Minor Moves - Quinn Hewitt and more

Roman Quinn was an odd fit at Short. On one hand, his speed and athleticism should play well there. On the other hand, he had no experience with the speed things happen at in the infield, and his arm is borderline for the spot. After almost 2+ years of hammering this round peg into a square hole, the Phillies last night decided to let Roman be Roman and moved him back to center field.

This is great news for friends and countrymen of Roman, as, now freed from the demands of the toughest defensive spot on the field, he can now focus entirely on his bat. For one, Roman has experience playing in center, so he doesn't have to learn anything new there. Secondly, center allows an athlete's tools to shine and fully utilizes Roman's 80-grade speed. He should be a plus defender in center, and I expect to see his hitting start improving fairly dramatically.

The new influx of draft signees puts pressure on the pipeline, as these guys all need roster spots and push guys up for lower levels. This is often the time of year we see fringe players get cut or develop a sudden case of DL-itis. Part of me is sad to type that Anthony Hewitt was the unfortunate fringe player to get released today. With Quinn moving to center and Crawford likely on his way south, there was no spot in the organization left for the 2008 first-round pick.

Phillies have released 2008 first round pick Anthony Hewitt.

— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyCSN) June 12, 2014