outfield( noun ): 1) the part of a baseball field beyond the infield and between the foul lines, 2) a position on a baseball team which the Phillies have trouble developing players.
There was a point in the season in which Felix Reyes was considered an outfielder.
Felix Reyes.
Then the team decided to give de la Cruz a shot and what do you know? He actually started to produce a bit once he made it back to the major leagues. Too little, too late?
2026 stats: 86 PA, .280/.349/.413, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 8.1 BB%, 20.8 K%, 108 wRC+, 0.2 fWAR
What went right
The biggest thing that de la Cruz brought to the team was adequacy. Putting Edmundo Sosa out in the outfield was fine as a one or two game thing, but depending on him as a true part of a platoon was not great planning. It was done because they didn't have any real options to do that…..except that they did.
He was fine at the plate, taking a few walks, striking out less than the league average, even popping a couple of home runs. He was a fine fourth outfielder.
What went wrong
Remember how de la Cruz was supposed to be the right handed part of a platoon in the outfield? Turns out, even in a limited setting, he wasn't actually that good against left handed pitching. He had an .891 OPS against right handers, a .623 OPS against left handers. Neither number was with more than 50 plate appearances, so the small sample size argument is ripe here, but that does seem kind of impossible to do.
Final grade: B
In his limited time here, de la Cruz was at least productive. As stated previously, as a fourth outfielder, he's a fine option. The issue is not with him; it's about timing.
Why did it take so long for the team to bring him up?
While with Lehigh Valley, de la Cruz posted an .806 OPS in 356 plate appearances. His strikeout rates were fine, his walk rates were fine, his defense was….fine. What took so long for the team to bring him up? They were willing to try others ahead of him, Reyes included, for reasons known only to the team. Would he have helped them win games earlier in the season? Maybe. Maybe having a more competent outfield option helps them get through some of the early season doldrums they had on offense. By the team he was brought up, Bryce Harper was the regular right fielder and de la Cruz played more games in left. He wasn't producing so much that the decision to keep him down was so egregious, but it was more of a roster construction head scratcher.
It highly unlikely he'd be brought back unless he takes another minor league deal. If he did that, the team should consider it. As a starter on a major league deal? They had better upgrade everywhere else first before considering that idea.
