The Philadelphia Phillies outfield is currently lacking offensive production from the left field and center field spots. Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh are off to slow starts to the season. Both being left-handed hitters who struggle against left-handed pitchers has also impacted the lineup. While the Phillies intended for Marsh to be in center field regularly, that has not gone to plan so far. Phillies left fielders have a .704 OPS and a 104 wRC+ this season. Meanwhile, Phillies center fielders have a .559 OPS and a 66 wRC+. The left field numbers are average, but the center field numbers are not good and need to be improved. The outfield has been a problem for the Phillies for a few years now.
Phillies Outfield Has an Offensive Production Problem
Kepler has a .212/.350/.364 line with one home run and one RBI in 10 games, along with a 102 wRC+. He also has a 17.5% strikeout rate, a 17.5% walk rate, a .318 wOBA, and a .240 BABIP. Meanwhile, Marsh has a .143/.273/.250 line with one home run and four RBI in 10 games. He has a 58 wRC+ this season, to go with a 30.3% strikeout rate, a 15.2% walk rate, a .250 wOBA, and a .176 BABIP. Kepler and Marsh are both pulling the ball more than last year, which could help explain these numbers. For Kepler, his pull rate has gone from 42.6% in 2024 to 61.5% in 2025. Marsh had a 38.9% pull rate last year compared to a 44.4% pull rate this year.
A Way To Improve
Edmundo Sosa made his first major league start in the outfield against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, getting the nod in left field. After a hot start to the season, Sosa has earned more playing time. So far this year, he has a .478/.500/.652 line with no home runs and six RBI in seven games, along with a 224 wRC+. Sosa has a 29.2% strikeout rate and a 4.2% walk rate to start 2025. In his career, he has a .770 OPS and a 110 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers. Sosa should get more opportunities in the outfield against left-handed starting pitchers, as he did against Chris Sale, who started for the Braves on Tuesday. Johan Rojas getting more playing time is another option. Rojas has extensive center field experience, which is helpful.
The Phillies are at their best when Edmundo Sosa is providing a spark. pic.twitter.com/UcCVpsNyeu
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) March 31, 2025
Additional Measure Not Needed At This Time
Justin Crawford is not ready for the majors yet. Crawford could see time in the majors later this season. Crawford has played in 10 Triple-A games this season, where he has a .295/.326/.386 line with no home runs, six RBI, and a 98 wRC+. He also has a 10.9% strikeout rate, a 4.3% walk rate, a .330 wOBA, and a .333 BABIP. Crawford has put up respectable numbers in his first stint in Triple-A. However, it is not time to call him up yet. While some want to see Crawford in a Phillies uniform as soon as possible, it is better for him to get as many at-bats as possible in Triple-A right now. Promoting him too early would be a mistake. At this point, the Phillies should look to the options already on the big league roster to get more offensive production from the outfield.
Photo Credit: © Brett Davis-Imagn Images
