How Adam Haseley injury affects Phillies CF plans

One of the biggest question marks for the Philadelphia Phillies heading into the 2021 season was centerfield. With Adam Haseley out for four weeks, the competition has immediately gotten tighter and no less complex than before.

24-year-old Adam Haseley was expected to compete for the starting centerfield position with Scott Kingery, Odubel Herrera, and Roman Quinn. That competition and Haseley’s fate took an unexpected turn when manager Joe Girardi revealed Haseley suffered a quad injury which will keep him out for at least four weeks.

Philadelphia Phillies center field battle loses competitor with Adam Haseley injury

Given opportunities to anchor down centerfield the last two seasons, the former first-round pick has been unable to do so. In his age 23 season, Haseley hit a respectable .266/.324/.720 in 242 plate appearances. A shortened COVID season saw a slight decline in power from Haseley at the plate despite a smaller sample size with him slashing .278/.348/.690 in 92 plate appearances.

On his coattails and moving to the front of the competition is Scott Kingery and Odubel Herrera. Kingery is coming off a season in which he suffered long-term effects from COVID. It has been widely reported how these effects translated in a negative way to Kingery’s on-field performance. Kingery’s ability to man centerfield on a full-time basis may not affect Joe Girardi’s decision to keep him on the 25-man roster.

Kingery, unlike others competing for centerfield, has extraordinary versatility. It is fathomable Kingery is kept as a super-utility player while one of the others starts in center for the Philadelphia Phillies. The hope is Kingery will return to his 2019 form instead of his 2018 or 2020 form. In 2019, his second full season in the major leagues Kingery showed enormous improvement from his debut season. In his rookie year, Kingery only hit 8 home runs compared to 15 in 2019. Although his strikeout percentage increased, he improved his on-base abilities increasing his OBP to .315 from .267 in 2018. The continued improvement, as well as commitment the organization has shown him (6 years, $24 million deal), makes Kingery an intriguing pick to start in centerfield.

Additionally, Odubel Herrera is coming off a suspension for a domestic violence incident as well as playing last year in the minors. Herrera has a rightful, uphill battle he is fighting both on and off the field. After being named an All-Star in 2016 and having another solid season in 2017, Herrera signed a 5-year extension with the Phillies. After signing the extension, Herrera’s production dropped and he was subsequently suspended for domestic violence during the 2019 season. Herrera has not played in a major league game since 2019. So far this spring, Herrera has done what he has needed to do and has three hits in six plate appearances. It is too early to say what Herrera’s future holds within the Phillies organization.

On the outside looking in is speedster Roman Quinn. Quinn, like the others, has been unable to make the most of his opportunities in centerfield. Quinn, entering his fifth major league season, has never been consistent at the plate. Quinn has been unable to crack .300 OBP the last two seasons. While Quinn’s greatest trait is arguably his speed, the Phillies cannot utilize it unless Quinn can find a way to consistently get on base. At some point, the Phillies will need to decide that the ceiling for Quinn is what it is. He may be relegated to a defensive substitute and pinch-runner extraordinaire role unless he takes a major leap at the plate this spring.

With Haseley out of the picture, it is a race between Kingery and Herrera. The Phillies must decide a few things; can they afford to lose Kingery’s versatility by placing him in centerfield full time? Are they comfortable with giving Herrera a starting spot despite his domestic violence incident?

Based on current conditions, the expectation is Kingery starting in center field on opening day with Odubel Herrera occupying a backup outfielder spot on the major league roster.