Phillies: 3 players who have impressed, 2 who have not

Phillies No. 4 starting pitcher Matt Moore has not impressed.

After spending the 2020 season pitching in Japan, the Phillies hoped that former top prospect Matt Moore could come into the back of the rotation and give the club some quality innings. That still might happen, but so far the results have been less than stellar.

For the first couple of innings in his Phillies debut, Moore looked great. He fanned four of his first six batters and retired the side in order twice, before struggling with the bottom of the New York Mets lineup and losing his command. Moore ended up barely making it into the fourth inning (3 1/3 innings pitched) before Phillies skipper Joe Girardi pulled him after 74 pitches and giving up as many walks (four) as hits and strikeouts.

His second start wasn’t a heck of a lot better. He went five innings deep but surrendered nine hits and five earned runs, including two home runs. There is still plenty of time for Moore to get it together and continue to take steps in the right direction. However, with the team’s top pitching prospect Spencer Howard waiting in the wings, it isn’t as if the Phillies are lacking some elite arm talent to take Moore’s spot in the rotation if these struggles continue long term.

Literally anyone playing center field for the Phillies right now

Is using a position group instead of an individual player here cheating? Maybe. But hey I am writing the list so I get to make the rules, and the point still stands. Philadelphia’s center field situation has been a train wreck so far. Roman Quinn and Adam Haseley have split duties at the position to open the season for the Phillies and the results have pretty much been the worst-case scenario.

Quinn is hitting a whopping .063 and Haseley is barely above the Mendoza line at .211. Together they are a combined 5-35 (.143) with a total of zero walks and 12 strikeouts. Their combined OPS is 160 points below the major league average for a center fielder. To top it off it isn’t like either of them are winning a Gold Glove anytime soon with their work in the field either.

The Phillies knew heading into the season that their thinnest position was going to be center field. That doesn’t make any of this any better though. Quinn offers speed on the basepaths and not much else, while Haseley is a former top 10 draft pick who has struggled to live up to expectations.

If the Phillies are still in the thick of things by mid-July, then center field could be a position that Dave Dombrowski and the front office look to upgrade at via a trade. Otherwise, they do have some in-house options as former number one overall pick Mickey Moniak is on the 40-man roster after a terrific spring in Phillies camp.

If things don’t change quickly, it likely won’t be long before the calls for Moniak or literally anyone else become louder and louder. However, the Phillies brass seeks to improve it, the play out in center field has to be better because it can’t get much worse.