At first glance, the Phillies’ trade for outfielder Austin Hays from the Baltimore Orioles is not all that exciting. Despite making the All-Star team last year, the right-handed hitting outfielder is not a superstar or at least a burgeoning one, like the White Sox’s Luis Robert Jr. His game does not explode off the screen–in more limited action this year than in year’s past, Hays is hitting .248 with just three home runs in 165 plate appearances. So no, Austin Hays as a player is not inherently exciting–but what he could mean for the team in 2024 is.
Hays was brought in to fill a gaping hole in the Phillies battered and weary lineup: a righty hitting outfielder. His services cost the team Cristian Pache and Seranthony Dominguez, opening another hole in the bullpen and starting a conversation around playing time. How will Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas be used now that Hays is on the roster?
The initial assumption was that Hays, who positively crushes left-handed pitching–he’s batting .328 with a .894 OPS in 72 at-bats this year–would platoon in left field with Marsh, who hasn’t hit left-handed pitching whatsoever this year. Instead, manager Rob Thomson has expressed that Hays would get the chance to start every day. And why not? Hays does have the pedigree: from 2021 to 2023, he hit .261 cumulatively, with home run totals of 22, 16 and 16 respectively. He can play all three outfield positions and he’s under team control via salary arbitration next year.
There is a simple truth to the Hay’s acquisition: the Phillies are not comfortable, especially in the postseason, in Marsh and Rojas’ ability to start in the outfield every day. Marsh, for all of his lovability and defense versatility, cannot hit lefties to save his life. Rojas, who was sent down to AAA earlier this year, cannot hit any pitcher regardless of which hand throws the ball. In October, the Phillies will invariably face a gauntlet of left-handed pitching. Whether Hays is starting every day or rotating in a platoon with Marsh, the Phillies are primed to be better prepared against lefties.
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