PHILADELPHIA — Last October, center fielder Johan Rojas started all 13 games of the postseason.
The Phillies loved his defense. They thought they could live with his offense.
Rojas batted .093 (4-for-43) with one walk and 15 strikeouts in that stretch, testing even the most defensive-minded baseball lifers. There were cries for manager Rob Thomson to try somebody else in center as the team blew a 2-0 lead to Arizona in the best-of-seven NL Championship Series. But Rojas stayed there, in part because the Phillies lacked options. They could’ve started Cristian Pache, but it felt like splitting hairs. Pache is a career .181 hitter, including the postseason, and not as defensively elite as Rojas. They could’ve moved Brandon Marsh from left to center and started Jake Cave in left, but that would’ve made sense maybe only against right-handed pitchers.
Rojas’ struggles didn’t cost the Phillies the NLCS, but they sure didn’t help as other hitters struggled.
This shouldn’t be as much of an issue this fall as the Phillies open the postseason with Game 1 of the NL Division Series on Saturday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia has a better bench now, and more options to take advantage of platoon splits in left and center field, and possibly even at second base, with Bryson Stott and Edmundo Sosa.
“We can go either way, right?” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said about the team’s outfield alignment. “If you play Rojas in center, you’re playing defense at that point. And even though Marsh is fine in center, Rojas is an elite center fielder. I would look at it more from an offensive and defensive perspective. We’ll make the decision on what’s best for us. I think that’s the good part of it. It’ll give you different alternatives.”
