
Pache will likely continue to see action over Marsh against some left-handers in the final weeks of the regular season. And while it is clear that he has made important strides at the plate in 2023, entrusting him with a major role based on a sample size of just 72 plate appearances could be dangerous. 439, considerably below replacement level. In his first three years as a major leaguer, Pache put up an OPS of just. However, just about all other measures of his major league offense to date suggest that he should be a defensive replacement against quality pitching. On the surface, he seems like a lock to be in the lineup against lefties come October. In his limited action, he has been all the Phillies could have asked for between his impressive defense and pleasantly-surprising offensive production. He is outstanding in the field, able to man any outfield position the Phillies ask him to and do so at an elite level. In a small sample, Pache has mashed lefty pitching this season, slashing. That’s not the description of a guy a team is thrilled about having in their postseason lineup.

While he hits the ball hard, plays a solid left field and can fill in at first base in a pinch, he is essentially a lefty platoon bat that is still unremarkable against righties.
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235/.283/.418, and according to FanGraphs’ weighted runs created plus metric (wRC+), he has been exactly a league-average hitter against right-handed pitching in his major league career - and well below that against lefties. Since being recalled from Triple-A in July, Cave has slashed. From the start of 2020 until present day, he has a. However, theoretical upside can only entice a team for so long. Which version of Aaron Nola will the Phillies get in the playoffs?.The Phillies need to keep the NL Wild Card race in focus.Former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel suffers stroke during medical procedure.In his finest moments, he looks the part: a lefty hitter who barrels the ball and plays good defense in the outfield. Cave has much more major league experience than the youngsters, including two seasons as an above average hitter. Jake CaveĬave - the team’s Opening Day starter in left field - crushed Triple-A pitching to the tune of a 1.113 OPS over the summer after his dominant Spring Training was followed up by a disappointing first month of the regular season. The last several weeks and the next few are serving as times for Cave, Pache and Rojas to audition for postseason plate appearances. Meanwhile, Marsh - whose offensive improvement has been one of the most impressive developments of the season for the Phillies - still struggles mightily against left-handers, with an OPS nearly 200 points lower against lefties than against righties.

But between the three players, an obvious frontrunner has not emerged in the race to join Nick Castellanos and Brandon Marsh in the outfield against right-handed pitching.

“We can win with this group.”Ī few players served as potential internal fixes: Jake Cave, Johan Rojas and Cristian Pache. “We really decided that we really were going to have to be enamored with a name that was out there,” Dombrowski said on The Athletic’s Starkville podcast.

The team’s only offensive addition being Castro, a utility infielder whose primary skill is hitting left-handed pitching, signaled a belief that a solution to the outfield problem could come from within. Despite having considerably more blue-chip talent than many of their competitors, the Phillies had yet to separate themselves from the pack.Īs Bryce Harper became acclimated with playing first base and Kyle Schwarber’s primary position going from left field to designated hitter, adding an outfielder seemed like the obvious move to bolster Manager Rob Thomson’s lineup.ĭombrowski, often recognized for his aggressiveness in the trade market, took a patient, measured approach to the deadline.Īfter weeks of projections that the team would add an everyday position player, the team only added one hitter, infielder Rodolfo Castro, sending Triple-A starting pitcher Bailey Falter to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski’s team entered last August’s trade deadline with a 57-49 record, good for second place in the packed National League Wild Card standings.
