Philadelphia Phillies 2016 Grades: Outfielders

There is probably a wide swath of the larger Philadelphia sports fan base who were not paying much attention to the Phillies during the month of September.

Unless you are, like myself, one of the hard cores who follows closely year ’round no matter the circumstances, you missed something significant and exciting.

That exciting and significant development was the somewhat unexpected promotion and insertion into the regular lineup of outfield prospect Roman Quinn following the conclusion of the minor league playoffs.

The 23-year old speedster has worked his way towards the top of the Fightin’ Phils batting order, producing four stolen bases and eight runs scored over his first 65 plate appearances over 14 games, 13 of those as a starter.

Those may not sound overly impressive at first blush. But extrapolated out over a full season at the top of the order, and we are talking about a likely base line of 40 stolen bases and 80 runs scored for the switch-hitter.

I’ve been harping the talents of Quinn for the past couple of years, so the fact that I am a fanboy is no surprise to anyone who follows.

He is also weighed down by a .226 batting average that is sure to increase by at least 50 points as he adjusts to the big league level. His on-base percentage of .349 is already acceptable.

But I believe that anyone who has watched his speed on the bases and that same speed as well as his throwing arm in the outfield now is well aware that I haven’t been selling a bill of goods. Quinn is the real deal, and he is the Phillies future in center field.

Quinn is one of seven Phils outfielders for whom I am going to provide a grade for their 2016 performance.

Phillies Trade Chips: Peter Bourjos

When new Phillies GM Matt Klentak selected outfielder Peter Bourjos off waivers from the Saint Louis Cardinals back on December 2nd of this past off-season, the move caused some scratching of heads among the fan base.

The Phillies already had Odubel Herrera, Aaron Altherr, and Cody Asche on the roster and apparently needing regular playing time. 

In the minor leagues, top outfield prospect Nick Williams appeared to be just a few months away from being ready for his big league shot.

If the club needed an extra veteran outfielder to suck up innings and at-bats at the big league level while awaiting the arrival of Williams, then many fans would have been very happy to see the Phillies bring back popular right fielder Jeff Francoeur for one more go-around.

Also, the Phillies controlled the top pick in the Rule 5 Draft, which at the time of the Bourjos signing was just a week away. 

It was rumored that outfielder Tyler Goeddel would be that top pick, which would mean the club had to plan on him possibly being carried all year on the big league roster.

But Klentak saw something that he liked in the former Angels' 10th round 2005 draftee who had six years of big league experience. Remember, Klentak had been an exec with the Halos previously, and knew Bourjos from those days.

In 2011, Bourjos had hit .271 for the Angels with a dozen homers and 22 stolen bases

Looking Ahead to Phillies 2016 Outfield Mix

On April 6th, 2015 for Opening Day against the Boston Red Sox at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies starting outfield consisted of Ben Revere in left, Odubel Herrera in center, and Grady Sizemore in right field.

Six months later, on October 4th, the Phillies closed out the season hosting the Miami Marlins with a starting outfield of Darin Ruf in left, Aaron Altherr in center, and Jeff Francoeur in right field. During the game, Altherr slid over to left, and Herrera came on to play center field.

During the course of the 2015 season, Cody Asche started 61 games and played in 63 out in left field. 

With the trade of Revere to the Toronto Blue Jays at the July trade deadline, that made Asche, who began the year as the starting 3rd baseman, the player who had seen the most action at the left field position.

That 2015 outfield mix was a major change from the previous season. In 2014, the Phillies started Marlon Byrd in right field for 149 games, Revere in center for 141, and Domonic Brown in left field for 127 games.

Now as the club prepares to report for spring training in Clearwater in just three weeks, the outfield is again poised for significant changes. 

Gone are Byrd, Brown, Francoeur, Revere, and Sizemore. The outfield has been a disappointing mess for the Phillies at least since Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence were dealt away at the 2012 trade deadline. 

What Do the Phillies Have in Free Agent Peter Bourjos?

The Philadelphia Phillies have signed free agent outfielder Peter Bourjos.

Bourjos had been left unprotected by the Saint Louis Cardinals, and Phillies’ GM Matt Klentak had intimate knowledge of the players’ talents and personality from their days with the Los Angeles Angels, with whom Bourjos began his professional career.

As reported by Zach Links at MLBTradeRumors.com: 

“…I think very highly of Peter Bourjos the person and that is something that I’ve been talking about since I first started here six weeks ago, which is the importance of building an environment."

“I happen to have first-hand knowledge of knowing Peter, knowing what a great human being he is, and how he fits into a roster.”

Bourjos, who will turn 29 years of age at the end of spring training in 2016, was the 10th round selection of the Halos in the 2005 MLB Amateur Draft out of high school at Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale, Arizona.

A speedy baserunner and hustling outfielder, Bourjos stole 141 bases as he rose incrementally through the Angels’ minor league system from 2006-2010, becoming a Baseball America Top 100 Prospect prior to that 2010 season.

He finally made his big league debut at the beginning of August in 2010, taking over the Angels’ starting job in center field, a job he would continue to hold in a battle with Mike Trout in 2012. 

Over parts of four seasons in Los Angeles, Bourjos hit just .251 with a .306 on-base percentage that kept him from being able to fully utilize his speed on the base paths in Major League Baseball. He swiped just 41 total bags in that time with the Angels.