The Philadelphia Phillies are next on our Players Likely to Debut series. In case you missed it, here’s a look at all the teams that we have covered so far.
AL East: Red Sox — Yankees — Orioles — Blue Jays — Rays
Below, you will find a list of three prospects from the respective organization. Each prospect will have a number score next to their name — this number will represent the estimated amount of time we anticipate that player seeing at the big-league level. Players that have already made their big-league debut will not be included on this list.
BREAKDOWN OF TIME ON ROSTER SCORES:
1 — September call-ups / guys that are likely to see less than 20-25 games on the roster
2 — 1/4 of the season (roughly 40 games on roster)
3 — 1/2 of the season (roughly 80 games on roster)
4 — 3/4 of the season (roughly 120 games on roster)
5 — Full season on the MLB roster
Philadelphia Phillies
Position — Name (Time on Roster Score)
SS/2B — CJ Chatham (4)
This one is a no-brainer. Had he not been acquired from the Red Sox on January 18, Chatham would have found himself on the Red Sox list of players likely to debut. In Philadelphia, he’s likely to accrue a lot of service time in 2021.
From 2018 to 2019, Phillies fans were likely pleased with the improvements made by Scott Kingery. Unfortunately, that excitement came to a screeching halt after an awful 2020 campaign. Plus, if you look at the StatCast data, the numbers from 2019 don’t paint an attractive picture. With 30-year-old veteran Jean Segura listed as the only other shortstop on the expected Opening Day roster, it would not surprise me to see Chatham with the big-league club for the entirety of the 2021 season.
Having said all that, don’t expect much in the way of production. At 26 years old, he could see lots of time in Philadelphia but most of that time will be spent as a backup and/or substitute. If he struggles, Ronald Torreyes — who recently signed a minor-league deal — could force Chatham into the dreaded AAAA-role. For all you old-school fans, you’ll like what he brings to the game in terms of his approach and the way he plays.
LHP — Kyle Dohy (2)
Had it not been for the shortened season, there’s a chance that Dohy would have made his debut last season. Now 24 years old, there’s a great chance that you see the left-hander pitching on a big-league mound in 2021. It’s no secret that the Phillies had one of, if not, the worst bullpens (7.11 collective ERA) in the history of baseball. In fact, the 1930 Phillies were the only team (8.01 ERA) to post a worse mark.
There’s reason to like what Dohy brings to the bullpen. With three pitches (Fastball, Slider, Changeup) that could be seen as above-average, there will always be reason to believe that there is potential for success as a reliever. It’s his control (7.8 BB/9 and 8.6 BB/9 after being promoted to Triple-A) that will ultimately determine how much of an impact he has, and if he can remain in Philadelphia.
OF — Jhailyn Ortiz (1)
With a profile fit for a right fielder, the combination of double-plus power and a plus-arm are exciting to many. His strikeout numbers have been over the 30% mark in each of the last two seasons (2018 and 2019), so there are some that will question if he can be anything more than a low-average, low-OBP, high-slug type. Personally, I might be higher than most because I think his profile is perfect for a corner outfield spot.
The Phillies have several other young options, such as Mikey Moniak and Adam Haseley, that are capable of patrolling the outfield grass. Plus, former first-round pick Cornelius Randolph could play his way up into consideration as well. For those reasons, coupled with the fact that he’s yet to play above High-A, you shouldn’t expect to see a lot from Ortiz in 2021. Now, and hopefully this doesn’t happen, an injury to Bryce Harper would create an intriguing dilemma since the Dominican-born slugger is exactly what you want to see in a right fielder.
Notable
Mentioned above, Randolph is not going to live up to the billing of a No. 10 overall selection, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t get some reps at some point this year. It’ll be tough with the previously mentioned outfielders all likely ahead of him.
Any number of pitchers could be included for consideration. Left-handed names like David Parkinson, Bailey Falter, and Damon Jones are all strong candidates to at least see a few innings this year. The latter two of which are already on the 40-man roster, while Parkinson may provide the greater amount of upside.