Johan Rojas’ debut in the outfield with the Philadelphia Phillies showed plenty of promise. But, just a year later, he may be in “prove it” mode.
MLB.com recently wrote a piece about the players that have the most to prove in spring training. For the Phillies, the site selected Rojas, who is about to start his second season in the Majors.
Rojas showed plenty of promise after the Phillies called him up at midseason after injuries to Cristian Pache and Brandon Marsh thinned out the ranks.
Rojas did not seem fazed by the Majors batting .302 in 149 at-bats. He also provided the Phillies quality defense. He only drew five walks and struck out nearly 25 percent of the time. He also doesn’t bring much pop — he hit just two home runs. But those are things that can be improved.
What happened in the postseason was another story. Rojas had an epically bad postseason. He batted .093 in 43 at-bats. That was a concerning lack of production for a player who played in every game.
The Phillies have made several moves in the outfield, but none really threaten to take a spot away from Rojas. The Phillies have moved Bryce Harper from the outfield to first base full-time this season. Plus, there is an expectation that Kyle Schwarber will start most games at designated hitter.
The Phillies return Nick Castellanos, Jake Cave, Marsh and Pache. With Marsh out for most of spring training after arthroscopic surgery, the Phillies signed Whit Merrifield to a one-year deal and brought in David Dahl on a minor-league deal.
So what does Rojas have to prove? Consistency at the plate, that he can add some pop and continue to provide the elite defense that impressive the Phillies last season.
Do that and Rojas should have no problem making the Opening Day roster and being an everyday contributor for the Phillies.
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