CLEARWATER, Fla. – For all the talk over the last six months about Johan Rojas' defensive impact with the Phillies, the offensive question marks surrounding his game and his projected role heading into the 2024 season…don't forget about Cristian Pache.
Few outfielders have the first step, range and instincts that Rojas possesses, but Pache isn't far off as a defender. His ability to play center field was one of the main reasons he was considered one of the top 15 prospects in the sport by MLB.com and Baseball America for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
“He’s right at home with (Rojas),” manager Rob Thomson said after Thursday’s game. “He can defend at any position in the outfield.”
Pache didn't hit with the Braves, nor did he hit with the A's. The Phillies acquired him from Oakland the day before Opening Day in 2023, and in a small sample of 95 plate appearances, he held his own offensively. He came to Philadelphia and hit career .156/.205/.234 in 115 games. With the Phils, he hit .238/.319/.417 with 10 extra-base hits and a league average OPS.
Moving on to this spring training, he was one of the Phillies' standout offensive players in the early going, going 3 for 7 with two home runs, including one against the Blue Jays in Dunedin on Thursday.
“I feel great,” Pache said through team interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “I do my routine with Kevin Long and the rest of the coaching staff and that has given me a lot of results. I worked through the offseason until spring training.”
“I feel great, I feel familiar. I can say that I feel more comfortable now. I think I found something in my swing and that was the key. I'm here (in Florida) with my family and friends and I'm trying to work hard to get a job. I feel comfortable in Philly. I just try to do the best job I can to help the organization.”
Pache was having a good run at the plate last summer when he developed soreness in his right elbow that was attributed to a screw that was inserted there in 2016. In 47 plate appearances before this injury, he had hit .372 with seven doubles and two home runs. including a game-winning home run in Miami just before he was placed on the IL. He returned in September and struggled to perform, but overall the season was a step in the right direction.
“The bat seems to be getting better and better,” Thomson said. “As soon as we got him last year, K-Long went to work on him and he started hitting left-handed. Now it looks like he has a chance to maybe compete with right-handers.”
“It was great. He ran the ball and used the entire field. He is strong, he has power. If he can get the ball in the air and swing on shots, he will have success.”
As always, comfort plays a role. Pache didn't have much time to get to know his new teammates a year ago and it took a few months for his personality to emerge.
Pache is looking to solidify his roster spot and potentially start in midfield more than expected if Rojas doesn't score, but that's not the same pressure he felt in Atlanta, where he tried to prove he's as good as advertised, or in Oakland, where he was the centerpiece of the Athletics' return for star first baseman Matt Olson.
“I can say I was a little overexcited in those moments,” he said. “I tried too hard to prove myself by doing more than I could at the moment. But at the moment I have a different mentality and that has helped.”
“I will work hard. I have to work hard. That’s the only thing I can do and control.”