Phillies Off-Season 2024-2025 (Part 2 including Spring Training)

[Austinfan]

Got to wonder about the wind in those ST parks when you see a boxscore like that.

[zambonir]

well I don't think it was blowing pitches out of the strike zone

[Philsmania]

Phillies are off today but the first of the last ten non-split-squad ST games is tomorrow. One of my rules of thumb is that the last ten exhibition games are where you really start to see the team that will start the season.

It seems like every year, the Phillies always have at least one split-squad game game in the last week of ST. Do most teams do that? Is that an effort to make sure everyone gets their work in?

[andyb]

Gelb with a roster projection. He is keeping Walker as expected and Nabil Crismatt gets the Strahm relief spot. For position players he keeps Arroyo in the Wilson spot over Kennedy and goes with Marchan over Stubbs also as expected.

Final wildcard is Rojas has not played the field yet. He suggests that spot as a way to keep Clemens for a few more weeks. I might lean towards another RH OF who can at least play CF occasionally like Mercado.

Phillies Opening Day roster projection: Who gets the final spots?

[zambonir]

That seems like a win-win with the Rojas situation really, keeps him in extended or gets him to LHV without it actually being a demotion. At that point is sort of semantic who gets what spot but it seems he is saying Arroyo beats out Kennedy in which case I'd say you are right, they need the RH OF until Rojas is back.

[bkeich]

This is almost a positive to get Rojas some time jnAAA, I just wish we had a better replacement. Maybe on cut down day we can pick up a short term CF as a defensive replacement. Rojas needs some low pressure “hitting” time and a focus on improving his offensive game, with his speed he should be a threat on offense (even if he will never have a good OPS)

[zambonir]

Mercado's an elite defender, I think Andy's right about that. Better to have a good CF and RHB than an extra LH bench bat. It's not like Clemens is going to to PH for or even play for Bohm or Turner and he can't play LF instead of Kepler either. Whereas Arroyo could PH for Kepler or Marsh and then Mercado could replace him defensively, or Mercado could play CF. But it might also actually be a positive to force the Phillies to play Marsh everyday for a while.

[andyb]

I think Mercado is only good defensively in the corners. But he is good enough to play CF in a platoon role with Marsh taking over in late innings. He is probably a bit behind Marsh defensively (but clearly better than putting someone like Kepler in CF in an emergency. Imagine we'd go with Sosa in emergencies too because of the speed.

[zambonir]

He's not getting any younger but per MLBTR at the time of signing:

He can play all three outfield spots and has plus grades in center (10 Defensive Runs Saved, 7 Outs Above Average) in 951 big league innings there.

I guess the Sosa thing is one of the pieces that allows them to keep Clemens though.

[andyb]

Pretty much the regular lineup today with a 4-run first inning (including a Turner leadoff HR and a Realmuto 3B).

[gmwannabe]

From the mouth of Topper, during the broadcast, Painter is scheduled to throw a live BP tomorrow on the back fields. So if Jim or any other of you are down there, maybe get a good look.
gm

[andyb]

16-9 win as the Phillies pour it on today. Kepler, Schwarber and Stott add HRs. Sanchez 1 run in 4 innings and the rest of the runs given up by pitchers unlikely to see Philly any time soon.

Board needs to wake up - all the talk is Eagles, Flyers, Sixers. I think the volume of baseball messages is 4th these days....

[tom81]

It will pick up when the Games count

[zambonir]

Yeah but in past years we sometimes had spring training GDTs, however modest. I imagine the combination of the Eagles' success and the awful ending to the Phillies' season has dampened enthusiasm, and not just here. Home opener is not yet sold out (it's only available in a package but that didn't stop it in advance last year).

The roster is also factor, I reckon. Harder to get excited when there are only medium-sized upside play additions, no position battles except for the fringiest spots, and no prospects trying to make the team (even the one who will isn't going to do it entirely on merit.

Of course we're also Philadelphia sports fans and the Sixers trainwreck and Flyers rebuild is more interesting than Taijuan Walker (which really is the thing we've discussed the most probably).

[dicemen99]

It has been too early in ST. There is literally nothing happening on the field that carries any significance.

This week will be better. It is time to start paying attention. Guys that start hitting this week usually get off to good starts. Guys that may have hit early don't. Anecdotal, I know, but that's how it always seems to work - at least to me.

[phillychuck]

I've been worried along those lines for Kepler, who has been mashing early. Predicts like a 2/15 start...

Bohm and Sosa have been hot, too.

[Philsmania]

Yeah but in past years we sometimes had spring training GDTs, however modest. I imagine the combination of the Eagles' success and the awful ending to the Phillies' season has dampened enthusiasm, and not just here. Home opener is not yet sold out (it's only available in a package but that didn't stop it in advance last year).

The roster is also factor, I reckon. Harder to get excited when there are only medium-sized upside play additions, no position battles except for the fringiest spots, and no prospects trying to make the team (even the one who will isn't going to do it entirely on merit.

Of course we're also Philadelphia sports fans and the Sixers trainwreck and Flyers rebuild is more interesting than Taijuan Walker (which really is the thing we've discussed the most probably).

Another thing that I am hearing--and I don't believe that it is entirely fair--is that many phans perceive that the Phillies had an underwhelming offseason. After the Mets signed Soto, they wanted to see the Phillies do something big and bold and see them mostly running it back (at least with the lineup) as disappointing.

And, add all the local Division 1 men's basketball teams having at-best disappointing at worst disastrous seasons.

[Austinfan]

Phillies had 2nd best record last season, did nothing of merit in the offseason.
Their top prospect, Painter, is MIA until June?
The other prospects were destined to AA and AAA.

So on the one hand, we're all comfortable with this team, on the other, nothing to get excited about.
The biggest story so far is Walker regaining his velocity.
Second biggest is Strahm having shoulder soreness.
The biggest battle is Rojas, Kennedy, Clemons, Mercado fighting it out for the last roster slot.

Yawn.

[zambonir]

Last off-season was even more underwhelming, except they actually had to re-sign Nola and then also extended Wheeler. But nobody's buying a plane ticket to Clearwater to see Kepler or Luzardo. We're a little spoiled, not so much by success, but by expecting a big-ticket contract almost every year. And when the competition is the Dodgers or Mets and your team is still stopping at the last CBT threshold, that's also not exciting, even if it might not matter in the standings.

[jimbomill]

Phillies had an underwhelming offseason

I do like the Luzardo acquisition, but otherwise, I see the Mets improved and they sent us home last season, and that's a concern. Atlanta can't possibly have as many injuries this season, as last, can they? Even Washington has improved. SO, the offseason has been somewhat ho-hum.