CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The Phillies know Roman Quinn is fast.
The Phillies believe he can hit, too. Quinn hit .306 with six doubles, six triples, four home runs, 15 RBIs, 29 stolen bases and a .791 OPS in 257 plate appearances last season with Double-A Reading. Quinn's ability to hit and run with the best of them (think Dee Gordon and Billy Hamilton-type speed) is why MLBPipeline.com considers him the 99th-best prospect in baseball.
But one question lingers: Can he stay healthy?
"I just want to play a full season for the first time," Quinn said recently at Bright House Field.
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The Phillies selected Quinn, 22, in the second round of the 2011 Draft. He played just 67 games with Class A Lakewood in '13 due to a broken wrist. He ruptured his right Achilles tendon before the '14 season, which limited him to 88 games with Class A Advanced Clearwater. He appeared on his way to Eastern League MVP consideration in '15 when a hip flexor injury sidelined him from June through the end of the season.
"If you project his numbers in April and May in Reading over a full season, he's the best player in the league," Phillies player development director Joe Jordan said. "We've just to keep him out there."
Quinn's first two months with Reading were exciting. Everybody began to think about him roaming the Phillies' outfield and causing problems for pitchers on the basepaths.
"We kind of saw the type of player we have been hoping to see and waiting to see," Jordan said. "I think he got a lot of confidence out of that. He understands what he has a chance to do probably more than ever. It's within reach. He's just learned a lot about the type of player he is. He can bunt. He can put pressure on a club, more and different ways than anyone else can. I think he understands that. He knows what he needs to do."
Quinn is fun to watch run. He said he got timed running 60 yards a couple years ago in Spring Training. He said he got clocked at about 6.3 seconds, which Jordan confirmed.
Gordon's 60 reportedly is 6.2 seconds. Hamilton supposedly has never been timed in the 60, but one would think he would be right there with Gordon. Fellow Phillies prospect Nick Williams has talked about a head-to-head race with Quinn. Williams said he has run the 60 in 6.2 seconds.
The point is Quinn has blink-and-miss-him speed, and he would like to show what he can do with that speed in the big leagues. He can take a step in that direction this season.
He just needs to stay on the field.
"It gets to me because I definitely need the at-bats," Quinn said about his injuries. "Not getting those 500 at-bats in a season hurts. I'm ready to go. I'm 100 percent right now. My body feels great."