April 06, 2026
Christopher Hanewinc/Imagn Images
The Phillies outfield has been a net positive so far this season.
Over the last 13 MLB seasons, the Phillies have had just four outfielders make an All-Star team: Nick Castellanos (2023), Kyle Schwarber (2022), Odubel Herrera (2016) and Dom Brown (2013).
Castellanos is being paid $19 million by the Phillies to play for another team, Schwarber is a full-time DH now, Herrera's career ended at age 30 and Brown's ended at 27.
The outfield hasn't been good.
And after the team decided not to make a splashy upgrade this offseason, the prospect of another weak outfield seemed a likely one for 2026
The bar isn't hard to clear. Here's how the outfield unit has fared since the team's 2022 World Series run:
| Season | OF WAR | MLB rank |
| 2022 | -2.8 | 22nd |
| 2023 | 1.2 | 14th |
| 2024 | -1.8 | 20th |
| 2025 | -3.7 | 24th |
It's been ugly.
But through nine games to start the year, it's looking entirely possible the Phillies may have known what they were doing as they took a different approach to building the unit.
It's an extremely small sample size — just 100 total combined at-bats — but the outfield trio of Brandon Marsh, rookie Justin Crawford and Adolis García is raking. Those three hitters have 29 of the Phillies 70 total hits so far (41%). The three highest batting averages on the ballclub so far? Crawford (.321), Marsh (.303) and García (.294). Trea Turner is actually the only other Phillies hitter with an average north of .225.
Crawford is still adjusting to the majors and not surprisingly, the power hasn't been there — he has only one extra base hit. He also only has one RBI, though it was a monster one:
JUSTIN CRAWFORD WALKS IT OFF!!!!! pic.twitter.com/iR14H5aO28
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 1, 2026
Marsh was intended to platoon in left with Otto Kemp, but he's netted 35 plate appearances to Kemp's eight in the early going. His four extra-base hits trail only Schwarber's four.
And finally García, a reclamation project after the former All-Star with the Rangers regressed in most offensive categories in the last two seasons, has been a spark in the middle of the batting order. After hitting .227 last season, the Cuban has hit safely in seven of nine games.
It's pretty surprising to see these relatively no-name outfielders producing better than Harper and the Phillies hundred million dollar superstars. And with more than 150 games yet to play, it's extremely possible everyone reverts to the mean and the outfield ends up a liability again.
Still, it's worth acknowledging what they've done to help a lackluster offense win five games despite scoring the 10th most runs per game in the National League.
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