Ricky Bottalico Blasts Phillies’ Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas, ‘How About Neither’ originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Philadelphia Phillies went into the 2025 season with a question mark in the center field. Both Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas were going to get a chance to win the starting job, but neither has taken hold of the position through the first two months of the season.
During Phillies Postgame Live on NBC Sports Philadelphia, former Phillies reliever Ricky Bottalico commented on the Phillies’ center fielder duo. While doing so, he didn’t hold back.
“It’s getting a little tiring, the center field thing,” Bottalico said. “It’s been going back and forth. Is it going to be marsh? Is it going to be Rojas? How about neither? How about we try something else?”
Bottalico not only blasts both Marsh and Rojas for their poor play, but he’s also calling for the Phillies to make a change. Marsh and Rojas are both young outfielders and have shown flashes in their careers. But Bottalico is over the two, and wants to see a change.
“I mean, because this is not working,” Bottalico explained. “I know they’re both capable of having good games here and there, but I think what you’re looking for is consistency. And are they the answer to center field? I think 99 percent of people would say no.”
Marsh and Rojas have combined for negative 0.1 WAR. While they’ll have their moments, the two have been a net-negative for the Phillies. However, Marsh has been worse.
Over Marsh’s 107 at-bats, he’s hitting just .215 with 23 hits and 2 home runs, along with a dismal negative 0.5 WAR. Rojas, meanwhile, has a positive 0.4 WAR. He’s batting .248 over 101 at-bats with 25 hits and one home run. The big difference between the two has been their defense.
According to Baseball Savant, Rojas is ranked 16th among all center fielders in Outs Above Average with 2. Marsh is ranked 35th of 37 center fielders, and has a negative 2 Outs Above Average. Rojas has been an above-average defender, while Marsh has been one of the worst.
Overall, the two have been disappointing. While Rojas provides elite defense and speed, his hit tool isn’t great. Marsh, who’s supposed to be above average in speed, defense, and hitting, has been terrible in 2025.
The Phillies’ center fielders are one of the reasons for the team losing seven of their last eight games. Their struggles have worn Phillies fans thin. Bottalico isn’t alone in his frustration with the center fielders.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.