Phillies 2023 report cards: Grading the outfield
By Jake Huber
Cristian Pache
Cristian Pache was another surprising addition to the 2023 Phillies and what could be another Dave Dombrowski masterclass move, depending on the next few seasons.
Pache was sent from the Oakland Athletics to the Atlanta Braves in the Matt Olson trade in March last year. A year later, he was brought to Philly and gave the organization some sparks in the little time he was on the field in 2023.
Cristian Pache did not make the Oakland A's roster at the beginning of the season
— Phillies Muse (@Phillies_Muse) July 8, 2023
Since then, Pache has 1.1 bWAR through 47 Plate Appearances
This would rank as the 3rd most WAR of any player on the entire Oakland A's pic.twitter.com/Xc2QpFLhVo
Over the course of 95 plate appearances, the recently turned 25-year-old hit .238 with a .736 OPS, which would be over 300 points higher than any of his other seasons. Another big swing-and-miss guy, he tallied a 28 percent strikeout rate but backed that with a 10.5 percent walk rate. It would be interesting to see how those numbers would convert to a 100-plus game season.
His troubles for the Phillies were really just staying on the field. Pache had earned the last bench spot with his incredible outfield play (five defensive runs saved in only 220 innings) but kept the spot with his surprisingly good at-bats. His injuries allowed Johan Rojas to earn a call-up and eventually take over his spot.
Now with his third team in the MLB, Pache may have found a situation he feels comfortable in that will allow him to grow into the potential that the Braves originally saw in him when they signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2015. Pache's defensive wizardry, clutch at-bats, and overall energy in the clubhouse definitely added a boost to this year's squad.
Grade: C
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