Phillies: Three sleepers who could sneak onto the roster
By David Esser
Nick Williams
The Phillies current outfield makeup is actually quite crowded. Guys like Bryce Harper, Andrew McCutchen, Adam Haseley, and Jay Bruce are all locks for the main roster. Roman Quinn or Kyle Garlick are most likely favored to win that secondary outfield bench spot.
With that said, a guy in Nick Williams (who was once a starter for the Phillies in 2018) may have a shot to out-duel Quinn and Garlick for that coveted final outfield spot.
Williams has had his moments during his time in Philadelphia, there’s no denying that. He hit .288 as a 23 year old bench bat in 2017 and hit 17 homers as a starter in 2018. However, with the arrival of Harper, Williams was obviously phased out of right field.
Williams struggled to re-adapt to his new role as a sub in 2019, hitting just .151 before being sent back down to the minors.
However, Williams absolutely raked down in AAA during his stint there last season. He hit .316 while driving in 25 runs in just 48 games. With the addition of a new major league manager and hitting coach, it’s possible that they could harness some of that untapped potential.
Considering Quinn’s and Bruce’s injury history, it’s possible that Williams could find a way onto the roster given he has a monster spring training.
The Phillies really struggled to find a reliable option off the bench with Bruce and Quinn constantly unavailable, Williams could provide that much-needed consistency in the outfield for 2020.