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| Roman Quinn,, image- Jay Floyd |
Selected in the 2nd round of the 2011 MLB amateur draft, Quinn was converted to shortstop upon making his pro debut. It was an experiment that did not prove successful, however, as he has returned to the outfield.
Quinn would make his pro debut as a 19-year-old with short-season Class A Williamsport in 2012, posting a .281 average with nine doubles, a league-leading 11 triples, one home run and 23 RBI while swiping 30 bases in 36 opportunities.
Comfort was a big factor for Quinn in 2013, according to his Class A Lakewood coaches. They saw things get easier for the talented youngster at the plate as the season went on and he displayed success with another experiment on the offensive side of his game...the assignment of learning to switch-hit.
That year, he got off to a rough start, batting .202 with a .556 OPS in 22 April games. In May, things began to look up, at the plate, for Quinn, as he notched a .304 average with an .874 OPS in 26 contests that month. His season would not last much longer, as the Florida native was hit by a pitch that resulted in a broken left wrist in June, ending his campaign with .238 average with seven doubles, three triples, five home runs and 32 stolen bases in 41 chances through 67 games.
Unable to compete in that autumn's Florida Instructional League, due to the slow healing wrist, Quinn continued to work out and suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon while running sprints. Surgery came soon afterward and Quinn missed considerable time while recovering.
Originally expected to miss the majority of the 2014 season, Quinn, who is listed at five-foot-10, 170-pounds, was back on the field by mid-May and impressed many with the strides that he took.
Playing in 88 contests, the most he's played in any of his three pro seasons to that point, for the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers, Quinn returned to post a .257 batting average along with 10 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 36 RBI.
In the interest of making up for lost time, the Phillies wanted Quinn to see more action in the off-season and sent him to play in the prestigious Arizona Fall League. In 24 games with Scottsdale, he batted .250 with two triples, two home runs and nine RBI.
In 2015 Quinn opened the season with Double-A Reading, where he would tally a .306 batting average with six doubles, six triples, four homers, 15 RBI and 29 stolen bases in 39 opportunities through 58 games before he was sidelined with another injury. Initially diagnosed as a quad strain, the ailment was later revealed to be a muscle tear, which kept Quinn out of action much longer than was initially anticipated.
He reached full health in the off-season and spent some time with Licey in the Dominican Winter League, posting a .212 average with a pair of home runs, seven RBI and eight stolen bases in 25 games played.
In 2016, Quinn would continue to live up to his often-injured reputation, missing more than a month with an oblique strain. He sported a .287 average with 14 doubles, six triples and six home runs while driving in 25 runs and swiping 31 bags in 71 games with Reading.
He was then promoted to the big leagues to wrap up their regular season after Reading was eliminated from the Eastern League playoffs. In 15 MLB games, he posted a .263/.373/.333 slash line.
Last year, Quinn played with Triple-A Lehigh Valley prior to his latest physical setback. In 45 games for the IronPigs, he tallied a .274 average with two home runs, 13 RBI and 10 steals. He would miss the rest of the season after a sprain of his non-throwing elbow in late May. The injury occurred during a slide on the bases.
Defensively, Quinn is primarily a center fielder. He has a strong arm and has displayed excellent range in the outfield during his career. This side of his game is a big strength.
At the plate, the 24-year-old displays gap power from both sides, as he continues to refine his switch-hitting ability. Quinn is a natural right-handed batter, but has improved greatly, seeing his OPS as a lefty hitter go from .673 with Clearwater in 2014, to .755 with Reading in 2015, to .813 with Reading in 2016 and staying good at .751 last year. He draws walks a fair amount, but will need to improve his contact in order to be most effective at the top of the order.
Coaches are fond of Quinn's personality. He plays smart, does all he can to get on base to score runs and displays a solid ability to adapt to whatever is thrown his way.
On the bases, Quinn's quickness returned following Achilles surgery, to where it had been prior to the injury. Rated as having plus speed, he's a serious threat whenever he's on base and helps the rest of his team by getting in pitchers' heads.
In addition, he has a tendency to get into pitchers' heads while on the bases and can take advantage of lax infield defense with a keen ability to drop a bunt for a base hit. He seems like a potentially prototypical lead-off man.
Quinn will get plenty of playing time in spring training with the Phillies over the next month or so.
With a high ceiling, Quinn still possesses the tools to become an impact player in the majors. Health will be the key factor in how much of a splash he may get the chance to make.
You can keep track of this year's Phillies prospect countdown at this link.
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