Phillies CF situation still uncertain midway through spring – That Balls Outta Here

The Philadelphia Phillies have a dilemma regarding who will be their starting center fielder at the start of their very important 2021 season. With just 14 spring training games to go, no player has yet to take the bull by the horns and claim the position.

Scott Kingery or Adam Haseley with Roman Quinn coming in as a platoon option for left-handed pitching seemed to be the most feasible center field scenario entering spring training. Well, Kingery has looked as lost at the plate, as he was last year. And while both Haseley and Quinn have looked like plausible options, unexpected production from other names in camp are beginning to gain traction as playing time competition.

A former No. 1 overall pick out of high school, Mickey Moniak was touted highly by scouts as a five-tool outfielder who would eventually be a perennial 20-25 homer guy with all the speed and hitting ability to become a star. Well, it hasnt happened yet, and fans that follow the minor league system are well aware of Moniaks struggles at the plate, specifically the piling of strikeouts and weak contact. That being said, he still fared okay as one of the youngest players at each stage of his career.

This spring, weve seen a filled-out version of Moniak that is putting the club on notice, launching a pair of homers early, and going 6-for-14 in spring training. He looks comfortable, confident, and powerful early on and all the other tools are still there. I love that the guy is reminding everyone of the player he can be, and all signs point to future success. Id put him ahead of a few of the other options the Phillies have, based on pedigree and ability to make adjustments.

Odubel Herrera is another surprise. He continues to flash All-Star abilities he showed during a rebuilding era of Phillies baseball. There have been talks about simply allowing Herrera to play his way on the team, or into a trade, but its hard to cut a guy when hes showing this kind of promise. Launching balls into the stratosphere and playing a solid center field usually gets a guy a job, but Herrera has more to prove than his ballplaying ability to stick around.

Herrera might be better suited to getting a fresh start somewhere else, but at the very least, El Torito is putting pressure on others to outperform him. Among those include Kingery, who haswork to do to justify even having a spot on the 26-man roster. Going 3-for-22 with 10 strikeouts is not a good way to be in the front offices good graces. Whats more, the Phillies have a significant investment in a guy like Moniak, so they may be willing to give him a go at some point during the season if not to open it.

Its just nice to see some serious competition at a position thats been missing a legitimate star in center field since the Shane Victorino days.

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Phillies CF situation still uncertain midway through spring - That Balls Outta Here