Phillies: Roman Quinn hopeful, preparing for 2020 season
By Matt Rappa
Phillies outfielder Roman Quinn is preparing for a 2020 season in his hometown.
While Major League Baseball players await a potential 2020 season amid ongoing negotiations with the league, one Philadelphia Phillies outfielder, in particular, is optimistic for a return and is already preparing on the baseball diamond — Roman Quinn.
Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2011 draft out of Port St. Joe High School in Florida, Quinn has returned to his alma mater to better his game.
“I was telling my wife, I don’t know the last we’ve been home around this time, in summertime, period,” Quinn, a father of two, recently told WMBB. “It’s weird and different, but I’m having fun. It’s good to be here where you played at and be able to give back to the community as much as possible.”
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The three-year veteran said he is using the extra time to work on weaknesses — both at the plate, as well as his health issues: “I’m also trying to stay healthy, I’m trying to play 162 games.”
When on the field, Quinn has provided some much-needed speed that the team has not seen since the days of Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino atop the lineup. However, his career has recently been filled with bad injury luck.
While at Triple-A in 2018, he missed two months with a torn ligament in his right finger, and, when called up, he played with a broken toe. In 2019, Quinn dealt with a lingering groin injury that limited him to 44 games.
Quinn seemed to have overcome his injuries entering spring training in March, collecting a pair of doubles and home runs with four RBI and three stolen bases across 10 games and 28 plate appearances. He was competing against Adam Haseley for the starting center field job.
The now-27-year-old believes he will get to prove he is healthy this year by playing in a 2020 season. He told WMBB: “I think they will come up with some type of proposal where we all can agree on. MLB and the player’s union are going back and forth with negotiations and they are trying their best to get the players back on the field.”
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Quinn says he misses his teammates, but, right now, they just have to be patient: “The guys, man, those guys I go out and compete with every day and I miss them. They are my brothers. Those guys definitely have my back and I have theirs. So I definitely, definitely miss them and look forward to getting back to them.”
Through three seasons and 109 games since his 2016 debut, Quinn has slashed .243/.321/.382 with 13 doubles, five triples, six home runs, 29 RBI, 23 stolen bases, 30 walks, and 88 strikeouts.