The Philadelphia Phillies roaming BayCare Ballpark’s outfield grass at Phillies Spring Training should look familiar. The existing crew of Nick Castellanos (157 starts), Kyle Schwarber (5 starts), Brandon Marsh (115), Johan Rojas (103), Weston Wilson (15), and Kody Clemens (1) returns to the outfield grass in Clearwater, Florida. One new face has been added to the mix as Philly turns to Max Kepler, a 31-year-old free-agent addition from Minnesota, who spent a decade with the Twins organization. Last season, the Phillies were a top-10 outfield unit in the MLB on the way to their first N.L. East Division title since 2011.
Schwarber, Marsh, and Wilson split the left-field duties at Citizens Bank Park last season. With the addition of Kepler to the mix, Phillies manager Rob Thompson has more options to mix and match the position as needed entering this season.
Left Field Platoon
Despite his 1.000% fielding percentage in 41 outfield innings last year, Kyle Schwarber should focus on saving energy to demolish baseballs towards City Hall this summer. The 31-year-old slugger placed inside the top 10 in HR (38), RBIs (104), and runs scored (110). Schwarber’s 106 walks were the best in the National League, with Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani’s 81 free passes in second place.
Brandon Marsh, 27, played most of last season as part of a left-field platoon. He logged 684 innings over 97 games in this position and had a .978 fielding percentage. The five errors Marsh committed in the outfield last season were tied for second-worst in the MLB. It would not be shocking to see the Phillies’ addition of Kepler to the outfield, reducing Marsh’s role slightly. Marsh must rebound from a disastrous playoff appearance with one hit in 13 plate appearances for a .077 average in the 2024 postseason.
Max Kepler, 31, should see his playing time in left field, given Nick Castellanos’s stranglehold on the starting spot in right field. The MLB veteran should not be a liability risk in the outfield, bringing a .993% fielding percentage in over 1,000 MLB appearances in a decade-long career. The 6-foot-4 outfielder is a .237 career hitter with 161 HRs and 508 RBIs on 1,034 games with Minnesota. Last season, Kepler played 105 games for the Twins with a .253 batting average, 8 HRs, and 42 RBIs, featuring injury concerns down the stretch run.
Weston Wilson, 30, appeared at seven of the nine positions on the baseball diamond last season, including pitcher. Left field was the preferred starting destination last season, with Wilson logging 125 error-free innings in front of Harry The K’s outdoor bar. The Milwaukee Brewers draft pick from 2016 has a .288 batting average in 104 plate appearances in the MLB.
Centerfield Duo
Johan Rojas, 24, received the majority of action in centerfield for Rob Thompson last season. Over 903 innings, Rojas was excellent defensively, finishing with a 991% fielding percentage, the fifth-best among centerfielders in the National League. The 5-foot-11 speedster features a .261 batting average over two MLB seasons, proving reliable in generating sacrifice hits for the Phillies. Rojas finished third in the N.L. with eight sacrifice hits in 2024 and fourth in 2023 after six successful sacrifice attempts. The MLB postseason has been unkind to Rojas, who has a .104 batting average with 16 strikeouts over 51 plate appearances.
The combination of Marsh and Kepler will likely sub for Rojas when he needs a break. Marsh has 248 starts in center field in his MLB career, including 35 last season for Philly. Those 30+ games represent a substantial 20% of the MLB campaign. Kepler brings 127 games worth of centerfield experience to Rob Thompson’s lineup but has not had meaningful action in centerfield since 2021.
Right Field Ironman
Nick Castellanos, 32, led the National League with 157 starts in right field last season on his way to playing every game of the MLB season last year. Castellanos has earned his everyday status from Rob Thompson by not making mistakes in the field despite a grueling workload. The 2010 Detroit Tigers draft pick finished first in RF fielding percentage in the N.L. for the third season since joining Philadelphia in 2022.
In three seasons in Philadelphia, Castellanos has a .263 batting average, 65 HRs, and 254 RBIs. Castellanos has appeared in 319 of 324 games, or 98%, for the Phillies over the last two seasons, with only five absences from the lineup. He has also been one of the more reliable run producers in the Phillies lineup in the postseason, with 6 HRs and 17 RBIs during three playoff runs in Philly.
Phillies Bench Options
Marsh and Wilson should find opportunities to play but are expected to spend most afternoons watching from the Citizens Bank Park dugout. Kody Clemens, 28, could also find a small role as a replacement player in the Phillies outfield during the season. Primarily an infielder, Clemens started one game in left field last season and has 72 innings of experience over three MLB seasons between Detroit and Philadelphia. Schwarber is excluded from bench options as he will find his way into the starting designated hitter spot in Thompson’s lineup card, as he did more often than not last season.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
