2019 Phillies Spring Training Discussion

[Lawman]

Phils/NYY rained out today.

[julio]

Phils/NYY rained out today.

rats.

[zambonir]

You might almost think they were planning on a reliever being injured.

[schillingfan]

You might almost think they were planning on a reliever being injured.

Yeah, there's a greater chance they get struck by lightning.

[zambonir]

Heh yup, odds are it is not the last one. At this point I also gotta think that if their goal is to trade one of Hunter, Neshek or Nicasio, they'll be worth more at the deadline. Also I'm not sure which one you should trade, and no way to really find out until they pitch, given the variability of relievers.

I would much rather go with this group knowing that Neshek, Nicaso and Hunter all come off the books next year than lock in three years of Kimbrel (let alone five) now.

With about a month to go before opening day, the Phillies’ bullpen looks like this: Seranthony Dominguez, David Robertson and Hector Neris are locks. Pat Neshek has a spot unless he is traded. Juan Nicasio’s $9 million salary probably makes him a lock. Lefties Adam Morgan and Jose Alvarez are both out of minor-league options so that will help their cause. With Hunter likely opening on the DL, the final spot in the opening day bullpen would likely come down to Victor Arano, Yacksel Rios, Austin Davis, James Pazos and Edubray Ramos. Arano, who had a 2.73 ERA in 60 games last year, is probably the lead guy in that group. He would have been difficult to keep off the roster even without an injury thinning the field.

[andyb]

Kind of amazing that they don't go in thinking Arano has a job. He was clearly among their best and most reliable relievers last year but just because he has options he'll go to the minors. Like Williams if we sign Harper. This is another problem baseball needs to deal with. Roster manipulation that means the best players are not on the field. It goes hand in hand with service time manipulation. Maybe guys on the 40-man roster should be paid the major league minimum.

[tom81]

I agree if Arano gets sent down it would be a form or roster manipulation as he has clearly earned a job. Williams if we sign Harper, or not, may just be a matter of Williams not being among the best 4/5 OFs on the team. His career bWar of -0.9 trails both Quinn's 0.5 and Altherr's 2.5. Williams may have more trade value than Quinn and Altherr but its not clear that he is the better player. I do like your idea of guys on the 40-man getting paid the league minimum.

[bigegypt0417]

Roman Quinn with what is being called a mild oblique strain.

[Slinging_Southpaw]

Didn't see that coming.

[zambonir]

I don't really see it as roster manipulation, it's actually another form of protection for the players - but the older players. Not that different from Rule V, really. Once your options are up you get chances to go elsewhere, as Altherr likely will. It's just that if the kid with options is clearly superior to the guy without options you're supposed to be willing to lose/release the latter guy. But if you're paying the latter guy many millions you don't always eat the mistake, we see that all the time unfortunately.

But it's relief pitchers, so I can't sit here and say that Victor Arano in 2019 is going to be clearly superior to the other guys. He probably will be. One or more of the other guys will probably be terrible. But we don't know which one yet. We could just as easily guess that because Arano was good and heavily used last year he won't be as good this year. One can also ask whether it's better to carry two adequate lefties or one adequate lefty and Arano (but the answer is lefties had a .829 OPS against him last year).

It's moot now with Hunter's injury. That probably won't be the last injury. I seriously doubt the Phillies intended to break camp without Arano but that's why they have to trade one of the three vets. I kind of feel worse for Ramos who has not been as good/consistent but has fallen a lot farther.

For all the talk about how to enforce the injury rule if there's a three-pitcher minimum, nobody's really enforcing it for the 10-day DL right? It's not like MLB sends in an independent doctor to confirm whether a pitcher is hurt or just sore. It's really just up to the player to protest if it's fake. I remember last year there was a time when it looked like Morgan had a phantom injury but it was apparently real. They could play that card more often this year.

[andyb]

Phillies on MLB Network today with Adonis Medina looking pretty good so far. Sitting 94 and showing a curve and something like a slider/cutter at 89-91. A couple at 95. Haseley looked like he was jogging after a ball that ended up as a 3B.

[Philsmania]

Now Cesar Hernandez goes down. Seriously, are these guys conditioning at all in the offseason?

https://twitter.com/matt_breen?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

[andyb]

Second inning a little rougher for Medina. Lost his command and a few balls got hit. Llovera finished the inning. Sitting 96 but his breaking balls are pretty inconsistent. Really seems a candidate to simplify to 2 pitches and get him throwing 96-98 out of the bullpen. The 2020 version of Seranthony (with Garcia being this year's version).

[Squire]

Jake Scheiner single followed by a 2 out 2run HR from Darick Hall earns us a 5-5 tie against the Orioles

[julio]

Jake Scheiner single followed by a 2 out 2run HR from Darick Hall earns us a 5-5 tie against the Orioles

Yeah, Hall just crushed a high fast ball. I don't know if it translates to the big leagues, but the man has honest-to-goodness power.

[LoneStarPhan]

Blue Jays score a run in the bottom of the 9th but lose to the Phillies, 11-5. Cozens goes 2 for 3 with 3 runs scored and 3 RBIs with a big 3 run home run. He also had 2 walks. His spring OPS now at 2.909.

Can Harper displace the amazing Cozens? Actually, yes, but perhaps Cozens earning a spot of the bench for the coming season.

[julio]

Blue Jays score a run in the bottom of the 9th but lose to the Phillies, 11-5. Cozens goes 2 for 3 with 3 runs scored and 3 RBIs with a big 3 run home run. He also had 2 walks. His spring OPS now at 2.909.

Can Harper displace the amazing Cozens? Actually, yes, but perhaps Cozens earning a spot of the bench for the coming season.

I would love to see Cozens learn to play within himself and control the big swing a bit. The early returns this spring are very good... but it's February. IF Cozens grows to be able to control the plate a bit better in the majors than he has in the past...then he becomes the guy that maybe pushes MdCutchen to the bench. But that's still a pretty big "if."

[andyb]

Or Cozens becomes the guy that makes us comfortable in trading Williams. We can get a real return for Williams. Probably a top 100 prospect or 2 from somebody's top 10 if we wanted to.

[DurhamBull]

Can Harper displace the amazing Cozens?

Other way around. Harper doesn't even have a hit yet in ST.

Thanks for cluing me in to the fact that it was a split squad game today, I didn't realize.

[donaldorc]

I have never been able to understand why there are so few radio broadcasts of Phillies games during the spring.