Phillies: Can Roman Quinn win the center field job?
Phillies fans thought the center field job was set, but Roman Quinn could shake things up
Going into spring training the Phillies made it clear that the center field job was 2017 first round pick Adam Haseley’s to lose.
Despite only playing a handful of games in Triple-A before getting a premature call up last year, Haseley held his own in center field and hit .266 with five home runs as a rookie. They’re strong numbers for a player learning on the fly and the organization wants to see a return on their investment with the eighth overall pick.
One person who doesn’t want to see Haseley walk away with the job is Roman Quinn, who’s career has been riddled by injuries. Whenever the speedy Quinn gets going on the field there’s a hamstring injury or oblique pull that forces him out of action, unfortunately making him unreliable.
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However, Haseley himself went down with a freak injury in spring training action when he dove for a ball and smacked his head on the grass. Right now it appears to be just a cut and some soreness for Haseley, although he did enter the concussion protocol immediately after coming out of the game.
With Haseley being sidelined, the time for Quinn to fight for the starting center field job is now. With Andrew McCutchen coming off an injury of his own, the Phillies could add Quinn’s speed to the top of the lineup where he can turn a walk into a double or go from first to third on a single.
Quinn’s speed is such an asset that the Phillies haven’t been able to capitalize on due to the injuries. When he’s on the field, everyone gushes over him. When he gets hurt, the same narrative of him being unreliable comes back. He’s never played more than 50 big league games in a season and he missed the entire 2017 big league season with injuries.
Is there a chance Quinn steals the job from Haseley? Yes, especially with the new coaching staff with fresh eyes watching from the bench. Right now it still feels like the front office wants to see Haseley every day.
Quinn can still be valuable off the bench or when McCutchen needs a day or two off during the week. Adding Quinn’s speed to the basepaths late in games changes things in an instant and it might be better to have that secret weapon saved and deployed at specific times when it best helps the club.