Dave Dombrowski, the president of baseball operations for the Philadelphia Phillies, caused a stir after the 2023 season concluded when he stated that Johan Rojas would have to earn his spot in center field the next season.
Their outfield was transformed by the rookie, who brought exceptional defense to a team that was among the worst in baseball before to his arrival in the summer.
It appeared as though the Phillies had their center fielder of the future despite his offensive difficulties in the postseason.
Prior to Dombrowski saying those things.
Some fascinating ideas about how their outfield could appear surfaced when they considered that Rojas would begin the season at Triple-A.
At this age, Kyle Schwarber would never be moved back to left field, right? Would Jake Cave or Cristian Pache actually be starting and playing on a full-time basis?
If Rojas was in the minors, then all of that would seem to be on the table.
Dombrowski acknowledged that the young outfielder would need to prove himself, but he also stated that they didn’t want to “obstruct his path to the big leagues.”
MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki provided an update on what this unit would look like in 2024.
“Dombrowski reaffirmed that way of thinking this week. The lineup that performed well toward the end of the 2023 regular season included Nick Castellanos in right field, Brandon Marsh in left, and Rojas in center, according to the study.
Manager Rob Thomson is hoping that this particular situation comes to pass.
He is aware of how important Rojas is to their defense and wants that to continue starting in 2024.
The only thing that would stop this from occurring is if the 23-year-old performs poorly with the bat during Spring Training.
Given that one former MLB executive has connected them to a three-time All-Star, Dombrowski may decide to search for another outfield player on the market in response to that.