Phillies 2018 Minor League Placement/Rosters Speculation

[Squire]

Just noodling a round a little here. My primary goals are to get the prospects the playing time/ABs and the best pitchers the starter innings. I'm going with 6 man rotations at all levels.

Lehigh Valley
1B Tommy Joseph
2B Scott Kingery
SS Malquin Canelo
3B Mitch Walding
OF Andrew Pullin
OF Roman Quinn
OF Dylan Cozens
C Cameron Rupp
DH Jesmuel Valentin

Rotation:
RHP Zach Eflin
RHP Tom Eshelman
RHP Jake Thompson
LHP Brandon Liebrandt
RHP Jose Tavares
RHP Enyel De Los Santos

Primary Reserves:
C Logan Moore
OF Carlos Tocci if returned becomes an OF/DH starter rotating with the others.

Notes: Sadly I think Joseph and Rupp are getting sent down. If they don't have options they will be DFA'd and likely clear waivers unless they elect free agency which in all candor they might take given their situations. Even the Triple A rotation is pretty loaded. I wanted to get Cole Irvin and Drew Anderson there but they are still probably behind Drew Hutchinson I think.

[tom81]

I think Quinn makes the opening day ML roster as the 4 man on the bench. I also think there is a decent chance that Eflin is the big clubs 5th starter.

I’m also not sad if Rupp and Joseph get sent down. I think ML ready depth in AAA is important to a team.

[California_Dreamin]

I agree on Quinn. To me, until he proves otherwise, it seems he simply has X amount of healthy games in him, might as well use them in Philadelphia.

[zambonir]

It doesn't seem like they've brought in anyone who's a serious alternative to Quinn, though I guess they could carry two utility types instead of a 5th OF (and obviously they are letting Quinn work out at SS). They'd be sacrificing speed and offense though.

Florimon is listed as an OF on the official roster, which is an accurate reflection of his 2017 action, I suppose.

Hopefully they can offload Joseph somewhere, even if he ends up in AAA for another team. Rupp you probably have to keep.

[allentown]

It's easy to root for him because of his efforts to struggle back from the concussion problems, and he's ours and we always tend to see our own younger guys through the rosy glasses, and there are the HRs to point to, but the HRs can't disguise the truly ugly OBP and bad defense at 1B. Joseph simply is not a MLB first baseman. If we cut him, somebody would put him on their AAA team, but he really was awful last season.

Quinn could well start in Philly this year. One of Eflin/Thompson could start in Philly, depending upon how they come back from what I think likely were injury-hampered seasons last year.

If the Phillies do trade for a pitcher, which they well might since they don't seem to be going my preferred route of one of the top FA SPs, then either Hernandez or Kingery are probably a part of that deal. I strongly hope it is Hernandez who is traded. In either case, Valentin is Allentown's starting 2B.

Other than that, I think your list is correct.

[Austinfan]

Rupp is not going down, he'd be claimed in five minutes, which is why he'll be on the roster or traded.

My Lehigh:
C - two scrubs they've signed
1B - Joseph or some scrub they pick up
2B - Kingery
SS - Mora
3B - Walding
IF - Valentin
OF - Pullin, Quinn, Cozens, Tromp

SP - Thompson, Elfin, Anderson, Eshelman, Taveras, Liebrandt
RP - Rios, Pinto, Davis, Casimiro, Windle, Nunez, Mariott

READING
C Grullon, Bossart
1B Martin
2B Alvarez
SS Canelo
3B Green
IF Gomez
OF Randolph, Coppola, Sandberg, Rodriquez

SP Kilome, De Los Santos, Irvin, Waguespack, El Garcia, Viza
RP Rivero, Singer, Tirado, Gilbert, McGarry, Hammer, Leftwich, E Garcia, Sanchez, Arauz

CLEARWATER
C Cabral, Lartique
1B Hall
2B Cumana
SS Gamboa
3B Williams, Hernandez
OF Moniak, Haseley, Pujols, Laird

SP Romero, Sanchez, Medina, Suarez, Howard, Mills [Fanti, Falter, Requena]
RP Dominquez, Paulino, Hibbs, Quinn, A Brown

LAKEWOOD
C Fitch, Rivero
1B Pickett
2B Brito
SS Guthrie
3B Stobbe
IF Scheiner, Maton
OF Alastre, Ortiz, Matos, Listi,

SP Young, Andy Brown, Llovera, Seabold, Stewart, J Garcia [Russo, Carasco]
RP Parkinson, Ramirez, Jones, Warren Alcantara, Dyer

[zambonir]

Rupp has options.

[julio]

I think Quinn makes the opening day ML roster as the 4 man on the bench.

You're assuming that he'll stay healthy through spring training. With Quinn, that's far from clear!

[Squire]

For what its worth, I think the Major League OF is Hoskins, Herrera, Altherr, Williams and Florimon

[zambonir]

Meaning you think Flaherty or Rosales (or Middlebrooks) make the team as an IF?

[California_Dreamin]

Squire..the question to me is just how healthy is Florimon? Gosh, he suffered a terrible ankle fracture and history has not been good to 30+ players coming back from ankle injuries. If he comes back and plays like he did with the Phils pre injury, he has a good chance of breaking camp. But if he is still in recovery mode I just don't see him fitting in over Quinn.

[allentown]

Brito spent all of 2017 at LKW and isn't going to repeat. I think the Phillies also want Brito paired with Gamboa. Both will start the season at CLW.

Ortiz might surprise and start at CLW. I certainly wouldn't hold him back for Laird or Pujols.

[allentown]

Don't a couple of them have roster guarantee dates, which put them out of the system if they aren't added to the 40-man early in ST. This suggests that if they aren't added, they aren't staying.

[Austinfan]

Brito hit .238 with a .615 OPS.
He's 20 years old.
I think he'll repeat at Lakewood and if he hits, get promoted mid-season.

[andyb]

And he is a top prospect whose offense (i.e. OPS) was hurt by the Lakewood park. His defense was also reportedly very good. Galvis got promoted for years because his defense was good. There is no way Brito does not go to Clearwater unless he has a very poor camp (out of shape, injured, etc.).

Prospects get promoted to their proper level. Lesser prospects like Cumana become reserves or get released.

[tom81]

You're assuming that he'll stay healthy through spring training. With Quinn, that's far from clear!

He's only missed one April in he last 5 years, he usually breaks down later in the year. I like those odds of staying healthy through spring training.

Roman Quinn Stats, Highlights, Bio | Reading Fightin Phils Stats

[nycphils]

I think the major league bench ends up as

Knapp
Quinn
Florimon
Williams

[zambonir]

Don't a couple of them have roster guarantee dates, which put them out of the system if they aren't added to the 40-man early in ST. This suggests that if they aren't added, they aren't staying.

Yup but the 40 spot won't be that much more of an obstacle on March 22 as it would be a week later. If Ryan Flaherty has an amazing spring training they can accomodate him. They could also choose to see what he or one of the other vets has got in April while keeping Florimon in Allentown, as Florimon is not on the 40 either.

But you're right that given Quinn, Cozens, Valentin, Joseph and Rupp all take up space on the 40, that it's more likely Quinn makes the Phillies, along with either Florimon or one of the other vets. If space is truly tight they could go with Valentin of course.

Regarding Florimon, it is fair to wonder about his health but I'm also not expecting him to hit a lick in the end, he's not gonna do what he did last year or what Blanco did in 2015, he's just gonna be the utility guy. Which is another reason Quinn makes sense, carrying two light-hitting versatile guys is something you only do with a five-man bench (and even then it's always a bit puzzling). I think nycphils has it right, Quinn and Florimon aren't competing for a spot.

[Austinfan]

Flaherty will also gauge interest, if there is none at the ML level, he could take an assignment to Lehigh with a sweetener in his minor league contract. I don't think there are limits to what you can pay a minor leaguer, so you could stash a couple former ML vets as insurance.

[Squire]

Reading Phillies

1B Zach Green (have already changed my mind and am pushing Martin to LHV with Joseph gone)
2B Elizier Alvaraz
SS Jose Gomez (i'm being aggressive, Gamboa is my Clearwater SS)
3B Jan Hernandez
OF Cornelius Randolph
OF Zach Coppola
OF Cord Sandberg
C Deivi Grullon
DH Jiandido Tromp

Rotation
RHP Franklyn Kilome
RHP Drew Anderson
LHP Cole Irvin
LHP Elniery Garcia
RHP Tyler Viza
LHP JoJo Romero

Primary Reserves:
INF Drew Stankiewicz
INF Damek Tomscha
C Austin Bossert
OF Mark Laird

Key Pen Pieces
Seranthony Dominguez
J.D. Hammer