Enhancing Outfield Play Critical for Philadelphia Phillies' Title Aspirations

If the Philadelphia Phillies want to win a World Series, they must improve their outfield

Sep 20, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander (25) runs to the dugout after the top of the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have entered the offseason looking to improve after a highly disappointing end to the 2024 campaign. 

With free agency and the offseason underway, the Phillies are trying to make some improvements to a team that has been very good over the past three seasons. While Philadelphia has had a lot of success during that span, they have yet to win a title with this current core of players. 

After reaching the World Series in 2022, the Phillies made the National League Championship Series in 2023, and then were eliminated in the National League Division Series in 2024. 

In the recent series loss to the New York Mets, there were a couple of glaring issues for Philadelphia that came back to hurt them. One of those issues was the lack of production from the outfield. 

Besides Nick Castellanos, the outfield basically gave them no production on offense in the NLDS, which really made their lineup look short. Recently, Brian Murphy of MLB.com spoke about the need for the Phillies to add a bat in the outfield. 

“They have been knocking on the door for a few years, only to be left empty-handed in October. Yet there is a more obvious need in the outfield, where general manager Dave Dombrowski has suggested that Nick Castellanos and Brandon Marsh are locked into starting roles. The Phils were offensively anemic in center field this season (.353 slugging percentage, 80 wRC+), although they could choose to put Marsh back in center for the majority of the time and take a shot on a corner-outfield slugger such as switch-hitter Anthony Santander.”

With center field being the real issue, Philadelphia will have to get a tad creative if they are going to improve their outfield barring a trade. Even though Marsh didn’t hit the ball well in the postseason, he could slide back into center field, which would allow them to pursue a corner outfielder to improve the offense. 

While this type of move could impact the defense a tad, the need for offense from the outfielder should be a priority over that if it’s the right player. A player like Santander who Murphy mentions would certainly provide them with a power bat in the middle of the order, but he could be a bit of a defensive liability. 

However the Phillies look to accomplish improving the outfielder, whether it be via trade or free agency, it is a clear need for the franchise. While this is a talented team, it is going to take a lot to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League, and Philadelphia can't get zero production for players in their lineup.