Phillies: 3 details about recently called up center fielder, Travis Jankowski

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CLEARWATER, FLORIDA – MARCH 25: Travis Jankowski #9 of the Philadelphia Phillies looks on from center field during the seventh inning of a spring training game against the New York Yankees on March 25, 2021 at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

He should be able to help the team out defensively.

According to Joe Girardi, the Phillies main reason behind calling up Jankowski over someone like Mickey Moniak for example was due to his defense. Jankowski has a plethora of MLB experience playing out in CF, something that the Phillies desperately need behind Odubel at the moment:

Joe Girardi was asked about the decision to go with Jankowski over Moniak. He cited Jankowski’s ability to play center field and how he’s swinging the bat. Moniak is 3-for-25 in Triple-A this season.

“We envision Mickey more as a corner outfielder than a center fielder.”
— Destiny Lugardo (@destiny_lugardo) May 30, 2021

Jankowski has logged 2,055.2 innings playing in an MLB outfield, with 1,174.1 of them coming in center field. He also has a career defensive WAR of 1.4, which is already better than some of the Phillies current players.

In a perfect world Jankowski won’t end up being used in the starting lineup on a regular basis, but he offers Joe Girardi a defensive substitution to use towards the end of close ballgames. Roman Quinn was someone who operated in that role in the past due to his elite speed, but his defense wasn’t always the cleanest if we’re being completely honest.

Jankowski by no means has the speed to compare to someone like Quinn, but his range is going to be far better than the likes of McCutchen, Joyce, or Brad Miller. Whether it’s subbing in at center and moving Odubel over to left, or Jankowski himself coming in to play left field, he does give Girardi some sense of defensive flexibility moving forward.

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