Phillies 2021 Spring Training Discussion

andyb 2021-02-27 14:23:22 UTC #94

Your standard Spring optimistic bullpen article. Hope they are right this year:

One small nugget - Alvarado spent a lot of time in their complex after the trade and did a session where he was hitting 98. His deal was a bit under the radar but could end up being one of the most important ones after Bradley.

Taudawg 2021-02-27 21:59:26 UTC #95

Matt Breen with tomorrow's lineup. Love those early spring training lineups!
https://twitter.com/matt_breen/status/1365729277279404032

Sunday's Phillies lineup for their Grapefruit League opener in Lakeland, Fla. against the Tigers:
Adam Haseley
Mickey Moniak
Travis Jankowski
Darick Hall
Scott Kingery
C.J. Chatham
Alec Bohm
Jeff Mathis
Ivan Nova

Taudawg 2021-02-28 00:55:43 UTC #96

Salisbury's update below. Sounds as though Joe G is leaning toward 13 pitchers, 13 position players. Like Jim does in the story, I suspect many of the older guys get jobs and those with minor league options will start the year in AAA.

allentown 2021-02-28 01:13:54 UTC #97

That's tough on the kids, but that's also how you make sure that you have quality replacement players when the inevitable injuries and Covid quarantined players happen. The kids have options and are active and ready in Allentown. Most of the older players can demand their release if they aren't on the MLB players. If a team isn't trying/thinking they have a good chance at making post-season, playing the kids builds the future. In order to contend over a long season, some of the kids need to start the year in Allentown, to serve as injury replacements. the older injury replacements are often 2nd-tier guys without enough leverage to get a promote or release date agreement.

zambonir 2021-02-28 02:11:35 UTC #98

"The kids" aren't necessarily Phillies' minor leaguers. Alvarado and Coonrod both have options. And Salisbury still lists Brogdon as one of the top four guys on the MLB roster (along with Alvarado). Romero probably does lose his spot to Watson (assuming Watson pitches well), and someone else is going to get forced out by the extra starting pitcher (which may also be Howard). And Hale remains on shaky ground of course.

LoneStarPhan 2021-02-28 18:32:37 UTC #99

Ivan Nova starts first game of the spring and only last 1/3 of an inning. Home run, single, single, walk, walk, K. 27 pitches, 2 runs on 3 hits but leaves with bases loaded so on the hook for more runs.

Hennigan comes on to issue a 4 pitch walk to force in another run.
Walks next batter on full count forcing in another run charged to Nova.
Next batter singles, forcing in another run. Hence Nova charged with 5 runs in his third of an inning. SSS astronomical ERA.

Tigers continue to bat in the first, bases loaded, one out and 5 runs already in.

ST GDT 2/28/21: Phillies (Nova) @ Detroit (Alexander)

zambonir 2021-02-28 20:58:40 UTC #100

Worth noting:

NBC Sports Philadelphia will stream its 12 Phillies spring training games on both the NBC Sports app and the MyTeams app, but a subscription to a cable service is required. Fans in the Philadelphia metro area can also get NBC Sports Philadelphia on fuboTV (which is offering a free seven-day preview), YouTube TV, Hulu Live TV, and AT&T TV (though you have to subscribe to their more expensive “choice” package).

MLB.TV is scheduled to stream 17 Phillies games and has eliminated its local blackout rule during spring training. There is a subscription fee, which you can pay monthly or in one annual lump sum.

LoneStarPhan 2021-02-28 21:47:54 UTC #101

Game tomorrow with Baltimore will be on NBCSP+ with a game time of 1:05 EST.

andyb 2021-02-28 22:57:28 UTC #102

MLB Network is showing games also. Looks like the Yankees game is on for the 4th though their schedule shows 4 PM at the moment even though there is no 1 PM game on their schedule yet. Yankees game was on this afternoon so I assume they will be showing a couple a day when they can.

LoneStarPhan 2021-02-28 23:26:54 UTC #103

I think there is good news on the COVID front with the third vaccine now in play. I don't have a reference readily available, but recall reading this week that Pfizer and Moderna both will be shipping about double the vaccine per week in March that they shipped in February. Johnson and Johnson vaccine starts being available next week. We should see vaccine available to healthy individuals 16 to 64 relatively soon. It looks like everyone in that age group may have had a chance to get a vaccine by sometime in June. If so, the risk of COVID disruptions to the baseball season, including the minor leagues, should be greatly reduced.

Of course, we don't know if variants of the virus will be stopped as effectively by the vaccines or even how long vaccinated individuals will be protected, but clearly we are better off now than this time last season.

I think by the end of June, we will have more vaccine available than we can get folks to get the vaccine. There is a significant percent of the population that do not seem to be open to receiving the vaccine. I have seen projections that the anticipated percent of the population to have immunity will level off in the sixties percent. We will see, but the numbers for vaccines projected to be made available this year should provide a vaccination for every person in the country. A fourth vaccine from AstraZeneca probably will be available later this year adding to the availability of vaccine.

zambonir 2021-03-01 00:37:31 UTC #104

I gather that all the Yankees games are televised one way or another.

bkeich 2021-03-01 14:47:04 UTC #105

So, given the historic skill and talent of last years bullpen should we now assume that Nova and Hennigan are locks to make the ML roster in the bullpen. With their "help" we should finally get to that 10.00 ERA apparently we are shooting for.

I understand that Spring Training games are, by definition, meaningless in most ways, but given the mood of the fanbase after almost a decade of falling short of even making the playoffs you would think that in the first spring training game they would at least try to send out a solid lineup and someone who could possibly pitch again in the majors. I am surprised by the complete lack of talent on the field yesterday, really only a few guys that might be on the team and even they are at the bottom of the roster for the most part.

I would have tried to get the fans excited and sent out Nola, Harper, etc. for a game. Doesnt mean you have to over use them during ST, but this was frankly an embarrising way to start a ST (having to put your hands up in the air and say, sorry, we can only get 2 outs against your scrubs, can we just pretend there were 3?)

el-pietro 2021-03-01 15:05:08 UTC #106

Theres a note in here that Didi joined the team on Saturday. I thought he would have to go through manditory quarantine after arriving in the US?

andyb 2021-03-01 15:16:41 UTC #107

I think he was doing that. Sitting in a hotel for a week waiting to be eligible. That will probably be true for any additional free agent signings (not waiver pickups from other teams that are in some sort of bubble already).

allentown 2021-03-01 16:10:48 UTC #108

Good to read that Haseley muscled up by 15 pounds. What you don't ever want to read about one of your team's first round picks: "He’s always been regarded as a “low-motor” type player." Good that he's going to make a concerted effort to combat that weakness this season. After we spent a 1st rounder on LGJ and he proved to have zero motor, eating his way out of baseball, makes one wonder: weren't our scouts instructed to look for this sort of, basically a 'baseball character', problem? Let's hope two misjudgments have prompted a change in the Phillies' Way. Yikes! As first rounders, these are guys who must have been vetted by the area scout, regional cross checker, national cross checker, scouting director, and almost certainly the GM or one of his top advisors, such as Gillick.

el-pietro 2021-03-01 17:57:54 UTC #109

Matt Gelb responded to my question on this, Didi was in quarantine for 2 days while awaiting results from his intake test, so not the 14 days I had read elsewhere.

zambonir 2021-03-01 19:30:10 UTC #110

They are doing that: for the first home game and first televised game.

Even in a normal year the first spring training game almost never features major leaguers of any note, or for very long for the guys they do use. Usually not even the first two (when they would also play an exhibition against a college team). And your best players also almost never go on the road.

zambonir 2021-03-02 01:56:16 UTC #111

Who would have thought Rhys might play before Bryce

Rhys Hoskins and Didi Gregorius should be in the lineup later this week, Girardi said. Bryce Harper is not too far behind.

Taudawg 2021-03-04 15:50:34 UTC #112

This could belong in a couple threads, but I thought it worth mentioning here (see link below). If we end up with a starter surplus, Houston could be trade partner. VV back to the team that drafted him.

BostonRoss 2021-03-05 00:22:07 UTC #113

Pure speculation here. Velazquez for Tauchman.