Phillies are making strides on defense, and that could make a difference

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Johan Rojas broke two bats Thursday, one in batting practice, the other on the game’s first pitch. He nearly beat out a tapper in front of the plate, struck out with runners on the corners, then legged out a hard-hit double up the middle.

His manager’s assessment: “He got that fourth at-bat and hit the ball hard, finally,” Rob Thomson said after the Phillies lost, for the record, 3-2, to the Rays. “He’s still working through his mechanics. We’re doing a lot of bunt work. Defense, can’t question the defense.”

Stop right there.

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It always comes back to the defense with Rojas, and well, anyone who has seen him roam center field understands why. He’s elite. Even in a lazy spring-training game at Charlotte Sports Park, he turned heads in the fifth inning by tracking Ronny Simon’s drive to the left-center field wall and snatching the ball out of an unforgiving sun.

And for an organization that has played atrocious defense for much of the last decade, Rojas is a central figure, one whose staying power in the lineup last season was aided by Bryce Harper’s move to first base, which also slid Brandon Marsh to left field and Kyle Schwarber to his rightful place as the designated hitter.

“Now,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said, “all of a sudden, you’re talking about Rojas in center, Marsh in left, Harper at first, [Bryson] Stott at second, [J.T.] Realmuto behind the plate, and you have five potential Gold Glove winners.”

And wouldn’t that be something for the Phillies, who ranked 26th, 25th, 30th, and 28th in defensive runs saved and 23rd, 25th, 18th, and 28th in defensive wins above replacement over the last four seasons?

It also could be the difference-maker for a team that is seeking marginal improvements in various areas (chasing pitches out of the strike zone, for instance) to graduate from close-but-no-cigar postseason runs to going all the way.

The defensive renaissance took hold last July. As soon as the Phillies saw that Harper could play first base at game speed — approximately three innings into his debut at his adopted position, when he tumbled over a railing in Cleveland to catch a foul pop — they considered adding a righty-hitting outfielder before the trade deadline.

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But with Harper at first base and Schwarber moving into the DH role, a spot opened for Rojas to play more regularly. It became apparent that the Phillies were saving more runs than before, an improvement that they believed outweighed the production they could get from, say, Adam Duvall, Randal Grichuk, Teoscar Hernandez, and other available outfielders.

“The defense has definitely come a long way,” said Aaron Nola, a pitching beneficiary. “I know a lot of people knock ‘em, but those guys worked their butts off. It’s been pretty awesome. I love our infield, I love our outfield. And they’re obviously just going to get better, right?”

It still isn’t perfect. Trea Turner is coming off his worst defensive season at shortstop. Alec Bohm is improving, but still a work in progress at third base. Nick Castellanos probably won’t win any defensive awards in right field.

But Harper is getting more comfortable at first base with a full spring training to continue learning from infield coach Bobby Dickerson. It’s the little things. He’s learning when to go for a ball in the hole and when to leave it for Stott, and he probably has more range than former first baseman Rhys Hoskins.

“I think Rhys knew his limits and what a first baseman should and shouldn’t go after,” Stott said. “If Bryce sees it, he wants to go catch it. So, we’re able to maybe not shift as much or something like that with how he plays first. He’s getting really good with balls in the dirt and things like that. He’ll be good.”

“And he strengthened up our infield,” Nola added. “Some of the plays he was making right off the bat, it was like, dang, that’s a really good play, like he’s been there the whole time.”

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If Harper is a defensive upgrade over Hoskins, Marsh is surely a better left fielder than Schwarber, who graded as the worst defender at any position last season according to defensive runs saved.

And Rojas is a better center fielder than Marsh and, well, just about everyone in baseball.

It’s the biggest reason why he likely will make the opening-day roster, as long as he does just enough to contribute at the plate. The alternative, Cristian Pache, likely profiles more as a fourth outfielder but is also a “premier defender,” as Stott says.

“We’d almost have the best center fielder and the best left fielder defensively in the game, so it’s got to help [if Rojas makes the team],” Dombrowski said. “How much? I can’t really put it down. But there’s no question it would help us from a defensive perspective. We’re really a much, much improved defensive club.”

Right-hander Taijuan Walker (sore right knee) will throw from a bullpen mound Friday, according to Thomson, before progressing to live batting practice or a game Monday. ... Marsh (knee surgery) was scheduled to get at-bats in a minor-league intrasquad game in Clearwater. He’s expected to get more at-bats Saturday, Thomson said. ... Ranger Suárez will make his second Grapefruit League start Friday in Clearwater against the Astros.