Phillies top outfield prospect Johan Rojas wants to steal 50 bases in 2022
When Major League Baseball finally lifts the lockout, the Philadelphia Phillies will have a lot of work to do.
In particular, the outfield, which currently consists of Bryce Harper and Matt Vierling. That’s their entire outfield depth chart.
But in the minor leagues, they have some promising talent, namely, Johan Rojas. At minor-league minicamp this week, he told The Athletic (subscription required) about the personal goals he’s setting for himself in 2022:
"“I have a personal goal of stealing 50 bases this year. Hopefully, I can accomplish that.”"
If 50 swiped bags sounds like a lot, it’s because it is in today’s game. Put that goal in the context of the Phillies’ 2021 stolen-base leaders, Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto, who stole 13 apiece.
Phillies baserunners of yore would scoff at these numbers. In franchise history, the most stolen bases in a single season were Billy Hamilton’s 111 in 1891. Over his 14 year career from 1888-1901, he averaged 93 swipes per 162 games, stole 100+ bases in four different seasons, and led MLB in the metric five times.
How times have changed. 50+ stolen-base seasons have only happened 14 times in Phillies history, and never in the current millennium, though Ben Revere did swipe 49 bags in 2014. In 2021, Starling Marte and Whit Merrifield were the only MLB players with 40+ stolen bags.
Rojas, meanwhile, stole 34 bases last year. 21 of those bases were stolen over the last 31 games of the 2021 minor league season.
However, Rojas’ goal, while great for his stat line, is about the bigger picture:
"I want to do everything I can for my team. I’m not a quiet guy in the dugout. I like to be around the guys. I want to do everything I can to win. I don’t like to lose.”"
He sounds just like another Phillies outfielder; when Harper won the NL MVP in 2021, he said he was “hungry” for more.
Their sixth-best prospect and top outfielder in the system, Rojas isn’t estimated to debut until 2023. However, if he continues to thrive in Spring Training and the beginning of the MiLB season, he might be swiping bags at Citizens Bank Park this year.