Inside the Phillies: Johan Rojas has a ‘win-a-job’ mentality, how the clubhouse energy is different, and more

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Johan Rojas is used to proving himself, and he says this spring won’t be any different. That may be true, but his situation is certainly different than years past. The Phillies center fielder now has 59 big-league games under his belt — with a .302/.342/.430 slash line — and has made some highlight-reel plays.

There are still areas for growth for the 23-year-old. He recorded four hits and 15 strikeouts in 43 playoff at-bats. The Phillies won’t anoint him the everyday center fielder until they see that he can hold his own at the plate. But he knows that — and that is why he is coming to camp knowing that nothing is guaranteed.

“I come here every year to win a job,” Rojas said. “I’ve worked hard every year, every year I’ve been here. That’s what I’ll do this spring. Same mentality.”

» READ MORE: Question his bat, but his defense is elite. Johan Rojas breaks down his five favorite catches.

Rojas put some extra work in this winter. He and hitting coach Kevin Long made some changes to his positioning, mainly, having him work more in his legs. He will have a shorter route to the ball this season and will quiet down some of his movements. The Phillies believe these changes will help with his plate discipline.

Rojas added muscle — he said he isn’t sure how much — and spent the offseason doing one-handed drills, tee work, and taking live batting practice.

“Obviously, I needed to work,” he said. “Work on my swing. Work on my strike zone, so I can be the best version of myself when I am here.”

Rojas said he has two goals for himself this season, beyond making the active roster.

“Stay healthy,” he said, “and win the World Series.”

Whit Merrifield has only been a Phillie for a week, but he already has noticed a difference in the energy in the clubhouse. He isn’t the only one. Right-hander David Buchanan, who pitched for the Phillies from 2014-15, went to Asia for seven seasons, and came back this spring, noticed a change, too.

“I think just the energy is so much different,” Buchanan said. “The guys in here … you see the confidence of winning. It’s not wanting to win, it’s the expectation of winning. It’s from the training staff to the strength staff and nutritionist and the psychologist and mental skills coaches. It’s everyone. The energy is just different. The expectations are different. There’s one goal and that’s to get the ring. It’s not like, ‘Hey, we hope we have a good season.’ It’s, ‘We’re excited to win.’ ”

» READ MORE: Whit Merrifield hits first homer of the spring in Phillies’ 7-6 loss to the Red Sox

Merrifield, who spent 2016-22 with the Royals until he was traded to Toronto at the trade deadline, picked up on the same thing.

“It’s just different,” he said. “It’s not that Kansas City was bad, it’s just that that organization was in a different place than this organization is now. Just different energy. It’s good energy. It’s what I feel like more organizations need to be, and I think that’s coming into the year with the expectation of winning the World Series. And this organization is that. It’s refreshing. It’s nice to be a part of.

“[You can tell] just by the way guys talk — the way guys talk about their time over the course of the season and in the playoffs. It’s not about ‘What did I do here, what did I do there?’ It’s ‘What did we do? How did we fail? How did we succeed? How can we get better?’ Again, it’s nothing against my time in Kansas City, because it was just a different place, but it was much more of a development-type time for that organization. I think they’re turning a corner, which is great. But I had it in Toronto. And here, it’s just different because these guys have been so close. And I’m ready to get over that hump.”

Prospect Mick Abel made his first outing of the spring on Sunday and pitched a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts. His command — particularly of his fastball — was good, and he was in the 94-96 mph range. Abel showed off his gyro slider a few times, a pitch that he incorporated last season. He believes it will complement his curveball.

» READ MORE: Phillies top prospect Andrew Painter has one goal for 2024: ‘Just get on a mound’

“I think [the slider and the curveball] are fairly similar on the axis,” Abel said. “The slider is just a little bit less vert and the curveball is a little bit more vert.”

He added that the gyro slider helps him stay behind the ball and throw through the zone, which could help him with his command.