Philadelphia Phillies: 3 players who need 2021 breakout year

2. Roman Quinn

For the first time in his career, Roman Quinn took the field for more than half of the MLB season in 2020 — appearing in 41 games for the Phillies. Quinn joined Bryce Harper, Andrew McCutchen, and Adam Haseley as the team’s primary outfielders — starting 28 of his 37 games at center and making two starts at right.

Offensively, his numbers have resembled that of a backup player — eight home runs, 36 RBI, and a .235/.306/.364 slash in 150 games, dating back to his September 2016 big-league debut.

However, looking at his minor league career, there’s reason to believe he can contribute more on offense and compete for the primary starting role at center field. Between 2016 and 2019, Quinn hit 11 home runs, 53 RBI, and posted a .299 batting average in 162 minor-league games. That’s still not a huge amount of home runs and RBI, but his batting averages have been consistently high through various levels — including .273 in high-A, .293 in Double-A, and .285 in Triple-A.

If Quinn can hit more consistently at the MLB level, he can be used near the top of the lineup — where his focus can be on just reaching base ahead of the heavy hitters. Another benefit for the Phillies to find more playing time for Quinn is that he’s a switch hitter, which can challenge the analytics-driven decisions of opposing managers when heading to their bullpen.

A breakout season for Quinn would not only help his career — providing more major league opportunities — but it could also strategically help the Phillies on a roster that lacks depth.