an injury after less than a week with the team.

Luckily for the Phillies, they acquired Jay Bruce shortly before McCutchen got hurt, and he’s done a fantastic job taking over in left. Imagine how bad the outfield would look with him!

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Scott Kingery has been getting most of the starts in center, and he’s done an admirable job, but he’s an infielder by trade. Quinn should be activated again shortly, and he can play good defense in center, but he struggles at the plate and has an injury history longer than the Mississippi River.

Nick Williams is the only other outfielder the Phillies have available, but he struggles to defend a corner outfield spot and hasn’t been productive offensively this year.

The market for center fielders isn’t great this year. Kevin Pillar is a defensive wizard playing for a bad Giants team, but his batting average matches area code for Citizen’s Bank Park; it’s the same story for most of the available center fielders.

The Phillies are going to have a hard time finding a center fielder with any offensive upside. They may have to settle for just getting a warm body with some defensive ability.

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