Haseley eyeing OF spot, focused on 'being present'

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Suddenly, unexpectedly, Adam Haseley has an excellent opportunity in front of him.

Odúbel Herrera will not make the Opening Day roster because of a strained right oblique. He had been guaranteed a spot on the team, alongside outfielders Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber and Matt Vierling. Haseley, who the Phillies selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2017 Draft, was boxed out following the signings of Castellanos, Schwarber and Herrera and the emergence of Vierling.

Now, he is the closest he has been to the big leagues in nearly a year.

“Coming into camp, first of all, just extremely grateful and thankful just to be here, right?” Haseley said this week at BayCare Ballpark. “The Phillies have been with me every step of the way [with] everything that’s happened. They’ve been very accommodating to me. Always there for me is the best way to put it. That was really my attitude coming in. Just really thankful for the opportunity to be on the field again with all these guys. So that’s really where I’m coming from this spring.

“I’m not oblivious to all the signings and stuff like that. But when it comes to the field, I’m still in the process of getting better.”

Haseley was the Phillies’ Opening Day center fielder in 2021, but he left the team in mid-April for personal reasons. He returned a month later, then spent the rest of the season in the Minor Leagues.

Haseley is not ready to discuss his time away, only saying that, “It’s more just learning from things that personally went on. I don’t know if it necessarily feels like a second chance as much as it is just learning. It’s a process. It’s a road, and we’re all walking through stuff. So, yeah, my outlook is just being thankful for being here.”

Haseley is just 25, and he believes he can still be the player that convinced the Phillies to select him in the first round. He has shown flashes at times -- Haseley hit .266 with five home runs, 26 RBIs and a .720 OPS in 242 plate appearances as a rookie in 2019, including a .792 OPS in his final 87 plate appearances. Defensively, he graded well in center field.

He hit .538 (7-for-13) with two doubles and two RBIs in his first five games of 2020, then he sprained his wrist and landed on the injured list. Haseley battled lower-back issues, too, and batted .227 with three doubles and 11 RBIs in his final 35 games. He had just four hits in 21 at-bats last April before leaving the team.

But Haseley’s moments of success are something to hang onto as he competes this spring.

“I think I was just being present and playing,” Haseley said. “I think that’s important -- getting back to that, being where your feet are. That’s something I’m getting back to. Coming in with clear intentions and trying to compete.”

Haseley has the inside track to replace Herrera in part because the only other candidate in camp for center is Mickey Moniak, according to manager Joe Girardi. And before Herrera got injured, Girardi said the Phillies were not considering Moniak to start in center field.

Even then, Haseley knows that nothing is guaranteed. He needs to perform. He needs to compete.

“You’ve always got to be ready for opportunities,” he said. “You never know what could happen. I don’t like looking too far in the future. I like looking right in front of me. Even these games, if I’m messing up or doing things well, it’s just part of playing the game. I just want to be ready.

“The season is coming closer and closer. I don’t know where I’ll be, but I think it’s just getting ready for my role on the team when my number is called. Anything I can do to help this team win, being there for all the guys in the clubhouse. I’m excited for this year."