2022 Phillies Minor League Spring Training

fish 2022-04-03 02:19:52 UTC #142

I get that players don’t want to go on the record in fear of retaliation- but the quickest way to get bad actors to improve is to call out the teams who are cheaping out on living conditions, and acknowledge the teams that are doing right by players.

andyb 2022-04-03 17:48:42 UTC #143

RHP Mark Appel said he’ll be transitioning into a full-time reliever this season.

Former No. 1 pick had a 6.06 ERA in 23 appearances (15 starts) in his return to baseball last season. pic.twitter.com/4e610AMe0g
— Ty Daubert ( @TyDaubert ) April 2, 2022

I always thought this could help Appel (though clearly a number one overall pick also should not be a reliever).

zambonir 2022-04-03 18:30:05 UTC #144

it's kind of crazy he's still at it but he has the luxury of doing so, with a white-collar life awaiting him after. Would be fun if he could help - and/or force the Phillies to protect him in December, I believe that clock is finally up? - but still a pretty big longshot.

If he makes it up at some point you could theoretically have a Phillies-Braves game with the #1 overall picks from 2013, 2015 and 2016 all in the line-ups.

bkeich 2022-04-04 02:02:18 UTC #145

Marlins just released Delino Deshields. He might be a nice addition as a 5th OF / defensive sub / base stealer. I realize that Girardi might start with a 4 man bench and every pitcher in the organization that can throw between the dugouts, but I would rather add someone like Deshields even if he almost never hits.

julio 2022-04-04 02:34:17 UTC #146

How are you going to make room on the roster? At whose expense?

Also, with the DH, the four-man bench is likely to be all season, not just in April. (13 pitchers, 13 non-pitchers, of whom 9 are starting, 4 are on the bench).

bkeich 2022-04-04 15:16:41 UTC #147

So, first, my "speak" which is incorrect in what I am saying, but I still think of the guy playing DH as a bench player. So to me there are 5 guys on the bench, 1 of which is batting. So who are those 5 on a normal day?

(I am assuming Bohm starting at 3B, Stott at AAA, Vierling starting in CF for now until Herrera is back)

Schwarber or Castellanos (whoever is not the LF)
Stubbs or backup C
??? (Vierling or Odubel once April is over, whoever is not starting, for now this is probably a relief pitcher)
Carmargo
Open Spot (Moniak, Maton, Stott, Other)

So I would say the "other" spot could be Deshields. He fills an obvious need for us (someone who can actually play CF), he would be a solid base running option for our 6 or so very slow guys late in games and he would give us some BADLY needed depth. We do not have any depth in AAA, as usual, there is no one there pressing to take a spot other than Stott. Deshields is not great, he really is not much of a hitter at all, but we REALLY are going to need a defensive oriented CF for late in games, because the guys we have are just horrible on defense. His base running is a nice addition when you think that we have a ton of slow runners on our team.

Would I do it? Maybe. Just to me a discussion point because to me it is a need.

Squire 2022-04-04 15:38:31 UTC #148

I think he means how do you make room on the 40 man roster.

David_Criss 2022-04-04 15:41:48 UTC #149

DeShields is interesting. The guy can get on base, has speed and carries his own in the outfield. Yet, was a first round draft pick for Houston and then they exposed to the Rule V draft, when it was well known he'd be claimed. Since then, Texas, Boston, Cincinnati and now Miami have all seen him and then let him go for nothing.

bkeich 2022-04-04 15:54:05 UTC #150

Well, we have 23 pitchers on there right now. That is honestly just too many, we need to make decisions on which ones start the season the roster and move one off or risk a DFA. It seems our approach to the bullpen continues to be just keep adding guys until you find one that can pitch, and while I see some logic in that a team is really hamstrung when they limit themselves to 4 position players in the minors like this (13 in the majors). We are going to end up with 8 of our 12 slots for the 40 man that are in the minors being pitchers. After April 1 it will be 10 pitchers unless moves are made.

Or DFA Sands?

andyb 2022-04-04 15:55:58 UTC #151

Marchan is hurt at the moment I think. So while you ideally do not want to carry 4 catchers on the 40-man roster, there would be some risk in exposing Sands if there is a need in April.

Also on Deshields, apparently Roman Quinn is beating him out. Happy for Roman that he is healthy, but at least a little ironic.

By releasing Delino Deshields Marlins clearly favoring Roman Quinn to make the opening day roster as their 4th OF barring something unforeseen between now and Friday.
— Craig Mish ( @CraigMish ) April 3, 2022

bkeich 2022-04-04 16:04:06 UTC #152

Yea, I saw that, it is kinda funny. I liked Quinn, wouldnt mind him coming back, but he might really have been a change of scenery guy. The Phillies Fans, the Phillies brass, everyone pretty much got to the point where when he slid into a base they were calling for the stretcher. He might just need to play somewhere that there is not an assumption he was made of tissue paper.

andyb 2022-04-04 16:19:18 UTC #153

Probably true. Though hard to know if staying healthy is at all related to changing scenery.

This is an older, slow team for the most part. So Quinn ironically would have been a perfect fit for the last spot on the bench if we envision that spot not as a platoon starter but more of a late inning defensive sub/pinch runner. Schwarber gets on in the 8th. Pinch run for him and let the defensive sub finish the game. It is why Torreyes does make some sense too. He is a fine bench player that will do everything requested of him and would not be needed to pinch hit as much with the DH.

This team will do very little pinch hitting unless someone like Schwarber or Castellanos starts the game on the bench. Maybe you pinch hit for Didi or the 3B or the platoon CF in certain situations, but when else other than in blowouts are we going to pinch hit?

andyb 2022-04-04 16:20:42 UTC #154

Good news - Kendall Simmons is starting to hit again. Bad news - it is against Wheeler and Serantony.

zambonir 2022-04-04 17:49:56 UTC #155

The 40 really needs to expand, but 23 is not really too many pitchers. The Phillies used 35 last year, and just wishing things were different isn't going to change the need. Plus you're always going to have a few prospects who require the 40-man protection but can't pitch, as well as (ideally) some of your AAA rotation as depth starters (rather than bullpen long men). But that's also why they made Morales a reliever, they can't carry him this year as a starter who won't help the big league club. Out of the pen, he might eventually.

DeShields would just end up being optioned or DFAed when Herrera came back, while also taking up a 40-man spot and pushing Moniak to AAA.

Ironically the Rangers took DeShields in the Rule 5 the same year they lost Herrera. Phillies might have made that choice too had they picked high enough.

julio 2022-04-04 18:31:44 UTC #156

For the record, there are only 21 pitchers on the 40-man, plus two on the 60-day IL. And no, it's not "too many." Three of the 21 have already been optioned. Some of the remaining 18 will open the season on the 15/10-day IL. And they're going to open with at least 15 (or 16?) on the Active Roster. There's not a whole lot of wiggle room there, really.

zambonir 2022-04-04 18:47:17 UTC #157

Yeah. Arguably (as noted) they actually need to swap one of the four catchers for a pitcher. And while they did trade Haseley (and Luke Williams), it is also still not ideal to carry two OFs and an IF who aren't ready to play in MLB. Which is why Moniak almost has to be, for now. If Stott does go on the 40 Maton's spot might even be in jeopardy.

Would be a lot simpler if the 40 expanded to 42 as the 26 expanded to 28, but hey, that would also cost teams money.

Later in the season, these things will more easily work themselves out.

andyb 2022-04-04 19:32:31 UTC #158

Yemal Flores and Wixon Ringrove sightings as subs in today's game. All the AA and AAA kids are gone, so chances for the younger players.

bkeich 2022-04-04 20:22:22 UTC #159

It would also cause a bit of an issue when it went back to 40. Imagine the utter chaos of 60 guys being DFA'd on the same day during the season. Actually, I kinda like that idea

zambonir 2022-04-04 20:39:37 UTC #160

Well, no, they (the league and the MLBPA) would have to stipulate that those players wouldn't be subject to waivers. Much like the COVID exemptions and taxi squad guys. Union may prefer they still were, but since it would be creating more jobs in the short-term probably worth it.

bkeich 2022-04-04 20:52:23 UTC #161

If that were true wouldnt it be a way to sneak some guys off the 40 man that you knew would be claimed? Not sure what you mean, but it seems rather ripe with the possibility of issues. If they arent subject to Waivers than I would DFA some guy that you just put on the 40 man to stash hm for another year of minor league time to avoid the rule V draft (which of course didnt happen, but not relevant), now I can get him off without any fear of him being claimed.

I am thinking you mean that you must remove the same 2 guys that you put on, but that could be problematic if say one of those guys goes stays in the majors, now you have to find someone else, are they now subject to waivers?