2022 Phillies Spring Training

[kmc1019]

Fun 5 minute stretch in Clearwater:
-one of the best and most amusing double plays you will see: ball bounces high off Eflin's glove toward SS, a diving Didi nabs it and shovels from his belly to Segura at 2B who turns the double play to Hoskins, ending the inning
-Segura leads off with HR to left
-Stott hard hit single to right
-Moniak rockets one off the top of the top of the right center fence, driving Stott in; he is eventually singled in by Castellanos
Fun times!

[andyb]

Imagine they did not even think he would get into the 4th. The good Eflin is economical with his pitches though, so he may be the one of the late-starting pitchers (Suarez and Wheeler too) that can actually get through 5 in their first trip through the rotation. Wheeler and Suarez will both have 2 outings I think before the real season, so they probably will be on a 60-70 pitch limit in their first start.

[andyb]

I will get ratio'd for this, but I think two things can be true: Stott has had a great spring and he's also one of the few players who has been participating in team-led workouts since mid-February. He's seen more live pitching than most. That is an advantage. https://t.co/0izCnwI9UI

— Matt Gelb ( @MattGelb ) March 31, 2022

More stuff. Dillon Maples throws pretty hard from a different lower arm slot but the movement on his pitches makes controlling the strike zone hard. Probably a decent project to have at AAA. And Marcus Lee Sang is simply not ready for a legit major league left-handed reliever.

[LoneStarPhan]

Harper added two more runs on a blast to right in the fifth. Bullpen touched for 3 runs but Phillies hold on to win, 5-3. Maples gave up two (one earned) in the 7th inning on no hits. Bedrosian pitched the ninth for the save. He had a strong 1-2-3 inning (K, K, F4).

Stott went 2 for 2 to bring his spring BA to .550 (OPS 1.440).

Opening day coming up quickly. AAA opens Tuesday, other minor league teams by next weekend.

[EDmuch]

This is going to be an incredibly powerful offense. Shades of 2008-2010.

[EDmuch]

It may be in Bohm's best interest to go to Clearwater for the year and a clear reset with a clear head. Since he is managing without an extension beyond this year, Girardi is obviously going to pull every plug he can to get into the playoffs and get a new contract. I am not sure how Bohm would handle it if every time he makes a mistake he will see Giradi glaring at him in the dugout.

[allentown]

It may be in Bohm's best interest to go to Clearwater for the year and a clear reset with a clear head. Since he is managing without an extension beyond this year, Girardi is obviously going to pull every plug he can to get into the playoffs and get a new contract. I am not sure how Bohm would handle it if every time he makes a mistake he will see Giradi glaring at him in the dugout.

I don't get this at all. Why would Bohm go to CLW for the year? How does it possibly help him to play in low-A ball. And if girardi would glare at him in the dugout all year, then a mid-season change of manager is called for. This comment makes no sense at all -- when do you demote a prospect from MLB to low-A? Sore-arm pitchers start the season that way, but generally only stay a few weeks. Hitters? Why?

[zambonir]

I think Ed was just mis-typing and meant Allentown. (Or he was on hold at WIP and couldn't wait to say it, if serious.)

[EDmuch]

Yes I meant Lehigh Valley. My mistake

[EDmuch]

I think right now Stott us clearly the stronger prospect so I think Girardi will play him. No pout for Bohm to be an ML backup rather than playing every day at AAA

[zambonir]

I dunno. I feel like a more innovative organization wouldn't have to overthink this. Didi is almost certainly a platoon player, and if Stott is as good as he looks he's both a better hitter and a better fielder. But Girardi doesn't like platoons (so much so that he's already close to anointing Vierling as the starting CF despite being the RHB) and Didi is his guy, so Stott goes to 3B. If Didi was at 3B I think Bohm could stay up in the platoon.

Dombrowski inherited a lot of mistakes in terms of both individual players and overall roster construction, but he hasn't done much to correct them either. Segura, Didi and now possibly Stott are all shortstops who aren't good enough to play shortstop, and neither is Camargo. Schwarber, Castellanos and Hoskins are all essentially DHs (as is Bohm except he can't hit). At least reducing the number of LH 4th OFs from three (if you include Herrera) to two was a step in the right direction.

I just hope Stott is good. The point about him being sharper than everyone else because he wasn't locked out (and played fall league to boot) is not insignificant. Heck, I also hope Didi is good. The intimidating offense doesn't really work if CF or either of the aging middle IFs can't produce, and they still don't really have a lead-off hitter. Granted, "Schwarber walk. Hoskins Walk. Harper HR" doesn't require speed on the base paths.

[tom81]

Eflin looks healthy and is pitching with command of a lot of different pitches. With his final trip through arbitration pushed back because of the lock out it gave both sides the opportunity to see where he is before the hearing. I hope both sides can come to an agreement on a 3-4 year deal to keep him in red pinstripes and avoid arbitration.

[Austinfan]

While everyone is obsessing on Bohm, Moniak is not so quietly having a great spring, that swing looks like he's finally figured out who he's become - he's not the high contact skinny HS player anymore, he's got serious power now, and it may come down to plate discipline to make the most of it. But I think he's a lock for the team and to share CF with Vierling - and both may move to LF in a couple years when Rojas/Mizzioti are ready.

Moniak emerging as a plus power hitter is exactly what this team needs, some young players producing cheap WAR.

As far as Bohm, let him play a full season in AAA, work on his 3B defense, and have him go back to what brought him to the dance, gap power to all fields. He's big and strong enough to have solid power spraying the ball - why make him a pull hitter when he can take it out to the opposite field? I'll take a .300 BA with 20 HRs and 40+ doubles and a .200 ISO over .250, 30 HRs and a .175 ISO because he struggles to make contact as a pull hitter.

It's crazy to use a high draft pick on a guy, then try to change the things that got you to draft him that high.
That's what you do with guys later in the draft, who might have unlocked potential with some tweaks.

[phillychuck]

I share your enthusiasm for Moniak's better swing, but what we have seen is a small sample size against pitchers who are working on their stuff, not pitching to a hitter's weakness. Too soon to think he'd be a better option than Odubel, even.

I'm neutral about starting Bohm at AAA or in a platoon role in the big leagues. Just don't trade him for nothing...

[zambonir]

Yeah the spring training calendar seems to really skew perceptions. We're basically still watching pitchers who are in a March 12th state of a readiness, and rosters/bullpens full of guys who aren't actually going to be in the majors.

Hard to know what Moniak has to do, it doesn't sound like Girardi is going to give him a ton of starts so he probably just has to make the most of his time. But if Vierling is really the starter, and hits the righties, why even have Herrera?

Only time can tell on all of it I guess.

I think the Phillies would take a Bohm who hits .300 with 20HRs over one who hits .250 with 30HRs. What they don't want is a guy who can only hit 10 or 15 HRs. And he has to be a good 3B. But I can't imagine they were trying to significantly change his approach once he got to the majors. Whatever he was doing in 2020 worked for him, but apparently wasn't sustainable, or he got away from it as teams adjusted.

[HopeSpringsEternal]

Bohm 2-2 so far today with a HR against Orioles starter Jordan Lyles. Maybe the extra ABs against minor leaguers yesterday helped.

[Aquapong]

Spring Training…where hope spring eternal.

With Moniak it will come down to plate discipline if he becomes a useful player. For Bohm, his hitting needs to improve if he wants to stay in the majors. If he can be a doubles machine like he is naturally, someone will put him at 1B. His defense at 3rd is dreadful and would need to be passable there to play. But we’ve got no room for DH ab’s with Hoskins, Harper, Schwarber, Castellanos, and JT.

I’d hate to give up on Bohm, but Schwarber and JT could play 1B as well even if we traded or non tendered Hoskins after this year. Maybe a trade for a similar change of scenery high pick would benefit both clubs.

[julio]

#Phillies have released the following minor league players:

SS Cash Case
SS Jose Tortolero

— MiLB-Transactions ( @tombaseball29 ) April 1, 2022

[andyb]

I had not thought of the Phillies keeping 16 pitchers, but it does make some sense with Wheeler and Suarez and Eflin on short leashes:

Joe Girardi said roster decisions could go unresolved until Wednesday when camp breaks. A lot of variables, especially in bullpen. Girardi mentioned carrying 16 pitchers, which would mean Stubbs/Camargo/Moniak as bench.

— Matt Gelb ( @MattGelb ) April 1, 2022

Might only be the first time around the rotation which would allow us to see more of the bullpen options. 3 person bench would be Stubbs, Camargo, and an outfielder (Moniak). Either Stott or Bohm would be the 3B but no room for both in this scenario. They would need a 4th bench player after May 1st with the 13-pitcher limit at that time.

[zambonir]

Ah, but does that tilt things towards Bohm (saving that 40-man spot for a pitcher) or Stott (easy enough to tell Bohm, keep working and we expect to bring you back by May)?