Phillies 2024 Opening Day roster projection 2.0: Outfield remains a mystery

Philadelphia, we are in the last sprint to Opening Day! In nearly one week, the Bank will be full, the peanuts will be flowing, and the long race to October will commence.

The Phillies are in a great position to start the 2024 season. The team is coming back with a vengeance, with new weapons, and with a hunger to win. We can start the season with confidence after the way the organization handled the offseason and how the players are performing in spring training.

This offseason, the Phillies solidified their belief in their starting pitchers, spending $298 million to resign Aaron Nola to a seven-year, $172 million contract and extend Zack Wheeler for three years, $126 million. For depth, the Phillies also signed former Braves first-rounder and young left-hander Kolby Allard.

To address the outfield questions, the Phillies brought in utilityman Whit Merrifield as a backup outfielder who can also compete for a starting spot. Their most recent addition is outfielder Jordan Luplow, who the Phillies signed to a minor league deal. Luplow adds depth and could make an appearance in the majors as a backup outfielder.

We put out our first Opening Day roster projections at the beginning of spring training. Now that we are much closer to Opening Day let's see who makes the cut in our roster projection 2.0.

Phillies 2024 Opening Day roster projection 2.0: Outfield remains a mystery

Phillies Starting Rotation

• Zack Wheeler
• Aaron Nola
• Ranger Suárez
• Taijuan Walker
• Cristopher Sánchez

The starting rotation will be as we thought, with Zack Wheeler getting the nod as the Opening Day starter over Aaron Nola this year. Wheeler and Nola are a one-two punch, but with Wheeler's dominant performances in the playoffs and a new pitch to add to his repertoire, he takes the title as the Phillies' No. 1 starting pitcher.

Ranger Suárez is solidifying himself as a true No. 3 with his impressive spring training outings. If Suárez can stay healthy, he projects to be just as, if not more, valuable to the team this year as last year, in the regular and postseason — especially if he keeps utilizing his curveball, which has been his best strikeout pitch.

After missing out on a few free-agent pitchers, the Phillies are holding their trust with Taijuan Walker and Cristopher Sánchez as the anchors of the rotation. Walker had a decent year last year but wasn't trusted to see the mound in the playoffs. However, he has experience and can at least help get the team to the postseason. Sánchez, on the other hand, is young and inexperienced, but he had a breakout year last year and a good spring. Things could look different at the Trade Deadline, but for now, we believe in Walker and Sánchez.

Phillies Bullpen

• José Alvarado
• Jeff Hoffman
• Gregory Soto
• Seranthony Domínguez
• Matt Strahm
• Yunior Marte
• Spencer Turnbull
• Connor Brogdon

Alvarado, Hoffman, Soto, Domínguez, Stahm, and Kerkering have their bullpen spots locked in. The last two spots are in limbo, but now a third spot is up for grabs. Unfortunately, Orion Kerkering fell ill during spring training, which has delayed his preparation for the start of the season. The Phillies do not expect him to be ready for Opening Day.

Who will replace Kerkering? It's a tough decision, as the Phillies have a lot of options. Yunior Marte made the Opening Day roster last year, and it's plausible that he will again. He has had a good spring, with six strikeouts and only two hits in six innings.

As for the seventh bullpen spot, Dylan Covey was a favorite to make it, but a shoulder injury will force him to start the season on the IL. It's a good thing the Phillies picked up free agent Spencer Turnbull with a one-year deal. Turnbull has over five years of MLB experience, and in his first spring game with the Phils, he showed off with four strikeouts and two perfect innings. He has continued to pitch well, and we expect him to have a comeback year as an important part of Philadelphia's bullpen.

We project Connor Brogdon to land the last remaining bullpen spot due to the club's familiarity with him and his success with the Phillies in past years, especially in the 2022 postseason. Brogdon has had a rocky spring, walking more batters than he's struck out. However, he's been improving and according to NBC Sports Philadelphia's Corey Seidman, knows the pressure is on. Experience, improvements, and the right mentality might just land Brogdon the final bullpen spot.

Phillies Infield

• Bryce Harper (1B)
• Bryson Stott (2B)
• Trea Turner (SS)
• Alec Bohm (3B)
• J.T. Realmuto (C)

The easiest lineup ever predicted. There are no questions or wiggle room in the Phillies' infield. Arguably the best infield in the MLB. With Bryce Harper's permanent position switch to first base, it fills the hole left by Rhys Hoskins and allows Alec Bohm to focus solely on third base. We have strong fielders at every position, with leadership, youth, and raw talent spread across the diamond.

Phillies Outfield

• Nick Castellanos (RF)
• Brandon Marsh (LF)
• Johan Rojas (CF)

The Phillies' outfield has been the hot topic all spring. Brandon Marsh and Nick Castellanos are locked in as starters in the corners, but will Rojas' improvements at the plate be enough to land him the starting centerfield position?

Rojas worked hard this offseason to improve, but so far this spring, his bat is still struggling. He has seven hits, one walk, and eight strikeouts in 41 at-bats. His offseason work is not over, however. The Phillies' hitting coaches are working on a new swing with Rojas, as reported by MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, to reduce his long stride and sporadic movements. The coaches are seeing improvements, but it will take more time for Rojas to fully adjust.

Of course, if Rojas is in the lineup, he needs to hit. But Rojas' strength lies in the outfield, and Phillies legend Larry Bowa says he is the best centerfielder he has seen in a long time. That is big coming from Bowa, who believes the center fielder's talent alone should win him a starting spot in the lineup. The Phillies haven't always been the best team defensively, so having young outfield talent like Rojas is important to the Phils' success. However, Whit Merrifield could easily steal the job from Rojas depending on how things go, but for Opening Day, the Phillies will give it to Rojas.

Phillies Bench

• Garrett Stubbs (C)
• Whit Merrifield (OF/INF)
• Edmundo Sosa (INF)
• Jake Cave (OF)

With the addition of MLB veteran utilityman Whit Merrifield, he becomes the Phillies' No. 1 backup. Merrifield has played everywhere, but he will be used primarily at second base and left field. His outfield experience will come in handy if Rojas can't make it work, as Merrifield has been having a great spring so far and is competing hard for as much playing time as he can get.

Merrifield will have to replace Cristian Pache on the bench, mainly because of how well Jake Cave has been performing this spring, plus the fact that Cave is a lefty. Jake Cave has nine hits, six strikeouts, one walk, and one stolen base in 27 plate appearances so far this spring.

The biggest thing with Cave is that he is a left-handed batter. That is important because out of all the bench players, Stubbs is the only other lefty. So if Pache were to get the job over Cave, there would only be one lefty to come off the bench, and teams try to avoid pinch-hitting their backup catcher. Cave's bat will be necessary for the Phillies' pinch-hitting options. 

As for Pache, it seems as though it's Pache vs. Rojas for the starting center field position and not Pache vs. Cave for the last bench spot. So, if Rojas gets the job like we think he will, the Phillies will potentially lose Pache since he is out of options.