What should the Phillies do with rookie sensation Nick Maton?

One of the (very) few bright spots on this year’s local baseball team, Nick Maton has had a near picture-perfect start to his Philadelphia Phillies career. Called up on short notice due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols, Maton has been an absolute joy to watch over the last couple of days.

Through his first 22 at-bats, the 24 year old infielder is batting .500 with a 1.178 OPS. His defense at both 2B and SS has been a pleasant change of pace compared to the Phillies usual defensive woes, and he’s stacked together a handful of multi-hit games. Maton looks poised and in control at the plate, and he’s done nothing but rake since making his surprise debut in the major leagues.

However, there’s a problem. As good as Maton has been playing over the last six games, there’s a silent fear that the Phillies might not be able to keep him in the lineup moving forward. He’s a natural middle infielder, and the Phillies are paying Jean Segura and Didi Gregorius a whole heck of a lot of money to man those positions through the 2021 season (and potentially 2022).

So, what should the Phils do?

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One common proposal that’s been thrown out there by fans and media pundits alike, is that Maton should learn to play center field. Maton is a very athletic player and the Phillies have the worst CF room in baseball at the moment – the avenue for him getting playing time out there is crystal clear.

The obvious issue, however, is that “learning to play center field” isn’t as easy as some make it out to be. Maton has logged 2,067 defensive innings in the minor leagues – none in the outfield. Forcing Maton to play a position he’s never played before could easily lead to disaster, putting a swift end to his recent rise.

We saw how such a change affected Scott Kingery and his development, a player who was much higher regarded than Maton coming up through the farm system

Additionally, even if Maton were serviceable out in CF, there’s a sense of lost opportunity moving him out of the infield. Maton has looked like an above average defender at 2B and SS during his limited MLB action, voiding that just to keep him in the batting order as an *average* CF shouldn’t necessarily be viewed as a good thing.

What should the Phillies do with breakout rookie infielder, Nick Maton?

If the Phillies really want to keep Maton in the majors, but don’t want him to convert to a position he’s never played before, platooning the infield would be the most logical option. Didi has looked shaky at SS defensively, Alec Bohm has looked lost at the plate this season, and Segura is a player who might be back on the trade block this winter. Personally speaking, I’d happily cut some of Jean/Didi/Bohm’s reps on a more frequent basis if that meant Maton seeing regular action.

Ultimately speaking, this feels like a scenario where the Phillies might opt towards sending Maton back down to Lehigh Valley for the majority of the 2021 season. As great as he’s looked the past few games, rushing his development would be a mistake. He’d benefit from continued everyday reps down in the minors, and switching positions to the outfield is a risk that is simply not worth taking.

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However, if the Phillies end up multiple games under .500 around the midway point, I wouldn’t be surprised if Maton was called back up in order to fully evaluate his ability heading into a Dave Dombrowski led offseason. There’s a very real chance that the Phillies could have themselves an everyday opening at 2B this time next year.

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