Mar 7, 2024; Port Charlotte, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Johan Rojas (18) walks off the field against the Tampa Bay Rays in the seventh inning at Charlotte Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports Nathan Ray Seebeck
CLEARWATER, Fla — When Johan Rojas was asked about Justin Crawford, his smile beamed almost as bright as the diamonds in his "JR" chain.
"Yeah, this guy is really good — a really good guy, really good player," Rojas told OnPattison Thursday. "...I saw him playing, I said, 'Wow, this guy is unbelievable.' I saw him do a lot of things, hitting different ... running ... how he played the game. I love this guy. He's one of my favorites, [because of] how he plays the game."
Crawford, in his age-22 season, appears to be the favorite to start in center field for the Phillies this season at the outset of camp.
Of course, it wasn't that long ago that Rojas burst onto the scene — 22 himself at the time — and looked like he had a chance to be a Garry Maddox-esque figure defensively in center field for an extended period with the Phillies.
Among other highlights from his rookie season, Rojas made an insane catch to rob Ronald Acuña Jr. of what would have been a bases-clearing extra-base hit off of Craig Kimbrel in Game 4 of the NLDS, a game that the Phillies ultimately won to prevent the series from shifting back to Atlanta for a win-or-go-home Game 5 against the Braves:
Three years later, though, Rojas is entering camp as a relative afterthought. Rob Thomson mentioned him and Bryan De La Cruz as being in competition for the platoon spot with Brandon Marsh, though Otto Kemp is likely to ultimately be that guy. There is still going to be one remaining outfielder rostered, but Rojas will be competing with the likes of De La Cruz and Pedro León for it. Given that Rojas can still be optioned to Triple-A this season, the Phillies might opt for De La Cruz or León, who are more likely to provide right-handed thump.
Still, Rojas is in Clearwater. He's only 25 years old. Even if he's no longer the exciting new outfielder, Rojas is still worth watching closely this spring.
Manager Rob Thomson agrees, and discussed Thursday what he's hoping to see from Rojas this spring.
"Well, I want to see the great defense again, which I'm sure we're gonna get. I mean, he's a guy that can fall out of bed and go play center field with anybody," Thomson said.
"But again, he had a pretty good winter ball, so just improving on that. Controlling the strike zone is always a big thing for him ... and using the short game is a big thing for him ... and using the field. So I think he's improved over the winter, and it'll be good to see him in here and see what he can do."
This has been the book on Rojas for three springs now. Everyone knows — although there have been some occasional lapses — that he's capable of playing Gold Glove defense. He is probably as fast as Trea Turner on the basepaths, but you don't get to see that frequently, because he's hit .237 with a .591 OPS since the start of the 2024 season. He hasn't become a consistent weapon bunting the ball the way the Phillies believe Crawford is going to be. In many ways, this spring for Rojas is going to be about showing that there is still more room for improvement offensively, and that he's not just the 64 OPS+ (100 is the league average) player he's been at the majors the past two seasons.
If you're looking for hope, Rojas performed very well in the Dominican Winter League, hitting .302 with three homers, 14 RBIs and a .772 OPS across 148 at-bats. Thomson said that while the Dominican Winter League isn't like the majors, "it's pretty good baseball, and high intensity."
So what does Rojas think worked for him over the winter?
"I focused every day, and worked on my bat a lot," Rojas said. "This is one of my focuses every day. I put myself in really good position to work every day on my bat. I worked on my defense, too, and everything. So if I play here or in the Dominican, I just try to help my team win. I hate losing, so I want to win always."
Rojas didn't have the chance to help the Phillies win down the stretch of the 2025 season. In the aftermath of acquiring Harrison Bader, the Phillies optioned Rojas to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Aug. 1. He didn't appear in another game for the team the rest of the season. A quad injury prevented him for being in play for the NLDS, where his speed and defensive ability likely would have put him on the roster over Weston Wilson.
While the second half of the season was a disappointment, Rojas said he continued to pull for his teammates.
"This is part of the game," Rojas said. "When I was sent down, it was just [about] putting my mind in focus and just getting better and trying to be back soon. But it is what it is, you know? I got any injury in my leg, so I couldn't be with the team in the playoffs. But I supported them, watched every day and they do really well. For me, they did really, really good, those guys. I love those guys, how they play."
And for as suboptimal as spending the second half of the season at Triple-A and then injured was, Rojas does feel like he's improved from having gone through that experience.
"Yeah, I got better," Rojas said. "I feel really good, I feel really comfortable. I worked a lot in this offseason. I'm ready to go and ready to help my team win a championship."
It may be that the role Rojas can best help the Phillies to win a championship in is as the final guy on a postseason roster that comes in to pinch run and/or as a defensive replacement. But he'll work this spring to show the Phillies that he's made enough progress offensively to be worth a longer look.
