Philadelphia Phillies News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What Is the Phillies’ Ideal Outfield for October?

Originally posted on Just Baseball | By Leo Morgenstern | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 3:43 PM ET

After years of stopgaps and half-solutions, it feels like the Philadelphia Phillies finally have a real center fielder. Harrison Bader has earned the bulk of the playing time in center since the trade deadline, and he’s been everything his new team could have hoped for and more.

In 27 games, Bader has hit .310 with a 137 wRC+. He was already enjoying the best offensive season of his career with the Twins, and his numbers have only gotten better.

Perhaps he’s grateful to be playing center field again on a regular basis. The Gold Glove winner was forced to play a corner for much of his time in Minnesota. Unsurprisingly, he was excellent in left field, despite his lack of prior experience at the position. Still, he’s surely glad to be back in the spot he feels most comfortable, and he’s already produced 3 DRS and 2 OAA in 200 innings of work for the Phils.

When Bader first arrived in Philadelphia, there were questions about what exactly his role would be. Even Bader himself wasn’t sure. When reporters asked him how he would fit into manager Rob Thomson’s plans, he could only joke that he was “probably going to play some outfield.”

Yet, it has quickly become clear that Bader needs to be starting in center field almost every day. Perhaps Brandon Marsh can take an occasional turn against a tough right-handed pitcher, but then again, the righty-batting Bader has reverse platoon splits this season. What’s more, his glove is such an asset that he would deserve an everyday role even if his stats against righties began to regress toward his career averages.

Now that they have an answer in center field, however, the Phillies must turn their attention to another pressing question: What are they going to do with the outfield corners?

Aside from Bader, the Phillies have four primary outfielders on their active roster: Marsh, Nick Castellanos, Max Kepler, and Weston Wilson.

Castellanos remains the primary right fielder, despite his consistently terrible defensive metrics and below-average offense. I don’t think I see that changing.

I hope I’m wrong. Rob Thomson has shown a bit more willingness to sit him or take him out for a late-inning defensive replacement lately, but the fact of the matter is that the Phillies have stuck by Castellanos for the past four years. His shortcomings right now are no different than his shortcomings in the past. Moreover, the team clearly values his leadership in the clubhouse and close relationship with the fanbase.

I’m tired of beating the drum that Castellanos should have less playing time. It’s just not worth it. And yet…

Over the past three years, the Phillies have learned the hard way that anything can happen in a short postseason series. That doesn’t mean the playoffs are a crapshoot. It means that if they want to win a World Series title, they need to give themselves every possible advantage, no matter how small.

That means less Castellanos.

With a right-handed starting pitcher on the mound, this team’s best outfield comprises Bader in center field, Marsh in left, and Kepler in right.

I’ve already made the case for Bader. As for Marsh, he’s an All-Star caliber player when he has the platoon advantage. He owns a 122 wRC+ against righties in 2025 and a 126 wRC+ against righties in his Phillies career. Combine that with plus speed and solid defense, and you have an excellent corner outfielder.

Finally, Kepler needs to be playing more than Castellanos. Their overall numbers against right-handed pitching are quite similar, both this year and throughout their careers. However, Kepler is the better baserunner and a far superior defender.

Player	wRC+ vs. RHP	Outfield DRS / OAA	FanGraphs Baserunning
Kepler in 2025	90	-1 / -2	+0.5
Castellanos in 2025	91	-12 / -12	-2.0
Kepler since 2015	108	+49 / +66	+2.3
Castellanos since 2015	104	-87 / -78	-19.4

The case for Castellanos over Kepler has to start and end with his bat. Castellanos needs to hit well enough to outweigh the clear advantage Kepler offers in the field and on the bases. He hasn’t done that, nor has he offered any reason to think he will going forward. His .320 xwOBA against right-handed pitching ranks last on the team (min. 200 PA).

The good news for Castellanos is that neither Marsh nor Kepler is a viable option against same-handed pitching. The two have combined for a .537 OPS and 49 wRC+ against southpaws in 2025.

Castellanos hasn’t been any better against lefties than righties this season, but his .702 OPS and 92 wRC+ make him look like a superstar compared to Marsh and Kepler. Even better, he owns an .801 OPS and 118 wRC+ against southpaws in his Phillies tenure.

So, Castellanos might not deserve the everyday role he’s played to this point, but the Phillies still need him. They need him to start in right field against left-handed starters, and they need him ready to pinch hit against southpaw relievers.

Joining him in this role should be fellow righty batter Weston Wilson. Wilson owns an .844 OPS and 133 wRC+ against lefties in his brief big league career. No one expects him to keep putting numbers like that, but all he needs to do is hold his own, and he’ll be a better option than Marsh or Kepler.

There’s no doubt the Phillies’ outfield defense would be worse with Castellanos and Wilson starting over Marsh and Kepler, but Bader’s phenomenal range in center should mitigate that problem. What’s more, Marsh and Kepler would be able to enter as late-game defensive replacements, should the Phillies take enough of a lead that they’re no longer worried about maximizing their offensive potential.

So, allow me to summarize my ideal vision for the Phillies outfield:

Harrison Bader is the everyday center fielder.
Brandon Marsh (LF) and Max Kepler (RF) start against right-handed starting pitchers. Castellanos and Wilson pinch-hit as needed.
Nick Castellanos (RF) and Weston Wilson (LF) start against left-handed starting pitchers. Marsh and Kepler enter as late-inning defensive replacements as needed.

There are exceptions to every rule, and I’m open to the possibility that sometimes the best course of action would deviate from this particular plan. I certainly hope the Phillies look into more than just platoon splits when they research upcoming matchups.

By and large, however, this is the outfield alignment that would maximize Philadelphia’s chances of winning down the stretch and into October.

With that said, I’m not confident it’s the outfield alignment that the Phillies will actually use. Like I mentioned earlier, I don’t think Castellanos will ever be fully relegated to a short-side platoon role. And if Castellanos keeps getting starts against righties, Kepler is superfluous.

To say Kepler has disappointed this season would be an understatement. Both at the plate and in the field, he’s produced some of the worst numbers of his career. He’s still a better choice than Castellanos against right-handed pitching, but unless Thomson is willing to bite the bullet and bench Castellanos more often than not, I don’t see a reason for the Phillies to carry Kepler on their postseason roster.

Instead, I’d rather they call up Johan Rojas from Triple-A. Rojas was optioned after the trade deadline, and for good reason. He simply couldn’t hit big league pitching.

Still, his elite sprint speed and center field defense could make him a weapon off the bench in a postseason series. Rojas isn’t a guy you ever want to see at the plate in a high-leverage (or even medium-leverage) spot, but he would be an extraordinary pinch-runner and defensive replacement.

Picture this: It’s a tie game in the top of the ninth. Castellanos hits a leadoff single, and Thomson subs him out for Rojas. Rojas quickly steals second base. A groundout gets him to third. A sac fly brings him home. The Phillies take the lead. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, the Phillies have an outfield of Rojas, Bader, and Marsh. Each makes a terrific catch, and the ballgame is over. The Phillies win the game and the series. The champagne starts flowing…

Okay, I’ll stop. I need to stop, because I’m starting to convince myself I want Rojas back on the team. Yet, secret-weapon Rojas is only a consolation prize for the outfield I really want to see.

Give me Bader in center field and two genuine platoons in the corners. Give me that, and I don’t see any reason why the Phillies can’t win it all.

This article first appeared on Just Baseball and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: