The Philadelphia Phillies' 2025 season is around the corner, set to open on Thursday against the Washington Nationals. The Phillies' outfield might be one of the bigger question marks on the team coming into the season, with Nick Castellanos back for another season, Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas expected to split time again, and Max Kepler, the newest offseason addition, coming in as the favorite for the season.
The outfield is arguably the most important group to this team heading into the season. First, the infield is the same as a season ago. While hope for better years from some of the infielders fans know what to make of the group. It's the same with the starting rotation bringing back four of the same five.
Phillies outfield power rankings ahead of the 2025 season
No. 4: Johan Rojas, CF
Johan Rojas enters the season looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2024 season. He had high expectations after making the Opening Day roster a year ago but followed it with a season hitting .243 with an OBP of .279.
Rojas is hopefully ready to put that season behind him after a great offseason earning Dominican Winter League Rookie of the Year and winning the Gold Glove Award for center field. While not playing as much in the field this spring due to an injury, he has been able to hit in spring training with a .292 average, two home runs, and nine RBI in just 48 at-bats. His range in the outfield is another huge plus — when his offense is struggling, he provides strong defense.
The young Phillies outfielder battled for an Opening Day roster spot and earned the job as the No. 4 outfielder to start the season. Hoping to put last year behind him, he has changed his number heading into the new season and will be rocking no. 23 this year. While Marsh is the better outfielder, just ahead of Rojas heading into the season, the potential and ceiling for Rojas are higher.
No. 3: Brandon Marsh, CF
Since being acquired by the Phillies, fan-favorite Brandon Marsh has hit .266 with 93 extra-base hits, stolen 31 bases and driven in 135 runs. Marsh split time last season with Rojas and is expected to see more playing time against lefties but still see some outfield platooning with Rojas.
Marsh's biggest issue has been hitting left-handed pitching. He hit .262 against right-handers last season while hitting just .192 against left-handers. Marsh has shown a lot of promise since coming over to the Phillies. His numbers have improved since his time with the Los Angeles Angels, and that was what hitting coach Kevin Long and the Phillies thought could help with his swing.
The biggest improvement for Marsh, if he continues to earn spots in the everyday lineup, will be his ability to hit lefties. If he can get his fielding back to where it used to be after a down year last season, he will at least provide the defense as the nine-hitter in the lineup. Perhaps constantly changing from left to center field last season messed with his rhythm. With Kepler expected to be in left field this year we could see Marsh stay in center field, which might help his overall confidence in his game.
No. 2: Max Kepler, LF
Max Kepler is the biggest question mark for the organization. He's coming off a down season in 2024. The Phillies signed him to a one-year, $10 million deal. He's expected to be the everyday left fielder for the first time in his career. Kepler has had success in the field over in right, but this will be his first time playing left.
Kevin Long worked with Kepler on his swing this offseason to try and get him back to his 2019 season, where he hit 36 home runs while driving in 90 runs. His projection on Baseball Reference is a .246 batting average with 35 extra-base hits, 14 home runs and 51 RBI.
That one's not coming back. pic.twitter.com/Qzry0IyeZ3
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 13, 2025
Kepler comes in for a "prove it" type season with contract-year motivation. The Phillies hope a new swing will help him get back to a productive level. He will most likely be hitting in the bottom third of the order, with less pressure on him than he had with the Minnesota Twins.
No. 1: Nick Castellanos, RF
The Phillies' everyday right fielder comes in for his fourth season with the Phillies, making one All-Star game in the 2023 season. Nick Castellanos, since coming to the city, has hit .263 with a total of 65 home runs and 254 RBI in his three years in Philadelphia. After a slow start in 2024, he picked up his season. He produced strong playoff numbers in the NLDS against the New York Mets and finished hitting .412 with a home run and three RBI.
NICK CASTELLANOS WINS IT FOR THE @PHILLIES!!! #NLDS pic.twitter.com/vM14etkamy
— MLB (@MLB) October 6, 2024
The one thing Castellanos has proven throughout his career but especially in Philadelphia the last two seasons, is his durability to stay healthy. He went from playing 157 games in 2023 to playing a full 162-game season last year.
His projections for the season, according to Baseball Reference, show similar numbers to a year ago for his age-33 season. The projections have him finishing with a .257 average with 21 home runs and a 79 RBI year with an OBP of .308 with a total of 51 extra-base hits.
The Phillies outfield as a positional group will have a lot to prove this season and will be the difference in this offense stepping into another gear with the questions heading into the season.
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