Philadelphia Phillies murky CF competition hasn’t yielded a frontrunner yet

Heading into this year’s Spring Training, one of the main storylines that was worth following when it came to the Philadelphia Phillies was that of the open competition they were holding for the everyday center field job. The team didn’t have a starter locked into the Opening Day roster when it came to CF, while also possessing five players on the roster who wanted said job.

Adam Haseley, Scott Kingery, Roman Quinn, Odubel Herrera, and even former #1 overall pick Mickey Moniak all were expected to compete for the gig, with the general theory being that so much competition would bring out the best in everyone involved.

Unfortunately for Joe Girardi, that hasn’t really happened quite yet.

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Haseley suffered a groin injury that is set to sideline him for the rest of Spring Training, Herrera really fell off after his lightning hot start, Quinn and Kingery have struggled all camp long, and Moniak – despite his .417 batting average this spring – appears to be an afterthought when it comes to actually cracking the main roster.

While the Haseley injury is simply a case of bad luck and poor timing, the lackluster performances that have been churned out from both Kingery and Quinn have to be frustrating for Girardi. He has no clear frontrunner at center field through the first two weeks of Spring Training, and he’s quickly running out of time to find one.

Odubel looked like he was going to overcome his off-the-field issues for a brief moment there, but now his batting average has slipped all the way down to .235 this spring. He was a long shot to make the roster as the Opening Day center fielder to begin with, it’s even less likely now that he’s struggling to hit the ball.

The Phillies could easily cross their fingers and hope that Haseley returns from his groin injury ready to go for the start of the season, but that’s a risky game in itself. Haseley hasn’t been the healthiest of players since debuting back in 2019, and it’s not like he’s a sure product either. Haseley is better than Kingery, Quinn, and Herrera, but he’s still someone who needs to take major steps forward this season to be viewed as a starting-caliber center fielder.

Philadelphia Phillies still waiting for a starting CF to emerge.

If the Phillies were basing their decision off Spring Training at-bats, then Moniak is the clear answer in CF. However, like previously stated, it doesn’t seem like Girardi is giving the young outfielder an honest look at the position. Moniak hasn’t gotten any run with the starters quite yet, and it feels like another year down in the minor leagues is what’s in his future.

I personally disagree with this assessment, especially when you take into account how good Moniak has looked and how bad everyone else has looked, but Joe Girardi must have his reasons.

Ultimately speaking, the Philadelphia Phillies still have over two weeks to find themselves a starting center fielder. The competition remains wide open at the moment, meaning that all three of Quinn, Kingery, and Herrera should be doing whatever they can to win the job. Hopefully someone is able to impress over the next couple of Spring Training games, for their sake and for the Phillies’ sake.