And on the eighth day, god created baseball.He molded the earth into the grass and dirt fields needed to play the game. He created the implements with which to play the game. And he created the players who would play the game. And god saw all this as good.
Then he created owners and unions, and everything went to hell in short order.
It has been baseball heaven here the past two weeks – minor league players completing their minicamp, rehab players striving to be ready for the opening of the season, pitchers and catchers (and a few early reports) beginning major league training. The first full workout is scheduled early next week. Grapefruit League games start the following week. Real baseball (not that WBC stuff) is about 7 weeks away.
During the past two weeks, I’ve watched Nola, Kerkering, and others throw bullpens on the half-field in front of the stadium. I recently watched Miller and Sosa take ground balls at shortstop and Stott and Bohm take balls at second and third base respectively.
I’ve also watched some batting practice, fielding practice, and bullpens by a host of minor league prospects attending the High Performance camp.
The major leaguers have a full-squad practice on Monday. Mini camp for invited minor leaguers starts Monday, too.
Important Dates
- February 10, 2026: Earliest date MLB players can be added to the 60-day IL
- February 11, 2026: Earliest date injured players, pitchers, and catchers may be invited to spring training
- February 15, 2026: End of waiver period (Nov. 11, 2025 – Feb. 15, 2026). Outright Waivers secured on or after Nov. 11, 2025, expire at 1 p.m. ET on the seventh day after waivers are obtained or 5 p.m. ET on Feb. 15, 2026, whichever is earlier.
- February 16, 2026: Beginning of new waiver period (February 16 – April 24, 2026). Outright Waivers secured on or after February 16, 2026, remain in effect for 7 days or until 5 p.m. EST, April 24, 2026 (the 30th day of the 2026 season), whichever is earlier. MLR 10.
- February 16, 2026: Earliest date all other players may be invited to spring training
- February 16-28, 2026: Minor League Mini Camp
- February 21, 2026: Earliest date MLB players can be required to report to spring training
- March 1, 2026: Start of Minor League spring training
- March 3-28, 2026: Minor League Spring Training Camp
- March 9,2026: Yankees @ Phillies – AAA/AA – 1 PM
- March 10,2026: Yankees @ Phillies – High A/Low A – 1 PM
- March 12,2026: Blue Jays @ Phillies – AAA/AA – 1 PM
- March 13,2026: Blue Jays @ Phillies – High A/Low A – 1 PM
- March 15,2026: Blue Jays @ Phillies – High A/Low A – 1 PM
- March 17,2026: Tigers @ Phillies – High A/Low A – 1 PM
- March 18,2026: Blue Jays @ Phillies – AAA/AA – 1 PM
- March 19,2026: Spring Breakout Game – Phillies @ Twins; – 1 PM
- March 19,2026: Blue Jays vs Phillies – High A/Low A – 1 PM
- March 20,2026: Yankees vs Phillies – AAA/AA – 10 AM
- March 21,2026: Spring Breakout Game – Blue Jays @ Phillies – 1 PM
- March 21,2026: Tigers vs Phillies – AA @ Clearwater, A – 1 PM
- March 22,2026: Lehigh Valley breaks camp
- March 22,2026: Blue Jays vs Phillies – AA – 1 PM
- March 24,2026: Blue Jays vs Phillies – AA – 1 PM
- March 25,2026: Tigers vs Phillies – High A/Low A – 1 PM
- March 26, 2026: Yankees vs Phillies – AA – 1 PM
- March 26, 2026: Official opening of 2026 MLB season
- March 26, 2026: Active rosters reduced to 26 (13 pitchers) by Noon ET
- March 28, 2026: Reading breaks camp
- March 28, 2026: Jersey Shore breaks camp
- March 28, 2026: Clearwater breaks camp
- July 11, 2026: 2026 MLB All-Star Futures Game, Philadelphia PA
- July 12-13, 2026: MLB First-Year Player Draft, Philadelphia PA (Phillies drop 10 slots)
- December 1, 2026 (11:59 p.m. ET): MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement expires.
Note: These dates will be used unless/until notified differently. (Note that there are many more dates to add from Spring Training through the end of the 2026 season and calendar year. I will add when I have accurate dates for them.)
Transactions
02/12/2026 – Phillies released RF Nick Castellanos
02/12/2026 – Phillies signed FA RHP Francisco Mercedes to an MiLB contract
02/08/2026 – Phillies signed FA RHP Lou Trivino to an MiLB contract
02/08/2026 – RHP Lou Trivino assigned to Lehigh Valley
02/06/2026 – Phillies signed FA LHP D’wichi Ramirez to an MiLB contract
02/04/2026 – 2B Dylan Moore assigned to Lehigh Valley
02/03/2026 – Phillies signed FA 2B Dylan Moore to an MiLB contract
02/02/2026 – Phillies signed FA RHP Daniel Robert to an MiLB contract
02/02/2026 – RHP Daniel Robert assigned to Lehigh Valley
Phuture Phillies 
how much longer do we have to hear Bryce whining about DDs not elite comments? Dude is holding a grudge.
unpopular take but I think Bryce wants out. DD said nah to extension, then the not elite comments.
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On the 9th day beer and peanuts were created…. so that you have something to drink and eat while watching the game and cursing at the owners/unions/players
Harp wants the hardware at this stage of life…. sure would he bail to go play for the dodgers? you know it, but so would probably just about every player in the game…. but there aren’t many other spots i think he would bail to go play… but yes after the pissy pants stuff with extension etc things were bound to sour especially with no hardware to show for the 22/23/24/25 seasons
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Am I missing something? Did they ask DD about an extension for Harper and he responsed with he’s not elite comment or did the “not elite” Just come out when asked about the teams season/Harper? If it’s the latter, Im not sure how that needs or should stay in house. If that was a sales meeting… the entire company knows you didn’t have a “presidents club” year. It’s common knowledge.
The thing that will clear this up is the young prospects coming up, to fill the talent void, and get them over the hump in the playoffs. High expectations for this team again, and for the foreseeable future. They need to get hardware to let cool off the pressure.
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It came out during an interview about the season as I recall.
This is the media re-creating a story that they missed an opportunity to write back when the season ended, and the players had all returned home. Screw the media.
The comment wasn’t a complaint about Harper’s non-elite season. Management wasn’t saying Harper sucked. It was a candid response when asked about the season. It didn’t need to be handled behind closed doors. If Harper was and is still bothered by it, then screw him too. Play up to the contract and everyone will be happy.
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well said, Jim!
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“Play up to the contract” is as good of a response as I have ever heard.
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I agree wholeheartedly. I would love just one reporter to ask Harper if he thinks his season was elite. Put your big boy pants on and understand, when you get to his age in this sport, it’s normal for slippage and it’s VERY fair to at least have a thought if we’ve seen the best of him. That’s all this was, a thought that was shared.
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Thanks. Well said.
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Actually, DD’s comment in context was not offensive. He called Harp an all-star and said “we’ll see” if he returns to elite play. All blown out of context so, I think, Harper is more upset by the out-of-context reporting of what DD said than in his full comment.
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the no extension came earlier last season or maybe before the season. Seemed after that Harp wasn’t as invested. Then after end of season came the not elite comments. All DD said was he didn’t have an elite season. Harp took it to heart is still whining about it. Then he gushed over how amazing the dodgers are.
hes going to be a headache.
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Freddie Freeman’s contract is up after the 2027 season. At that point he will be 38 years old. I don’t see the Dodgers resigning him so they’ll need a first baseman. By then Harper will be 35. I could see a trade between the two teams after the 2027 season if Harper wants out.
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If Freddie wants to stay the Dodgers will keep him like they did Kershaw. Freddie isn’t leaving to chase more money.
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I don’t think DD’s comments were ill-intended, but they were not particularly well thought-out either. Harper busts his ass and the comments, to him, came out of left field. When he talked about it the other day, he was actually pretty neutral and honest, not spiteful or immature. He wasn’t expecting that comment and it hurt his feelings since he always gives his all. He’s the face of the franchise and one of their best players so, there was no reason to antagonize him. This is how it has always been with star players and always will be. So, you can say he should toughen up, etc. . . . but with a guy who is essentially a good guy and tries hard, why kick the bear? He doesn’t need more motivation and never did. Hopefully, this is just a speed bump – I want to watch a team with Bryce Harper, so there.
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I never understood why DD said stuff like that about Harper to the media. Stuff like this should be said behind closed doors.
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Yeah, that’s what Harper said. He was upset that DD was airing those thoughts in public.
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I will follow up, to Jim & others posts:
Ultimately, I think it’s a speed bump. It’s a one off comment. If DD did it at higher frequency, then I could see getting a bit more upset. He essentially “swung & missed” at a high profile news conference. Many times he crushes those questions. Harper should understand, and let it go. For all we know, he maybe using as psychological fuel. He likely would’ve let it have if believed he was gonna get the extension. I bet now he’s annoyed hes going to have to prove it again. I bet his taste for giving a discount is gone. Whatever, either way it should be a speed bump in the relationship.
He needs to win a championship, so the pressure can be relieved a bit. He’s going to feel it. If they would’ve won prior, this is water of the ducks back, but at this point of the championship window, it cranked up the hot water to a point it makes you winch at 1st. They need to win one, and soon.
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Harper is likely not happy that he didn’t get an extension. Now Harper is taking a shot from his own GM for not being elite? Most superstar players have large egos. DD should know better.
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See my comment above. DD wasn’t airing anything out in public. He made a reasonable and appropriately spoken statement but the reporting, a reader reaction to it, focused out of context on one phrase
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He answered a question that he was asked.
When he said that Harper didn’t have an elite season, he was just expressing an objective fact. He didn’t say Harper wasn’t an elite player anymore, just that his season wasn’t elite. Which it wasn’t.
Honestly the only thing that he probably should have said different was saying that the organization believes in him to return to form. But it seems like he was trying to give Harper a quote to motivate him. And despite what Harper insists, he does typically respond to that.
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This was just posted by Tori Sheffer:
“The Pirates have lost Sebastián Pérez, the top catcher in the 2027 class and, according to many scouts, the best catcher in the history of the international class,” Sánchez posted on X. “Pérez combines Judge-like power, Elly De La Cruz’s speed, and Yadier Molina’s defense.
Can a young player really be that good and any chance the Phillies can get him?
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When he’s this close to being able to sign with a team (slightly less than a year away), it’s most likely just going to be the Yankees, Dodgers, or whatever team has the largest pool to throw money at him.
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I saw this article earlier today and sent it to Ruff. It was mentioning that this might give Phillies a chance to land elite catcher for the future. No idea how all the international stuff plays out. Who knows if any chance for Phillies on this one. But it was at least out there and mentioned.
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yes- no
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Yancel Rodriguez OF 3M
Leonel Rodriguez LHP. 350k
Yeferson Sanchez RHP 1.3M
we have about 2M left
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I recognize that some order of Trea, Schwarb, and Bryce start the season as the top 3 in the lineup while we all collectively pray that someone steps up to bat 4th. But I think what’s much more important is if someone like Crawford, Stott, or Miller, or possibly Kemp, could force their way to the top of the lineup by July or August to lengthen this lineup. I’d love for something like this to make sense by August: 1) Crawford CF 2) Trea SS 3) Bryce 1B 4) Garcia RF 5) Schwarber DH 6) Kemp LF 7) Stott 2B 8) Realmuto C 9) Miller 3B
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Schwarber making $30M per year and batting 6th?
If Crawford is leading off, it means he’s hitting like .320.
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5th
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Regarding Harper – and I am sorry to bring it back up because it is already too much about an offhand comment by DD to put some mojo back in his player – there has to be some angst that this team is very much Schwarber’s too. When we look back in 5 years we will likely remember the happy homer hitting teddy bear of a guy who was loved by his teammates. This team is as much Schwarber’s as it is Harper’s – somewhere that has to rankle Harper ?? Has his crown been usurped ? Think so – to some degree.
Dodgers will likely sign the kid catcher that the Pirates lost for $100 million deferred over 50 years. You can book it.
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During Harper’s latest interview, he stated that he believed Schwarber was going to sign with Reds and not be back in Philly. He also stated that he didn’t talk to him to try to convince him to stay as he stays out of that. He also said the same thing about thinking JT was gone as well and didn’t talk to him about staying. His reasoning was, the players have to do what’s best for them and their families. Is this typical for players on teams? As the de facto leader of this team, wouldn’t he try to talk them into staying ?
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thought that was weird as well. Basically Harper isn’t cheerleading people to sign with a team he’s supposed to be a leader of
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Harper is a big MLB union guy. He’s not going to try to convince guys to take less money to play in Philly.
Would be a bit hypocritical.
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I have tickets for the final 3 days of the WBC, and I am very much excited about seeing these games. Some folks do not like the games. I’d like to hear some opinions.
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I loved the last go around… that Grand Slam from Turner was total hype. Especially for what it looked like the Phillies were getting. Then Seeing a Mike Trout vs Ohtani matchup as the final at bat? You couldn’t write a better script… except for Trout crushing the pitch over the wall to win the title for Team USA. I also liked it because it weakened the Mets when Diaz went down stupidly… now… obviously my opinion would change if something happened to a Phillies player. Overall, I like these tournaments … and Im glad its not the olympics, as I feel like the non professionals should play.
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Fangraphs top prospect list is out. Only 2 Phillies. Miller at 13 and Painter at 27.
Zach Neto comp for Miller. Painter a risk of being only a mid rotation guy unless he can get the run on his fastball that he had pre-injury.
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2026-top-100-prospects/
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Well… not too much longer and the baseball world is going to see about that “run” on his fastball. I would think Painter has a very good chance to get that “run” back on his FB, now that he is far enough removed from the surgery. This could get to be a long speculative post, but I wonder if A) he changed his arm slot or wrist rotation for his FB to prevent another injury or B) if the team told him to hold off on the wrist rotation until the arm is healed.
Im not a pitching expert, just knowing that over rotating the wrist can put more pressure on the elbow. Hopefully he can rotate his wrist less, and change his grip placement to get a simliar movement as he did before.
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Gelb in the Athletic just had an article about Painter and his lowered arm slot. They recognized it last year but didn’t want to make the adjustment with everything else that was going on.
They are working on raising it this spring.
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He’s also ack to long tossing which was a no-no last year as well. I expect him to return to his previous prospect status
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I did find myself googling both Bryce Harper and Jonathan Papelbon recently to brush up on the details of that situation.
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All that ancillary stuff to create content and stir clicks is not my thing. I’m just into the on field baseball stuff.
Personally I don’t give those articles the click they are fishing for and when the local news stations start trying to talk about it I flip to a different station.
That’s just me…
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This entire “story” highlights the difference between playing in a big market vs. a small market.
In a big market, a meaningless comment in October remains a story into the following February because there are lots of media outlets looking for eyeballs and controversy generates attention.
It’s a stupid story that everyone is trying to escalate into something.
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Harper is as much to blame as anyone about this story not going away. He talked about it again on the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast. He’s not letting it go.
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oh, he’s certainly not blameless in the whole thing. He’s helping to feed the flames.
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I appreciate the Phillies really trying to build in Latin America and hopefully it pays off in the future but signing a 5th grader for 1.8 million seems a bit ridiculous yes?
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It is ridiculous but that’s how the game is played. You sign the best LA talent you can and hope for the best.
Imagine watching the little league world series and try to determine who can be a future big leaguer. Good luck with that.
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They didn’t sign him. It’s a pre-agreement. It’s like a letter of intent for football players; it’s not binding, just an agreement that may or may not be broken in the future.
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Tony Clark packing it in before the fun begins ….. well Houda woulda thought!
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Having a relationship with your sister-in-law can create an awkward situation when trying to garner sympathy for your side.
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Not only that, Thanksgiving Dinner can be a testy time not conducive to good digestion.
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Last year the Phillies had the 5th worst defensive outfield. Negative 16 DRS. Negative 11 fielding run value.
Castellanos was one of the worst outfield defenders in baseball with a -11 DRS. Marsh is not a center fielder. He had a -6 DRS in CF. Marsh has been a plus defender in left his entire career.
This year’s Phillies outfield defense will be one of the best in baseball. Garcia is one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball. His 16 DRS last year was second best in all MLB outfielders. Marsh moves back to left and Crawford should be a plus defender in CF. We should have 3 plus defenders in the OF. That’s a big area of improvement from last year’s squad. I honestly don’t remember many Phillies teams where we didn’t have at least one bad defensive outfielder.
No fly zone baby.
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“I can’t remember a Phililies OF with at least 1 bad defender” … its gonna be short lived imo. I think someone makes Marsh expendable this year, for a more consistent bat & slow footed Left fielder. Kemp is my top pick to push Marsh out for regular playing time, even against RH pitching. If not him, Miller is my “out of Left field” answer… as his bat will likely force the Philies hand. The question from there.. is if Rojas will beat Marsh out for the bench spot. This all goes to crap if Garica is worse than Castellanos… but thats pretty difficult to envision at this point. As I think you mentioned before, or another poster… the bar is pretty low for these prospects to come up and improve the team. Marsh & Stott need to make it click this year or they have serious competition for their spots. That’s not evening mentioning if Anthony or Rincones Jr break through. I get they all won’t …but odds are someone will.
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Don’t see them replacing Marsh’s .838 ops vs. RHP with Kemp’s .671, especially since Marsh is the much superior defensive player.
Kemp is more likely to be the guy who gets sent to AAA if Miller is ready by mid-summer.
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Marsh and Kemp are a really good platoon in LF.
Marsh destroys RHP and Kemp has a .786 OPS against LHP.
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I’d be really surprised if Otto handles limited PA’s against only LHP that well.
Generally a veteran is more suited to that side of a platoon but we’ll see. They should at least see how it does through the first couple months of the season.
Garcia has reverse splits against lefties just looking at 2025. A little better in 2024.
Sosa handles limited playing time very well but he’s abysmal in the OF.
It really wasn’t a well thought out offseason from that perspective.
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all fair points,however, im in spring mode, which is “optimistic” time. I’m going to say Kemp plays closer to his minor league stats, low .800 ops 30 hrs. Reason he was in a prolonged heater before being promoted, but a broken kneecap likely altered his swing, zapped his power .. if we are being optimistic. Will see, if not, the platoon could work if no one over takes the duo
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Always better to be better defensively than not but that team still won 96 games and the NL East. And I don’t recall OF Defense costing them the playoffs.
96 is a high bar for a win total. I’m sure everyone here would bet the under on that for 2026.
Phillies ranked 8 in Runs Scored so I’ll be watching that stat more closely than DRS.
They were really good in team OPS ranked 4. Not much improvement needed with that but their HR total rank of 9 while ok for the pitching performances they received, this season it will need improvement if they intend on winning 96 again.
Where those extra HRs come from is anyone’s guess. BH could certainly hit 35+ his 27 last season was ok but you are subtracting Casty’s 19 and Kepler (Surprisingly) 18 is 37 HRs.
Its going to be really interesting to see how this shakes out…
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93 – Milt, Dude, and Eisey. Of course when Inky and Wes were playing the corners, not so much.
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Inky was a butcher. Worse than Burrell.
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I thought that too, and this is a limited point of reference, but the WAR numbers suggest Pat was definitely worse than Inky. It might because Pat had even less range. Certainly Pete looked horrible in the outfield. But it was fun to watch both guys hit, that’s for sure.
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I went to every home game during the 1993 playoffs and World Series. I would go and watch them take batting practice and Pete Incaviglia’s batting practice was just insane. Consistent upper deck.
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I was there too, was a freshman at Widener that October. Passed up a full golf scholarship to a SC school so I could be close to that team’s run.
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I was a senior in high school. my sister worked for PHL17 which had limited home game package back then. so I got tickets given to me. I was so happy, I went down right after school and watched all BP for every game. What a run. Paul Molitor was insane that series. we couldn’t get him out. completely locked in.
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Unpopular opinion: Phillies scouting under Barber has been solid — 5 players on consensus Top 100 lists: Miller, Painter, Crawford, Tait, Klassen.
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Why do you say unpopular? I think people have been relatively happy with his drafts.
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I have been. But it seems we (Phillies fans) like to complain, I guess.
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Yup, I drew the same conclusions. His drafts have been solid – I gave him a B and I think that’s a fair grade. He’s done what the scouting director must do and what the Phillies did during their heyday – they nailed top picks. If you do that, you can maintain a very good team.
If they had had someone like Barber running the show during the 2015-18 period, the team might look quite a bit different (or maybe not? What do I know?).
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This Aidan Miller to LF thing is not happening. First, for 2026, he’s working at SS and 3B this spring. If he makes the roster at any point this season, it will be at SS, 3B, or 2B – that’s it. He’s not coming up to be an OF or pinch hitter. If an OF need arises desperately, the team will consider a trade, Rincones, playing Schwarber in LF, or moving Bryce to LF all before they’d call up a rookie and say go learn to play LF at the same time you’re learning to hit big league pitching.
So his path to SS this year is only a Trea injury. His path to 2B is a Stott injury, and his path to 3B is a Bohm injury or a Bryce injury with Bohm moving to 1B. Having said all that, he will only get called up if he’s absolutely ready or the Phils will go with Sosa in those roles.
As for the OF longer term, I can’t see a scenario where they would devalue a guy’s impact who has the tools to play SS, and likely 3B or 2B, by moving him to the OF. With Bohm and Stott becoming free agents after 26 and 27, and Trea possibly moving off SS at some point, I don’t see any scenario where he trains to play the OF.
I know if this was Fantasy Baseball it would be really easy to plug him in LF, but it’s not and they won’t.
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its not highly probable, but on this team… i wouldn’t rule it out. They’ve done it over years, and likely a few different regimes. Put it this way. They did try to get Sosa’s bat in the lineup last year. Also, Kemp was primarily at 3B if im not mistaken… so its not totally out in LF 🙂 I would say Harper, Turner, Realmuto, & Schwarber at the only ones you would not move to a different position. The others.. if a prospect is on a major hot streak .. it’s going to be difficult to not look at LF at some point… with Turner playing a worthy SS, and Stott the same for 2B. Somebody would have to move. This team wants to win, the offense is the weak point… they will find room for him imho. That seems like LF since Bohm can’t imo. Unless Bohm is having a terrible walk year offensively, then it’s a bit easier. I see him having a better year than last… Praying Stott has it click for a full year.. if Stott is crapping out .. then its easy to.. but I have a feeling none of these players are going to make it easy for him to push them out. Let’s see how he does, if he torches AAA pitching, they’ll find a spot for him somewhere.
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Let’s talk about long-term first. Long term you need Aidan Miller to play a critical defensive position in the infield? If you ask why, the answer is simple: because he can. The higher the defensive position the player can handle competently (and he’s supposedly a very competent fielder), the more valuable he becomes, plain and simple. A shortstop that hits .290/.370/.500 is wayyyy more valuable than a DH with the same offensive stats.
Short term, his playing in the infield will, for all intents and purposes, be possible only if either Stott or Bohm are injured or traded. Stated differently, I don’t see the Phillies benching Stott or Bohm. Most likely, I see one of those players being traded and, to me, the obvious trade candidate is, and always has been, Bohm. Now, if he becomes an offensive force in the minors, is it possible that his bat could even play in left field for this year? It’s not likely, but it’s possible. If that happened, the team could elect to trade Marsh instead, but I think that would be short-sighted because, by next year, Bohm would be gone as a free agent if Miller is anywhere as good as we expect him to be.
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If the INF (Turner, Stott, and Bohm) are all healthy and performing and the OF (Marsh, Crawford, Garcia) are underperforming while Miller mashes in AAA there’s no question in my mind he starts getting outfield reps.
Positional flexibility is one of the most important attributes successful teams look for in players. He’s young enough and Bobby Dickerson is an elite coach, he can move back to INF next year.
Do I think this happens in ST or April/May? No he needs to stay sharp if someone gets hurt and focus on adjusting to AAA but closer to the middle of the season is when I would expect it to become a possibility.
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Great article on Crawford’s being a great bunter. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7053513/2026/02/18/justin-crawford-phillies-outfielder-bunting/?source=user_shared_article
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The Orioles lost (or are likely to lose) their starting 3B. Would you today trade Alec Bohm to the O’s (for idk what) and allow Aidan Miller to play 3B the entire season? Maybe more of a midseason trade if O’s still don’t have a solution? If midseason, pretend Bohm’s performance has been above his norms to the point where he’s decent protection for Harper and knocking in the runs he needs to knock in, but Aidan Miller is absolutely crushing AAA pitching.
I think it depends on how risk averse (or not) you are. I think there’s some value in 250+ plate appearances at AAA for Miller given that represents a decent jump in competition.
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This is where the philosophical differences between the Phillies and Eagles drive me absolutely crazy. The Phillies won’t trade Bohm – I don’t think it’s even remotely possible. The Eagles would leverage the situation and would definitely trade Bohm (if they could) for a much higher return knowing Sosa is at least as good as Bohm (seriously, he is) and the third baseman of the future might be here as early as mid-season. But this is why one team wins championships and the other runs back some variation of last year’s (non-championship) team almost every year. I don’t hate the Phillies’ management by any means, but let’s keep it real.
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I just don’t think Bohm has much value to anybody other than the Phillies.
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Well, you could certainly be right about this. Signing him alone was a risk.
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I don’t know, a team that’s trying to win now (like the O’s) who needs a starting 3B might be interested when the prospect cost wouldn’t be insane and the guy isn’t signed long-term, especially when the guy is someone who is *capable* of hitting 20+ doubles, 20+ homers, and knocking in 100 runs. Not saying they should, but I could see why they would.
I agree with original catch, it’s a deal that a sharp organization would do because it lowers their payroll this season and they can do Kemp/Sosa until Miller is ready if they wanted to even.
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I agree with this. Bohm has more value to us than anyone. We are win now team, not a rebuild. Bohm contract isn’t that bad and is in a contract year (a year players seem to play up since they know a lot of money is on the line). Trading him for a mid tier prospect or a 5-6th starter is not more valuable to a win now team and that’s all that we would get.
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yawn…
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Can Justin Crawford Get off the Ground, and Stay off the Ground?
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/can-justin-crawford-get-off-the-ground-and-stay-off-the-ground/
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Article in the Athletic…Top 20 rookies in spring training to make an impact in 2026. No mention of Crawford or Painter. I was disappointed. Thought at least one or both would be highlighted. Our season depends on at least one playing good enough to be in the running for N L rookie of the year.
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Baseball Prospectus new rankings of their top prospects:
“11) Aidan Miller, SS, Philadelphia Phillies (Age: 21.79, Previous Rank: 31)Potential Earnings: $20-25
Risk Factor: Medium
Fantasy Overview: Miller’s electric second half–which also included 22 stolen bases in 39 games–has quelled concerns related to his early-season struggles. He looks the part of a potential complete five-category performer, with 20-20 or better upside. Miller is also on the verge of the majors and should debut early in 2026.”
Excerpt From
“The BP Dynasty 101 For 2026”
Jesse Roche
Baseball Prospectus
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Does anybody know if Phillies.tv will give me access from Colorado to watch most spring training games that are airing on NBC Sports Philly? I don’t get MLB Network with YouTubeTV so I need another path…
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I am impressed with DD, except the Bo situation, but that is really not his fault. Specifically, with how he is handling Bryce. Many of us have been able to read Jim’s tea leaves about Bryce but with how vocal he has been recently, maybe DD has awaken the comfortable sleeping beer for this coming season?
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Someone should simulate GM4, BOT7, 1 out, 2-2 count, Sanchez vs Call… 1-0 elimimation game.. and see what the ABS system says… that’s a situation where you are calling it imo, but who knows, maybe they team would want to not make the call if they already used one challenge and or then wanted to save it for later in the game since it was so tight.
Strike 3 is what it should be called but, I can still see the ABS missing the call.
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One interesting tidbit about Kemp’s knee injury last year was reported this morning: it was so bad he had difficulty going down stairs. In the field, it particularly affected him at 3B. I’m pretty bullish on him making a real contribution this year.
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commence crawford hype
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This just popped up from a non-hyper:
Matt Winkelman @mattwinkelman.bsky.social
· 35m
His swing looks so much better. This is not the ground ball swing, it is a real swing now
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1st game of the season. However, 2 rockets (1 pulled just foul – home run distance). 2nd AB – pitch clock K. 3rd AB – line drive single (though should’ve been caught). Not sure anyone else hit a ball hard
Nori had to called 3rd strikes. Both were close but challenges used up earlier in the game
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I couldn’t follow the whole game, but some other guys had hard hit balls, too. Just not great launch angles for the rest. De La Cruz’s single was drilled into the dirt, but it was 102 off the bat. Anthony had a beautiful 101 MPH liner, but right into the CF glove. And Garcia was actually hitting the ball hard consistently… just straight into the air.
Glad Justin is coming out of the gate strong. Just hope it continues into the season.
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I am sorry if this was discussed before but is the Phillies roster better with Adonis Garcia than Harrison Bader?
Just seems like offensively it is a wash. Garcia more power, Bader higher average. The big difference seems to be Baders versatility and defense.
Btw, Garcia’s average for last September was less than .100.
Not trying to be negative, I guess maybe skeptical.
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It’s not really Bader vs. Garcia. We were never signing Bader to play RF, and Garcia is not going to be playing CF.
Really, the player that caused the Phillies to move on from Bader is Crawford. And while I loved Bader, his numbers last year are not likely to be repeated. So rolling the dice with Crawford is a good gamble for a team that needs to get younger.
I guess you could argue that we could have signed him and traded Marsh, but honestly I think Marsh will have the better year (and for less money) than Bader.
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Really the argument is Crawford CF +Garcia RF vs Bader & Castellanos. You are likely to get a better offensive & defensive from Crawford & Garcia for a cheaper price. I’m not sure of the exact numbers but i believe it would go something like 15m for bader, 20mil Casty x1.5 for the CBA penalty – 52.5m for those too theoretically… and .8mil for Crawford, 20 mil Casty, & 10mil for Garcia. It’s about a 6mil difference depending on the CBA would work out. It’s a gamble, but I’d argue it’s a wash, with the higher likelyhood of Crawford/Garcia being the better combo with less $$$ commitment past this year as well. Bonus, if Garica goes off, you can resign him as well..and it’s built in already with Casty coming off the books.
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Its gonna be a long 40 days or so LOL.
ST gets so over analyzed anymore. I’ll continue to stress this is going to be a very good team as it sits even if it wins less than 96 games which I expect it will.
For me the excitement is in the next wave of players that can come from the farm and be contributing MLB players. Painter and Crawford are already here and Miller, Escobar and even Nori may not be that far off.
A WS is the furthest thing from my mind right now and I’m still bullish on the next few years.
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Wait until someone gets off to a slow start in April and everyone is demanding they be released to open a spot for ***.
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Haha true but in all honesty I’ve been guilty of that myself over the years…
I guess at the EOD the appeal of PP is just that. Maybe I’m getting old and finally learning to appreciate the simpler things.
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My friend not older, your just wiser
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Thats usually when it happens in this town… im not sure it has ever happened when it’s expected… so … good time to place bets on Phils winning it all this year. It’s the Dodgers on paper… but im betting the Baseball gods won’t be looking to kindly on them this year. Just a hunch.
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Really? A WS is the furthest thing from your mind right now? For me, it’s all I think about when I think about this team. What’s the point of having a team with a bunch of early to mid-30s veterans if you’re not trying to win the WS NOW?
The issue is, wow do they go from a team that can’t get over the hump to WS champions? To give them credit, I think they are thinking about that too. I know Ranger is gone, but overall, I think this is a more well-rounded pitching staff. If Wheeler can come back and, by the end of the year, be part of the solution they will be set up about as well on the mound as they have ever been. It’s all about the line-up and producing runs. Hopefully, the burst they get from the young guys is exactly what they need. Look, the mid-90s Yankees didn’t have that extra mojo until Jeter joined their line-up. The Phillies need a similar shot in the arm and who is to say this current crop of minor leaguers (probably the best group since Hamels, Utley, Howard block of the mid-2000s) can’t be the difference? Go Win a Championship. That’s what I’m thinking about.
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Agreed. They have enough. It’s about getting to the playoffs. Then playing hot or squeaking by whoever they are playing. It doesn’t have to be pretty, they just need to win. That’s what i hope they focus on. Manufactured runs with power surges. Contact vs high SO totals. Hard hit contact or weak contact at least gives the chance for the other team to commit error. Sometimes that’s all you need. We all saw that. Combine it with a missed call. You can squeak by any team. If they could get it done this year, get revenge on the dodgers, block them from a three peat … win it all… it goes a long way to letting the core take a deep breath.
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yepper… gotta put the ball in play and make it happen.. walking back to the dugout with a bat in hand is noway to be
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Well I hear you Catch I just approach my fandom from a different POV these days. For the sake of my blood pressure perhaps.
I’ve always been a Phillies fan but I’m an even bigger baseball fan in that I will always watch a professional baseball game if I can. I don’t do that with the other sports.
If Skenes or Skubal are pitching I’m watching. When I can watch this Konner Griffin kid I will. If the Mets are on I’m watching and rooting for the other team.
If the Eagles are playing I watch but I don’t watch any of the other NFL games. Same for the other sports.
Maybe its less about fandom for me now than it was a decade or so ago and more about entertainment value. So to that end this era of Phillies baseball since BH arrived has been highly entertaining.
Middleton has given me a sense of the Phillies are in good hands and won’t be down for long (in terms of not being a playoff team)
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I just have to say that for the majority of all of our lives the Phillies have not been that great. While I totally understand the frustration that we haven’t won the World Series in this team’s run, I do sincerely hope we can all appreciate watching the better part of 162 games of great Phillies baseball in comparison to most seasons over the near 150 years of this franchise. Don’t let the disappointment of October ruin your April May, June July, August and September .
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for sure.. but i also could clang my way up to the 700 level with my cargo shorts stuffed with killians red bottles back then
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yes, tickets were like 3.50 apiece for 700 level
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The Phillies are high on Otto Kemp and for good reason. Otto Kemp can flat out smoke the baseball. His homer exit velocities can be positively Harper-like. And, as I said last year, Kemp has great at bats and really looks like he knows what he is doing at the plate – his approach is sound. This, of course is no guarantee of success, but if you forced me to put together a list of players who could prove to be a surprise success this year, Kemp would be at or near the top of that list for sure.
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I’ll go on record now and state that Alec Bohm will have a higher OPS+ at the all-star break than Otto Kemp..
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I would take Kemp side of that bet.
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I might take Kemp too, but it’s almost beside the point. Kemp is a developing player being paid the MLB minimum – Bohm is a sixth year veteran making over $10 million. Kemp is likely to win the value proposition running away.
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By the way, I’m not trying to pile on Alec Bohm – he’s worked hard to turn himself into a big league regular, particularly with his fielding. My point is that, on a team full of stars who get paid big bucks, the Phillies need to find ways to save money. The easiest way to do that is to have young players who are competent but inexpensive. From that perspective, Bohm, an average player, is a guy who they should replace with a less expensive player – and there is every reason to believe he can be replaced and at least two (possibly three) candidates are already in-house.
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The Eagles would almost certainly never have paid a player in similar circumstances. And if you’re asking why we should care what the Phillies are paying to Bohm, well, giving Alec Bohm that money (again, no offense meant to him personally), means that other needs went unmet, but who knows, maybe Bohm goes on to have a career year this year (which would be great except it could induce DD to sign him to a long term deal, which I would really not like). I have no idea.
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Kemp has an outside chance to be a real disturber on this team, in the sense if he develops … it’s going to make some tough choices coupled with an emerging Miller. They are going to start running out of spots, especially if Crawford holds down CF. Now none of its happened yet, but I’m thinking the daycare is on a shorter leash than they might believe. Hypothetically, if Kemp is .280 with 25-30 bombs, marsh is to the bench… Crawford is in CF. Garcia is having the FA year he needs..s.. and Miller is showing he’s ready at AAA…. Who’s moving Bohm? Stott? It’s a scenario I’ll be watching. Obviously it can go a lot of ways but… this may not be too unlucky from happening. It will be good deadline gunpowder if so
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People on here have said what I think are some nutty things about Garcia. Odds are that he’s going to be disappointing – another early-mid-30s stop gap that doesn’t work out too well. But, at best he’s a one year fill-in, he rakes and they let him go next year. I sure as hell don’t want them signing him at age 34 next year to a long term deal, which some have suggested.
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Well, if Kemp is .280 with 25-30 bombs then he’s an all-star player who will find a home. Of course, there were just 6 guys total in the majors last season who hit .280 with 25 or more HR.
Judge
Othani
Springer
Yany Diaz
Kendel Marte
Jose Ramirez
And soon to be Otto Kemp.
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okay, maybe spring optimism got the best of me. He should be able to hit 25 hrs. He’s was on pace for 20 last year, figure a health Kemp can pace a bit better. The avg is tough, since no really cares about it anymore apparently. If he could take over the cleanup spot, it would be welcome addition. It would be Bohm with power. Obviously he’s gotta do it but that’s what I’m hoping for. Then miller can push Bohm or Stott to the bench or trading block. As said before, some potentially touch decisions if these younger guys develop. Running out of spots. Still have a few more who want their say as well. Will just have to see how it all unfolds. Hopefully when the dust settles it’s the right amount of offenses, defense, and pitching to bring home the 1st title since 2008. It’s 2026… Phillies are due.
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We’ll see how it all plays out, but this team is as good a bet as any since 2022 to go all the way. Frankly, the 2023 team was probably a Jhoan Duran away from winning it all, but they just hit a wall. Post-season baseball can be brutal.
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Garcia as much as I would like to be surprised was a FA last year and that didn’t seem to motivate him all that much. I’d be happy if he can come close to Nick’s numbers with the better defense but as I stated before with Nick in the LU and in RF they won 96 games.
Kemp I like and there could be some upside with him but it will be hard for him to realize any real potential as a part time player. In his role he may be more likely a 240 15-20 HR guy.
I guess a chance exists where Garcia gets the platoon with Marsh in RF and Kemp gets more PA’s than I expect he will.
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Now we are talking!
https://x.com/wilberdata/status/2026827778977308715?s=20
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This is a CRAZY comment to make when one of the Acuna brothers is a former MVP
“Without a doubt, he is the most talented of the three brothers.”
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Yeah, that was fun but seems unlikely. But clearly the tools are there.
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Curious when did pre-agreements become a thing? I like following prospects but I don’t know if I am ready for this LOL
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They’ve been a thing for about as long as clubs have had rules about when they could sign Latin American prospects.
If you’re asking in regards to the 11 year old in the news for his pre-agreement with the Phillies, it’s only a, “story” because normally we don’t hear dollar amounts. But it’s common practice.
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Follow up question if anyone knows. These kids seem so young how often do they end up actually signing with teams they commit to once they become eligible to sign?
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I don’t know specific numbers. I would have assumed that major league teams would respect the agreements of other teams. I would have also assumed all the power favored the team over the player. However, this article proves that thinking wrong.
https://heavy.com/sports/mlb/new-york-yankees/jorge-luis-jimenez-twins-prospect-lose/
Additionally, during this signing period, I remember a story about a team pulling its agreement with a player leaving a 16-year-old in the position of possibly not signing since most teams had already committed their international money years before this signing period began.
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Coming off the Renteria news, I am psyched!
Signing talented young players is, if you know how to pick ’em, the best investment you can make, bar none.
What a great development!!!!
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This is an amazing story of a relief pitcher in Phillies system. he struck out all 3 hitters in 1 IP today in spring training. So I looked him up and his back story is unbelievable. Stories like this is what makes baseball so great.
https://www.milb.com/news/chuck-king-gave-up-baseball-at-23-years-later-he-s-solidifying-reading-s-rotation
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Sat 96-97 with sinker paired with an 83 mph slider. He threw some changes today too, but clearly his slider is his out pitch.
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Easy to pull for such stories.
Makes me want to try to recreate “The Rookie” Dennis Quad story line… sadly… even if I hit high 90s … it wouldn’t be enough as it might have back in 2000-2010. relief pitchers are on another level these days. I’d have to go for the mop up story line 🙂
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It’s unbelievable how many pitchers these days throw 97 or harder.
In the 1980s, you maybe had one guy on your team, two tops, that threw that hard – they were like unicorns. But some guys did throw that hard and that includes starters. I went to a Phillies/Cubs game over the 4th of July weekend in 1999, where the on-field temperatures at the Vet were like 160 degrees (and I was sitting with my 5 year old on the metal risers – yikes!) and Curt Schilling’s FB sat between 97-99 MPH pretty much all day. It was incredible!
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In 1999? Did they leave gloves on field back then.
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Yeah, they did. You should remember, it was right around the time of your retirement party :), I, by contrast, was still a young man at the time (LOL).
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Wheeler throwing from the mound yesterday was a welcome sight. Is it too much to expect that he could return to his prior injury abilities?
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I don’t see any reason he wouldn’t. His surgery was for a vascular issue and was not nerve related. Much less likely to have long-term effects.
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So far so good on Nola, 93mph this early … hopefully by end of camp he can get to 94…dare I hope for 95?
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In the NLDS, he was hitting 95 in his two innings against the Dodgers. I was wondering if maybe instead of trying to last 7 innings, maybe the Phillies should as him to air it out early and shoot for 5 innings. I’d rather have a very effective 5, then a mediocre to disappointing 5.2.
Not saying that Nola is anywhere near Corbin Burnes, but the year he beat out Wheeler in the CY, he had like, 40 fewer innings. Ask Nola to try to do that instead.
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Is that Interstate 95?
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No.
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is there any concern about Miller and his back ? Looks like he has been having this issue for a while and that’s why he had to forgo the Arizona Fall League.
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sounds like something is up. They will likely say something today about it assuming . Hopefully it’s not a chronic issue
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Having back issues at 40 is an issue as a non athlete. Having back issues as a 22 year old athlete seems like an issue.
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Yes, I agree. Here we are, approx 5 months later since he started having issues and his back is still not right. Also, Dombrowski said he has already had a setback this spring. This is not good.
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I’m pretty hyped for Painter’s start here. The future is here.
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He looked good.
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Athletic has a new article that Miller’s back was bad LAST year, and he had a relapse at the beginning of spring training. He sounds close to being ready to go. I wonder whether he should talk to Cole Hamels about his chiropractor. I also wonder whether playing the infield is really his long-term future if the back issue will be ongoing.
I watched Painter and trying really hard not to get too excited about him.
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25 years ago, piriformis syndrome was often misdiagnosed as lower back pain since it can mimic disc issues by irritating the sciatic nerve. Hopefully his situation is of a similar nature and easier to pinpoint — it took me years, multiple doctor visits, and two+ years of PT to finally figure it out.
Younger athletes often develop imbalances from overtraining larger muscle groups, and with today’s advanced sports medicine advancements they’ll get it worked out. Cross your fingers it’s not a degenerative spine issue.
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I’m bullish on Painter and like what I saw but my enthusiasm will remain tempered until I start seeing a more defined change up and a more polished silder or curve.
MLB hitters will figure you out even if you have 100 MPH if you can’t land your other pitches.
Especially a second and third time through a LU.
Another prospect I’ve been very bullish on Escobar has shown poorly thus far at the plate. Too aggressive when he shouldn’t be and not ready when he needs to be.
Yesterday he takes strike 3 right down the middle and then challenges it Q the disgusted face emoji. Someone should tell him he’s not making the team out of ST so just relax.
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I think we shouldn’t jump to too many conclusions on Aidan Miller. If this were happening in the middle of the season people would be far less stressed out about this. You never know anything for sure, but the odds are that they are going to figure this out and fix it. Until I hear otherwise, I’m just going to assume this will just delay him a little and will not seriously alter his career arc. The good news is, I expect, they are going to spare no expense to figure out what’s wrong with him and get him the best medical and rehab care available.
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On Painter. I think he’s going to be a long-term work in progress, between him working on command, developing pitches and probably slowly increasing velocity as he moves further and further from TJ surgery.
Right now, Painter’s stuff is a like a 3 (or maybe a very good 4) because while he throws hard, the FB doesn’t have a ton of life in the strike zone and none of his off-speed stuff is off the charts . . . yet. But that’s okay. Painter is, I am sure, going to work hard over the next few years to improve command and develop new pitches. In terms of raw stuff, Painter is very similar to a younger Zack Wheeler. A good arm and good command, but no single pitch that is dominating. Further good news is that Painter could not possibly be in a better situation in terms of the veterans that surround him and the pitching coach. We don’t give Caleb Cotham the credit he deserves around here. He’s a FABULOUS pitching coach – pretty much as good as they get. He turned a mediocre career minor leaguer (Cristopher Sanchez) into a top 5 starter in the big leagues. He took Zack Wheeler from a very solid # 2/3 to an ace. Wheeler has developed incredibly under his watch. Finally, the most encouraging thing from yesterday was to hear Painter talk. He’s a very mature, bright and motivated young man – when he was talking to the broadcast team yesterday he sounded like 5 year vet, not a rookie. It was impressive.
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Agree fully with this assessment…
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what would you consider a good year for him, ERA-wise?
3.50 era – do you expect better or worse?
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I view Painter and his year to be a work in progress. The hope is that he can keep his ERA under around 4.50 for the first three or four months and really big to turn it on in late July or early August as he continues to work on his stuff and command. His year won’t be judged on a number for the whole year, it will be judged on how well he can pitch in September and the postseason. I’d love for him to be a true #3 by the end of the year and to be a swing starter and good extra bp arm for the postseason. That would be an enormously successful year for him.
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By the way, if Painter pitches like a true #3, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be the third starter in this particular rotation. If Wheeler returns to form, Painter is probably their 4 or 5 – it’s still a very deep rotation.
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I want to see 26-30 Starts and a 1.25 or Lower WHIP
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>130<190 IP <1.25 WHIP no time on IL.. the more K’s the better.. keep the BB’s and HR’s down as best you can.. learn the hitters of the big leagues so that each passing time you see a guy you figure ways to get him out and improve the in game dynamics that only come with time and exposure…. also hope he doesn’t give up a ton of SB’s…. i can’t recall if he did let up a bunch in AAA but i thought maybe he did?
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MLB just dropped the Phillies top 30 list https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/phillies/
I agree on the top 7. Renteria at 5 is a good placement to start the year, but I could see him moving up.
I am not a fan of Rincones (8) because he is purely a platoon. Can’t hit LHP. so he is a 4th OF bench type.
This is a big year for Griffin Burkholder. Needs to stay healthy and produce.
Gabe Craig is an interesting name to watch. Could be a fast riser as a bullpen arm. 70 grade slider.
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Agreed. I’d probably have had Rincones in the low to mid-teens. I’m not sure what ends up happening to Nori, but he is looking more and more like a legitimate big league prospect – the exceptional plate discipline (and perhaps line drive strength) is what takes him from being something like a Ben Revere clone to someone who might be a very productive major league player in the right role (no disrespect to Ben, but he just never drew enough walks to make him a productive offensive player).
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interesting to see where the farm system ranks now. Looking to see if it can crack the top 10. Not likely , I’ll be glad if its ranked better than the Mets & Braves for now.
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will most likely drop once Painter and Crawford fall out of prospect status.
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Drafted last season Gabe Craig is an interesting name down at 24 . Quote the write up: virtually unhittable in his final season, finishing with a 0.56 ERA, .124 batting average against and an absurd 51/3 K/BB ratio in 32 innings.
Ok that’s his senior year at college what did he do at CLW: 3 IP 5K’s 1 BB 0 Hits.
Let’s see where he starts and where he finishes. He’s already 24/25 and fully developed physically. High leverage BP guys out of your draft are very valuable to a franchise.
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Rumors going around that Rojas has taken a performance enhancing substance. Only a rumor so far, if it’s true, im sure will hear about it shorty.
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could benefit him TBH
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Having seen anyone say it was performance enhancing, just banned.
Could be weed, which is banned in the WBC but not MLB anymore.
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Haven’t seen*
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New York Post calls it a failed PED test facing an 80 game suspension which he is appealing.
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I get why he would fall into the trap; he’s a fringe player that stands to make literally MILLIONS of dollars more if he could just be a slightly better hitter.
But it’s still disappointing.
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He should ask for his money back if he did…
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I think he’ll appeal saying that he actually received PRDs (performance reducing drugs) and shouldn’t be penalized for the shippers error.
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on another note a I likely missed update but Sebastián Pérez, a top catching prospect is no longer in agreement with the Pirates. He is 15. Hopefully the Phillies can pounce if true
source of both posts was Wilbur Sanchez on X
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We need a top catching prospect badly. Our catching depth in the pharm is really low.
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It would be nice to nab this prospect. The hype for him is off the charts, (joking) but reports coming back are that he’s a can’t miss perennial allstar. Get it done Phillies!
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Profar is facing a full season suspension after his 2nd positive PED test. I for one, wanted the Phillies to sign him last off season. Guess that’s why I’m not a GM but who could have known. That really hurts the Braves as they have players who are goin to miss significant time cause of injuries. They can’t catch a break.
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Me too lol
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Ditto!
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Guess we know how he had a career resurgence at the age of 31..
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Well, that’s probably right. I’m assuming his performance jumped because he was cheating and he figured he’d keep it up because it was paying him so much money to cheat . . . until it wasn’t.
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Getting caught 2 years in a row… in Spring training?
Jayson Stark… that’s never been done before right?
Is that a permanent ban? I thought 2 strikes and you’re out.
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As you would expect from baseball, it’s 3 strikes and you’re out.
80 games for first time, 162 for second, lifetime ban for third.
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agreed but I thought I heard they were trying to be aggressive with the policy to deter, it was the one asterisk to the rule. I well. What an idiot regardless.
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Call it the Steve Howe Rule
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Anyone see the WBC exhibition game last night Tigers against the DR. Kevin McGonigle leads off with a HR out of the stadium.
Going back to that draft Comcast Sportsnet interviewed him and we all know the story of how he idolized Chase.
If we could do that draft over I would take him lieu of Miller. Miller can still end up being really good but I think McGonigle ends up having a substantially better career.
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That’s probably right because McGonigle is perhaps the best hitting prospect in baseball (which sucks because he was just down the road – a lot like missing out on Mike Trout). But Miller is a heck of a consolation prize – all things being equal we probably did quite well in that spot.
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3D chess. McGonigle more likely to come home in free agency than Miller. Draft Miller then sign McGonigle and have two superstars. Brillant planning.
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Yeah, that’s exactly what they were thinking when the passed on McGonigle in the draft, lol.
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Gotta think long term!
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Am I the only one wondering where Romus has been?
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i am too
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It’s been about 10 days or so. Hopefully he is just busy,but it is odd considering the Philies news going on.
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Romus has t posted anything in last 5 weeks
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he did on feb 20, 10 or 11 days ago. 2 threads back
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He’s must be upset the Phillies traded Castellanos!
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Only we didn’t trade him. We’re still paying him $20 million and his replacement $10 million LOL
So all in $30 Million allocated to RF. Its something I’ll be paying attention to.
Nick had an OPS+ of 88 Garcia 93. Its a head scratcher for me but I guess the WAR comparison evens things out. Who knows!!!
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We are all crestfallen by the loss of the argumentative, worst fielding, average hitting outfielder in baseball. We may never recover from that.
That said, I still think they should have signed Bader instead of Garcia – I guess we’ll see.
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LOL
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And, by the way, if the rationale for not signing Bader is that he required a two-year contract and Garcia is signed for only one year, I have to push back on that. The issue with a multi-year contract isn’t so much that it’s for more than one year, the issue is whether and to what extent you’d be able to move the contract after the first year. If Bader is anywhere near the player he was last year, you could move the contract AND get a player in return. If he’s just decent, he’d be worth the $10 million he would get next year and the contract could easily be moved and the salary off the roster (assuming you even want to move him). Even if he underperforms, he’s so good and flexible defensively that it’s hard to imagine the Phillies would need to pick up more than a few million of the contract – and that’s in a worst case scenario. So, yeah, I’d rather have the positional flexibility and potentially strong upside of Bader, even on a two-year contract, than the decent fielding and complete unpredictable offense of Garcia, especially since every other early 30s player we’ve signed like Garcia has failed miserably. By the way, I hope I’m wrong and Garcia has a huge comeback year, but I’m not holding my breath.
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All fair points… we reviewed with before, but would you take:
Bader at 15mil per year, 2years
or
Garica’s upside for 10mil at 1 year?
Bader surprisingly signed for less, but that was after Schwarber’s & Garica’s signings
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At $15 m per year, it would have been a push – but Bader signed for $10 m a year, so they should have signed him. I have no doubt he would have loved to come back to Philly. My sense is they never seriously engaged with him because they wanted a power hitter like the 2023 Garcia – but that guy probably doesn’t exist anymore.
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I think the (front office’s) rationale for not signing Bader was simply that his asking price was too high when they were talking to him. So they went out and got a cheaper guy. Which in turn meant that when Bader’s price came down, they were already out of the market.
Is Bader the better signing than Garcia? Potentially. But there’s basically no universe where he’s so much better that he’d be worth just eating Garcia’s contract or losing out on cost-controlled years of Marsh to make room for him.
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Rocco.
I was thinking the same thing. I got on just to see if I saw some posts from Romus. Hope all is well. I wondered if maybe he had headed south to ST. Probably not.
This is definitely not Romus style.
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Yesterday Crawford provided a glimpse of what he can do without getting a hit. He went 0-3 but got the run in from 3rd (RBI) then went 1st to 3rd on a double by Kemp and later he beat out a potential double play then scored from 1st on another double by Kemp.
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I agree that Crawford’s fielding, running and athletic talents make it far more likely that he will succeed, even if he doesn’t have the best year at the plate. If he can be at least between a 2-3 WAR player (and I think he can be that guy), he will be a very valuable piece for the team.
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What I like about Crawford (so far), is he gives the offense a potential to grind out runs, aka manufacturer/small ball…. In the playoffs that will pay dividends. Turner can be similar in that way. The way Stott has come out the gate …. He’s another player who can fit that mold, on a lower level. Aidan Miller can help up the odds of scorching with SB abilities as well when he arrives. That to me it starting to look like the vision, with the Schwarber, Harper, Garica providing more of the long ball threats. Put in the improved Defense & Bulpen … to a cruising SR… it’s a great mix.
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dmar, I’m super excited about Crawford. However, going first to third on a double just isn’t that special, lol 😉
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I hope that I am wrong. But if realmuto hits over 220. It’s a miracle
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Maybe .240 But that is not his value for Phillies. Hope JT can stay healthy. He gets so beat up behind the plate.
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Sorry Don. But a good defensive catcher who can’t hit, are easy to find and he can’t hit anymore. He is so overpaid
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Hi Rocco. I am hoping Romus is ok. No issue that JT is overpaid. But that just joins the crowd. Most of these are going to be that as time goes by.
Been busy with grandkids. One getting close to being cleared for full practice after TJ. Young granddaughter starts playing soon.
Spring just around the corner. 79 here today.
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Hard to have a worse spring training than Rojas. Batting 0.059 with a .170 OPS and a 33% K rate. Also got suspended for 80 games. Honestly wonder if they will DFA him.
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i can’t see them keeping him
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I very much like what I’ve seen so far from Crawford. What’s not getting enough attention is that his body has really developed and he looks like a guy who could develop some pop, as long as he works on the swing. Kemp has REALLY heated up recently and, with today’s game, his OPS is .955 for the spring. And that’s with the distraction of working on playing several different positions. Stott has carried over his success from the second half of last year, and Bohm seems a lot more focused in his walk year.
Last but not least, if you’re not excited about the starting rotation, well, I’m not sure if there’s much hope for you 🙂
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Closing comments, new discussion at
Phillies Discussion (3/7/2026) | Phuture Phillies
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