Oct 12, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Johan Rojas (18) celebrates with left fielder Brandon Marsh (16) after catching the fly ball of Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna (20) to end the top of the seventh inning during game four of the NLDS for the 2023 MLB playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The Phillies are all but assured to carry 14 hitters and 12 pitchers on their postseason roster for the NLDS.
The reason being is they know they need a little more flexibility than usual to cover two positions in the outfield, so having an extra bat on the bench will help them with late game management.
Need some offense? Then you can bring in a pinch hitter. Need to protect a lead? Then you can sub in your best available defender.
Sounds simple enough.
What's not simple is trying to figure out who starts.
We know Brandon Marsh hits righties well and Austin Hays hits lefties well. Ditto bench bats Kody Clemens and Weston Wilson respectfully. And Johan Rojas doesn't hit anybody well, although he showed some marginal improvement later in the season.
But the Phillies still view Hays as an everyday outfielder.
"I think he can play every day," Manager Rob Thomson said following the Phillies intrasquad scrimmage in which Hays had two hits. "To tell you the truth his bat speed is back, his strength is back. He said he felt really good running today and that's the first time in a few days that he's felt that.
"If he's swinging the bat the way we know he can, and I think his at bats against right-handed pitching the last couple of times he's had them have been better, then he's the guy."
Austin Hays singles up the middle (against a RHP) in his first at bat as a Phillie.#Birdland will miss this guy. pic.twitter.com/XmQPpv3MY3
That solves left field, at least for starters. But what about centerfield.?
Marsh makes the most sense against righties. If the Phillies are winning a game late, then they can move Marsh to left and plug Rojas in center and take out Hays.
Against lefties though, you might see Rojas. Or, maybe Marsh is given a chance against lefties, knowing you can always pinch hit with Wilson in a crucial spot and then sub in Rojas defensively.
But might there be a time when you should eschew offense and go with the better defensive centerfielder in Rojas to start a game?
Maybe. And that decision it might be dictated more by who is pitching for the Phillies as opposed to who is pitching for their opponent.
"I don't know what the formula is, but that's something we look at," Thomson said, "If we've got a fly ball pitcher on the mound ... is he going to make up for whatever offense we lose on the defensive side, and if that outweighs the offensive side, then he's going to play. That absolutely factors into it."
It was definitely a factor a year ago both good and bad. Rojas made an incredible catch in centerfield to help the Phillies defeat the Braves in the NLDS:
Johan Rojas makes the catch and the Braves strand the bases loaded 👀pic.twitter.com/34rQopv02h
But he was also lost at the plate in the postseason, going just 4-for-43 (.093) with 15 strikeouts. Although he did have this moment:
Johan Rojas: 1st 3B by a Phillies player in the playoffs in 12 years since Chase Utley
The Phillies starter who gives up the most fly balls is Aaron Nola, so it's possible that in whichever game Nola starts - which is looking more and more like it's going to be Game 3 in the NLDS - Rojas could get the nod in centerfield, and then depending on the opposing pitcher, either Marsh or Hays would start in left.
pic.twitter.com/GFOFSTaLgf
It's an interesting wrinkle in the Phillies strategy as they await either the Mets or the Brewers and one that could lead to a lot of second guessing no matter what he combination if it doesn't work out.
