Phillies Discussion (3/7/2026)

Other Stuff

This will be our current Phillies Discussion.

I’m a bit under the weather, so this will be short and sweet.

I can say that Romus is having Word Press issues.  He reads and will be back commenting soon.

I’ll be “out-of-pocket” for a week or more.  See you soon.

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

March 2026
03/02/2026 – Phillies signed FA RHP Ronaldson Estevez to an MiLB contract
03/02/2026 – RHP Wandelin Garcia assigned to DSL Phillies White
February 2026
02/26/2026 – Jersey Shore released LHP Danny Wilkinson
02/24/2026 – SS Juan Parra assigned to DSL Phillies Red
02/24/2026 – OF Francisco Renteria assigned to DSL Phillies White
02/18/2026 – Phillies signed FA RHP Connor Gillispie to an MiLB contract
02/18/2026 – RHP Connor Gillispie assigned to Lehigh Valley
02/14/2026 – Phillies signed FA RHP Wandelin Garcia to an MiLB contract

278 thoughts on “Phillies Discussion (3/7/2026)”

          1. this is Steve Potter

            Philliesbaseballfan.com

            I provide a daily review of both minor and major league practices with complete listings of events inclusive of players and comments on activities.

            Like

          2. Steve,

            I enjoy your website/daily write up very much and look forward to it along with phuture phillies with my morning coffee. Feels great that opening day is around the corner

            Like

  3. The Phillies optioned Jean Cabrera and Gabriel Rincones Jr. to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and Moises Chace and Yoniel Curet to Double-A Reading.

    Some early spring cleaning

    V1, Alex Coffey had a great article about Luke Gabrysh this am, the kid from St. Joes. Stated he is starting now and sitting at 96 and topping out 98. But outside of a box score I haven’t seen much. Maybe they are waiting for the prospect feature games?

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Rocco …… Do you think Romus will have a new”handle” when he comes back? When WP baptizes you, generally you are gifted a new name! Can’t wait to see what it is. This is more exciting than waiting for Rojas to get a hit.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Rocco. Romus has all his posts lined up as soon as WP releases its grip. Wondering what his new handle will be. Hmm. Might just be Omus. Great to hear he is fine. Take care Jim.

    Like

    1. wonder if it has anything to do with , His computer it’s one of those big white ones from 2000.

      Like

      1. May be true. I remember Fortran and Cobalt back in the day of Romus. When time stood still. Spelling may be wrong, but what we had at BSU.

        I need to be nice to Romus. I have issues with WP from time to time as well.

        Like

  7. I am really high on Otto Kemp. I think that he is going to have a good year and establish himself as a regular. I think that he will continue to mash LHP but will also hit RHP enough for us to try to get him in the lineup every day.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I knew before Like it would be Ruff. He is an Otto man through and through It will be very helpful if he can get to where he can help out on a regular basis. This appears to be his opportunity. Many times, it only takes a chance for someone to take advantage.

      Like

    2. I love Otto’s swing: short and to the ball. A little like Utley’s.

      I don’t love how Comcast is so freaking cheap that it manages to go the whole weekend without showing a game while paying their own cameramen and announcers.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. He’s keeping velocity, mixing pitches, and mostly staying around the zone. Perfectly happy with that in the spring.

      Like

      1. Agree – Painter may have a multi-year development curve and there’s nothing wrong with that. As a prospect, he’s a lot like a young Zack Wheeler. Straight FB, but good velocity and multiple pitches. I can’t wait to see how he develops under Caleb Cotham who, to my mind, MUST, be one of the best pitching coaches in baseball. He’s fantastic.

        Like

    1. I remember reading during the winter that he made an adjustment in his swing during the second half of the season that enabled him to drive the ball more. The guy looks pretty strong. There’s a Dykstra comp floating around, but I don’t think Nori would say “dude, it’s the happy vitamins.”

      I’m starting to think the minor-league hitting instruction has improved.

      Like

    2. v1, RMB, I agree. Been getting excited watching Nori! And I like supporting Italy (2nd to US, of course)

      Also excited about Otto picking up where he left off last year, and then some! Romus and others used to ask why don’t Phillies ever have a Max Muncy? Otto may be our late bloomer stud!

      Liked by 1 person

    3. It is nice to see Nori doing well in the WBC. Nori took advantage of pitcher’s mistake. He did what he was supposed to do with them. That said, I don’t think he will see those meatballs in the Majors, or even in AAA that often. I didnt see his entire at bats, Just the results of an 87 mph FB & hanging curveball belt high at 75 mph. If he can do that against better pitches this year, the scouts will be looking a bit smarter this year!

      Like

      1. A couple of thoughts on Nori.

        First, yeah, he’s hitting not the best pitching, but he’s crushing it – better than the other players on his Italian team, many of whom are legitimate players.

        Second, Nori showing power in any form is a big deal. We all know he has a good hit tool. We all know he has great plate discipline. If he can even develop average-ish power, it makes him an impressive prospect.

        Third, when I was at ST last year, Nori pretty much jumped out at me as a guy with great physical tools and incredible drive. He gives off a Dykstra-like vibe when you watch him go about his business on the field.

        Nori is definitely a guy to watch this year.

        Like

    4. Could he be our CF next year?? From what I’ve read, he’s pretty legit in CF, he may be more highly rated defender than Crawford.

      Like

      1. Honestly I don’t think it matters if Crawford is in CF and Nori in RF or vice versa. key point is if we can turn 2 first round picks into starting caliber MLB OF. That would be huge.

        Like

        1. I agree, having 2 starter level OFs at a reduced rate will go a long way in balancing the team salaries and keeping the Phillies competitive when the eventual decline in certain players begins.

          Like

  10. Romus …. I know you are still checking the boards even though you can’t post… Try to telepathically communicate through Rocco in the meantime! Im sure the can read your mind. Will start with the opposite of what Rocco thinks as a starting point! 🙂

    Like

  11. @Romus ……. I didn’t know where to send that Wet Bottom Shoofly Pie with the miniature phillies pennant …… so I canceled it! Is that GoFundRomus, that Rocco started legit?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. i like to joke , but it’s not funny . Romus is 79 and needs a computer . I did start a go fund me. Some wise guy sent in 3.23 . Not funny

      Like

      1. Very nice of you Rocco. So, the computer is the issue and not WP. I can understand that. I am not a big GoFundMe person, but I can help if that is what is needed for Romus.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. I’m 75% this is humor, 25% real, but if Romus truly needs a new computer, I’d imagine we cans raise it for him. I had to look myself the other day, if he just needs it’s for surfing the web, you can get them for $250-350.

          note: if I put up a chunk of change, he needs to agree with me more as a stipulation 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

  12. Just saw Andrew Painter pitch Saturday and figured I’d share some observations. I actually grabbed tickets right behind home plate the day of the game, so it was a great vantage point to see everything.

    The fastball was sitting around 96 mph, which obviously isn’t bad, but the command wasn’t quite there. He was leaving a few up in the zone and hitters were able to barrel some of them. If he were blowing 99 past guys he might get away with that more, but at 96 big league hitters can punish mistakes when they’re left over the plate. That said, it doesn’t necessarily mean the upper velocity isn’t still in there — plenty of guys ramp up as the season goes on.

    What really stood out was the arsenal of secondary pitches. Painter was mixing a slider, sweeper, changeup, and curveball, and the changeup and curve in particular looked nasty and were getting guys out. You can see why scouts have always loved the pitch mix — he has multiple ways to attack hitters.

    Personally, I’m not expecting Painter to come up and immediately be Cy Young / ROY material, and that’s totally fine. A lot of elite pitchers had rougher starts to their MLB careers. Tarik Skubal, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, etc. all had seasons with 4+ ERAs early on. Even Zack Wheeler didn’t become the version of himself we know today until later in his career.

    Sometimes you just have to be patient with young arms. If Caleb Cotham can help Painter tighten up the fastball command, the stuff is absolutely there for him to become elite.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. McFarlane looked pretty good yesterday. Romus I know that is a guy you have touted in the past.

    Its only March 9 and I’m already bored of ST but the WBC I have found entertaining so far and should start to get even better once we’re down to the final 4.

    Like

    1. McFarlane’s stuff is very high level. FB with life close to 100 MPH and a very nice set of breaking pitches. You could easily see him being the equivalent (at least) of a guy like Kerkering. The potential is absolutely there.

      Like

      1. Now that we have new statistical tools, people should be paying attention to those. One that is particularly relevant is exit velocity. Obviously, the harder a ball is hit, the farther it can travel. And while it’s not all about exit velo, it’s very important. Great power hitters, not surprisingly, typically have great exit velocity. Harper and Schwarber are routinely hitting balls 105-112 MPH. You know who else hits balls that hard with some frequency? Otto Kemp. It’s a pretty big deal.

        Like

  14. Can you imagine in 2028: 1) Nori CF, 2) Harper 1B, 3) Miller SS, 4) Schwarber DH, 5) Turner LF, 6) Crawford RF, 7) Kemp 3B, 8) Stott 2B, 9) JTR C

    Like

    1. If Miller is hitting in the 3 spot two years from now, the Phillies will either be in a ridiculously good spot or a ridiculously bad one.

      Also, I don’t feel like Stott will be here in 2 years. I could be wrong, obviously, but he needs to show something this year and next to prove he’s worth a FA contract. Especially since there’s a few solid middle infielders hitting the market in the next couple offseasons.

      Like

  15. It would be great if Keaton Anthony turns into a legit MLB player (would have trade value even if the Phillies don’t have a spot for him). Spring training stats don’t really matter, but going 0 for 16 is not a good look.

    Like

    1. The good news for him is that he has as many hard hit balls as he does strikeouts. He’s been pretty unlucky with balls in play, which over the long run should even out.

      The bad news, as we know, is that he’s 1B-only and a righty to boot. So he needs to absolutely mash to have any kind of trade value.

      Like

      1. I saw Keaton Anthony in spring training last year and he was very “thick” through his body. This spring he looks lean – he probably lost at least 15-20 pounds since the beginning of last year. What that means for his performance, I have no idea.

        Like

    2. I’m surprised that the deal came together. That tells me that Luzardo must really like Philadelphia, and that at the end the extension, he would still be young enough to potentially get another lucrative contract.

      The impending FA of Walker and Bohm will pay for Luzardo’s extension.

      Like

    3. Really smart locking up Luzardo. I imagine his playoff performance impressed the brass at least as much as it impressed me. A bonus is the he seems like a genuinely good person, and I love it when I can cheer for a home team player who is a good person.

      Like

      1. Extending Luzardo, especially on these terms, was exactly what the team needed to do. He truly has Cy Young potential and is just coming into his prime and, compared to the crazy deals other pitchers have received, his deal is very reasonable both in terms of years and AAV. It reminds me a lot of the first Zack Wheeler contract and, in fact, inflation-adjusted, the extension is virtually the same contract Wheeler signed for a pitcher who will be the same age when the Wheeler deal started – plus they have Luzardo for this year on an even more reasonable deal This, to me, is their best move of the offseason and, when it’s all said and done, it might not even be close. Very, very well done.

        Like

        1. I was somehow under the impression that Luzardo had a Boras as an agent. If Boras represented Luzardo there is almost zero chance this deal gets done before he hits FA.

          Like

        2. Agreed. I don’t think it would ever be wise for a team to delve into the Starting Pitcher market at the magnitude of deals such as Gerrit Cole or what Skubal and someday Skenes will get.

          Try and grow those arms as best you can; hopefully get them extended early and then when needed play in that second tier market.

          Like

    4. This deal tells me 2 things:

      1. That Luzardo must really like Philadelphia to sign a deal 1 year before FA
      2. That the deal is short enough and combined with his age, Luzardo will have the opportunity for another lucrative contract

      Like

      1. Yes, he could get another lucrative deal if he pitches extremely well, but for the next deal he would be going into his age 35 season, just as Wheeler was before his current deal. At that age, he could get paid a lot of money, but the team would most likely be able to negotiate a shorter deal with less risk to the team than, say, the Turner deal (I love Turner, but good God, there could be 3-5 dead years at the end of the deal – I mean, I hope that it doesn’t happen, but it easily could).

        Like

        1. I just learned that the Phillies have a team option for 2032, which means, if they exercise that option, that the next time Luzardo hits FA could be when he is going into his age 37 season Knowing that, this is his big contract – the Phillies are going to eat up all his prime FA, big money years, although a shorter extension at the end of that deal is always possible and if he’s an elite pitcher, it could be at a high AAV, but it will be a short deal (no more than 3 years, at the very longest, but more likely 1 or 2, assuming he’s still a top arm at that time).

          Like

  17. Harper looks so mid in the WBC. Really struggling. Sadly, I think DD’s assessment was correct. He looks like he lost a level. I am sure that he will be ok this year, maybe even good. But the days of him being elite are over.

    Like

    1. Harper broke into the league at age 19. He has a lot of miles on his body. Aside from Adrian Beltre, there hasn’t been a lot of players who broke into the league that early and had sustained success into his mid-30s. Not Ken Griffey Jr, and Mike Trout’s body is falling apart.

      Like

    2. Agreed sadly but could also be he’s really pressing. He said he wasn’t going to go out of the zone as much this year yet last night he did exactly that.

      He still has a great eye for the K zone. He’s also a very emotional player with a lot of pride.

      If he makes peace with who is now as opposed to who he was I think he can age gracefully in the MLB. He’s become a helluva 1B defensively.

      Personally I’d love to see him as a leadoff hitter

      Like

      1. He’s definitely pressing. Being on that team seems fun – but for a guy like Bryce – who wants to be the ‘face’ – its hard. Team is definitely Judge + Stud Pitchers + Witt. Swing is totally off – he’s chasing balls, taking strikes.

        Then again it may be the case of protection. With the Phils it’s Bohm, now it’s Judge. Maybe he needs a better bat behind him 🙂

        That said – .270 | 33 | 101 | .890, with 140 games played – will be a fine 2026 season.

        Like

        1. First of all, I agree that a .890 OPS would be just great with Harper and not a disappointment in any way.

          Second, Harper often struggles with his timing and pitch selection at times where he looks “off”, but I wouldn’t (at least not yet) confuse that with an erosion of his skills. Very few great players in my view, have to work as hard as Harper in getting his plate discipline, timing and swing down. So he can look a little lost at times, but, boy, when he locks in, he can be hot for a long as any power hitter I’ve ever seen not named Bonds, Judge or Pujols. The year he won the MVP he was scorching hot for like 4 months – it was incredible. Perhaps he isn’t 100 percent that player anymore, but I’d pause before concluding he’s fallen that far. I think he still has several more superb seasons left in that body (and many very good seasons behind that).

          Like

    3. Yeah, maybe we will see how it turns out. Unrealistic to expect that it won’t happen someday. No one escapes the effects of “father time”!

      Like

    1. interesting. front side is a bit out front more, and finishes high. A few other nuances but that will change a lot. I gotta imagine at his level he might use a different swing based off how he feels he can time the pitcher?

      Like

  19. I agree with the point of hitting a baseball is maybe the hardest thing to do. I mentioned to Ruff last night the two throws he has missed at 1B sure looked like ones a regular 1B will make almost every time. Last night he missed the throw because he had his foot on the back side of the base rather than moving to the front. A throw like that almost always is going to fade away. Maybe I saw Freddie too much last Fall.

    Anyway, time does catch up to all, but we at least have several more years to see when that occurs. Hopefully still a few years away. I do feel Turner will age better than Harper since both have similar length deals.

    Romus. Hope you are back soon.

    Like

  20. I agree with the point of hitting a baseball is maybe the hardest thing to do. I mentioned to Ruff last night the two throws he has missed at 1B sure looked like ones a regular 1B will make almost every time. Last night he missed the throw because he had his foot on the back side of the base rather than moving to the front. A throw like that almost always is going to fade away. Maybe I saw Freddie too much last Fall.

    Anyway, time does catch up to all, but we at least have several more years to see when that occurs. Hopefully still a few years away. I do feel Turner will age better than Harper since both have similar length deals.

    Romus. Hope you are back soon.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Lots of Bryce criticism for a SSS in WBC. Let’s not go all WIP here based on one “good” season and a few bad games. Let’s re-evaluate in June…

    Like

  22. There is article by Ethan Witte about Painter. Said his fastball shape is a worry. Basically said his IVB is not nearly what it was pre TJ surgery and if he don’t get it back, he’s gonna be hit hard this year. Really good article on The Good Phight that goes into great detail about it.

    Like

    1. It’s an issue but I wouldn’t worry about it for the first year or two. The Phillies are all over this. If he can’t get guys out with a “rising” fastball, I expect them to adjust his repertoire so his pitches have a more pronounced downward and horizontal movement. People should stop expecting Painter to be a finished product year one (and certainly in month one of year one) and stop panicking about him. This is going to be a process and it’s going to take some time. He’s not Paul Skenes where he arrives on the scene as a fully formed ace from day one. But that doesn’t mean he can’t develop into a fine pitcher.

      Like

      1. We signed Wheeler when he was 30. You could arguably say his best years came with us. His first TJ came after his age 24 season.

        I’m not worried about Painter at all long term or short term for that matter.

        Like

        1. I’m not worried long or short term either – I’m a believer. I’m just saying people shouldn’t expect him to be a TOR starter from day 1. If he pitches like a solid 3/4 for the first year or two (which is possible and perhaps even likely), that would be just fine.

          Like

  23. Alright a long post – but a different type of request. My son’s teeball league needed a head coach… and in a moment of weakness I volunteered.

    I’ve seen some teeball already, but I’m asking you guys to mention fun drills you’ve seen others do that the kids like. It’s teeball not the majors, so goofy & funny suggestions are fine.

    My goal is to keep the kids moving, and tire them out. Ultimately im lookng at how to get the kids more swings than waiting one batter at a time during practice. Let me know what you’ve seen that you think worked well. So far I got:

    For throwing – Hit the 5 gallon Lowes/homedepot bucket. Each kid gets one chance to hit the bucket from the mound

    Throw as far as you can – chase it down, pick it up with glove run back. Basically “fetch” 🙂

    For hitting – 3 stations – 1 live pitch – 10 pitches, then run to the 1st tee. Hit, move to the next tee

    Run the bases as a team, staggered – see if they can beat previous team time.

    My best idea – end practice with a simulated walkoff homerun. Parents pick walkup song for kid, wears cape/crazy helmet, any hit the circles the bases ,teammates mob them at the plate – practice over.

    Alright let’s hear it

    Liked by 2 people

    1. First, congratulations. You just got a job that you will remember the rest of your life. Such a great experience.

      Your drills sound good. In my experience, the key is keep all kids moving at once.

      I recruited the parents to help. Had one hit fly balls. Another hit grounders. 3 hitting stations is good too.

      Home run contest is fun. We also timed everyone running the bases.

      Another fun drill is split them into 3 teams of 4. Play a simulated game. 3 innings. Team A gets 3 outs to score. Team B is infield. Team C is OF and pitcher. When team A gets 3 outs they rotate to infield and Team B goes to OF and Team C hits.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. First, thank you for stepping up to coach. A very small % of parents ever do. I recommend joining the LL board and coaching for the entire time your son’s playing, you won’t regret it.

      My youngest is aging out of LL this spring and I’m going to miss it. A tear or two will sure to be shed by me much like when my oldest played his last year of pop warner.

      Try to keep the practice to less than an hour, you’re on the right track with keeping the kids moving and playing games. Don’t get too drill crazy, there will be no 643’s happening anytime soon.

      Like

    1. Haha so true. I want to write a book called the 7 Parents you meet coaching youth sports. In a managing career that spanned T-Ball to Legion Ball I always met the same parents. Different names, different faces but the same personalities.

      My favorite was “The George” he would call me drunk after a practice or game and remind me that he played minor league ball for the pirates. He thought his son should play every inning of every game at SS.

      His son was really good and a great kid but my coaching philosophy was always to have even the best kids on the bench next to me cheering on the other kids who maybe weren’t as talented.

      Even my own son who was really good spent time on the bench and in RF where a lot of coaches would try to hide their least talented players. at least in the early years.

      Like

      1. A funny to go with The George. Over many and many years most coaches fall into two groups. Dad of the best player on whatever sport team. Dad of the least talented kid on the team. Seen lots of both over the years. Probably more of the latter. Go get them Tac.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. I was pretty lucky that I almost never had teammates who were genuinely hopeless in the field…

          Except one (offseason) year. I was on a team with some classmates and one of them was a kid who really had NO business being on the field. We were 16-18 at the time, and he had the baseball instincts of a toddler. Generously.

          Thankfully another classmate of mine was one of the fastest kids I ever played with and on that team. So he got CF and I moved off 3B to LF so he could shift over and we effectively played a 2 man OF. We had a lot of diving plays that fall. They hurt more when it’s cold out.

          Liked by 1 person

    2. Lots of good ideas for drills. Lots of years on the coaching sidelines in various sports.

      Rocco. By far and away the biggest drag is Parents. Everyone can coach. Funny but the grandson of the mother who was my biggest thorn in the side over decades of coaching was topic of discussion this morning with breakfast group. Son is a big-time name who played several years in the NBA. Sure, mom is still …

      Tac. Congrats. Lots of very enjoyable moments as well. Do not get upset when you turn around and all are playing in the dirt. It happens.

      Like

  25. Nori went 0-3 last night with an RBI but his first AB against McClean he drove the ball hard and deep to left center. Really liking his command of the K zone and his ever more present ability to barrel the baseball.

    Liked by 2 people

  26. The fate of Team USA comes down to Nola and Nori. Well not entirely but it would be nice to get good games out of both of them to help USA advance. Then we can watch Harper get hot and lead them to a finals victory.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Well Nola certainly did his part.

      Nori has also contributed, but I’m not crazy about bunting in that situation.

      Like

    1. If Aaron Nola gives us 175-200 innings with around a 3.50 ERA, that would be fantastic – and he can easily do that, or better. I know there are some people that were really down about the Aaron Nola contract, but if he stays healthy, there’s no reason, for most of the deal anyway, that he cannot pitch to the level of that contract. He’s a really good pitcher and, other than last year, has been incredibly consistent and durable. He might end his career with around 50 or more WAR – I’m not sure people fully appreciate how special that is.

      By the way, I’m still super pumped about the Luzardo deal, my view was that they would (should) either sign Ranger or Luzardo and if they were going to sign Luzardo they should do it before he became a $250 m (or more) contract obligation. While there are no guarantees, that was a superb contract for the Phillies and perfectly reasonable for Luzardo. So now the Phillies will have Sanchez for up to 5 years, Luzardo for 6 years, Nola for another 5 years, and Painter for at least 6 years, with Wheeler for 2 years (you wouldn’t want any longer commitment with him), after which his big contract comes off the books and opens the possibility for other signings.

      I rip DD when I think he has screwed something up, but I’m not sure it was possible for them to managing the starting rotation much better – job extremely well done.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Aaron Nola, like some guys (Edwin Diaz, Arthur Rhodes and Latroy Hawkins tend to stand out in my mind), seem to be an “alternate year performer.” So yeah, I’m kind of expecting a very solid year out of him.

        I too, am very hyped about Luzardo. I think we can agree that this a good move. I’m not sure the FA class next offseason will be that strong, and we just signed a guy who has an insane ceiling and great pedigree. The only thing holding him back is health. And I have to hand it to the Phillies, they seem to take care of their players’ arms. I’m very bullish on him as well!

        Like

      2. All you can do when signing pitchers is hope to get lucky LOL. The arm-elbow-shoulder apparatus is a very fickle thing…

        Like

        1. Jason Stark had article in Athletic about signing and Luzardo agent noted how as soon as he was traded to the Phillies they immediately began focusing on his health and recovery between starts.

          Their staff seems to have a good handle working with the players on developing a game plan for managing their routine.

          Like

          1. It wouldn’t surprise me to hear that the Phillies have one of the best (perhaps even THE best) medical staffs for pitchers.

            The rate at which our pitchers have major injuries is shockingly low (compared to the MLB in general).

            Liked by 1 person

      3. Personally, I believe all the postseason success caught up to him. A Prolonged dead arm. Thats me speculating, but they had some deep runs and short offseasons.

        Like

  28. My best friend was able to land 6 tix for 8/7 Utley’s night. Last year we did Jimmy Rollins which was my first ever WOF game. They are really cool events…

    Like

  29. Something interesting I saw in yesterdays stat line was ABS Challenges. Marchan had 4 of them and was correct on 3. Didn’t see the game but I assume his challenges were as a catcher not a hitter but could of been both.

    Also I’m a little things type of guy. Kemp scored 2 runs on 0 Hits but had 2 BBs. If he limits his chase rate he could have a really productive season for us.

    Too early to be worried about any player but Marsh and Garcia have had some really poor ABs thus far.

    Like

  31. Thanks for the suggestions guys on the teeball. Going to be fun to teach all the little ones how to properly “Booooooooo” 🙂

    What’s the thoughts on Painter’s latest start. 4 SO out of 6 outs. Pretty good. A top propect got a hold of one and took him yard in the third. Alonso and Basallo is not an easy assignment. I think the Phils would take that he is could get to a QS from that point on once his arm is stretched out.

    Like

    1. He missed his spots a couple times at the end of his outing. Hard to tell if that’s because he got in his head about the hits, or if he was feeling gassed. Hopefully either way it’s a good learning experience.

      Although I will note, the homer he gave up came immediately after what SHOULD have been a called strike 3 to end the inning. I’m curious if JT would have challenged that one. One tap of the helmet by Stubbs was the difference between 3 scoreless and 2.2 IP 3 ER for Painter.

      Baseball really is a game of inches.

      Like

      1. Good tidbit about the HR to Basallo (sp?), that’s lost in the box score & highlights.

        what do you think about his FB compared to previously? Still looks like it could benefit from some more shape. Gotta wonder what the difference might be from. Now – I haven’t studied his FB before & after – I’m going off all the critics at this point

        Like

        1. I’m by no means a scout, and I can only see what’s shown on broadcast, unfortunately. But it does seem to be pretty straight. Thankfully, it’s also fast. So hopefully the movement comes back in time, or if not perhaps a new grip will give it more life.

          For now, his command of it will be the most important thing. His offspeed pitches look like genuine MLB-caliber offerings. So as long as he’s not leaving it over the plate, his fastball can still set those up even if it’s not a great pitch on its own.

          Like

          1. I had a chance to watch Painter’s outing this morning.

            They say you can’t scout a stat line and that’s true, even if you have more specific information on pitches from MLB Gameday.

            Having watched him pitched, I must tell you that I was extremely encouraged. First, for the most part, his fastball was not straight at all. It often had good spin and rose as it crossed home plate and often had great movement and life in the strike zone. It’s a plus pitch now with even greater upside. He also has a wonderful assortment of breaking pitches, including a change-up that he is working on that has the possibility of become a plus to plus plus pitch. The sweeper was also good and the only pitch that I thought was only okay was the curve, which could be loopy and easy for some batters to hit.

            Also, I would not be very concerned about the drop in velocity (at least not yet), this wasn’t a Spencer Howard start where the velo fell off the table. He had some slower pitches in the third inning, BUT . . . even those pitches had movement, he threw some pitches that were in the 95 and 96 MPH range in the third inning, so he wasn’t crashing and burning by any means, and this was his third ST start, he’s building stamina, is at the point in ST where starters usually hit a dead arm phase, and they are probably telling him to be careful not to overdo it.

            But, on the whole, I saw a young pitcher with a great arm and a surprising variety of promising pitches who is working on everything and I think is probably being coached as well as any young pitcher could (I say this, in part, because it’s pretty clear that Cotham is working with him to ensure the fastball has better spin, life and movement – this was nothing like the tape from his minor league games from last year). This was as encouraged as I’ve been about him since spring training 3 years ago.

            Liked by 1 person

      1. Old Satchmo said 2 things, I live by! Don’ run when you can walk and don’t look over your shoulder, someone might be gaining on you!🤣

        Liked by 1 person

  34. I know we won’t, but we should all remember that Japan-Venezuela game during the season to remind ourselves that anything can happen in a short series in baseball. Even the overwhelmingly better team losing.

    Like

    1. Dan. So true. Can happen in all sports. Why you play the game. In a one game deal odds are even greater. Long series usually “cream rises to the top”. Maybe not as good as Ruff quotes.

      Like

  35. Going to be unpopular opinion, but if the DR can go cold, the Phillies offense can too. Good pitching beats good hitting, Phillies are built to win in the postseason.

    Like

      1. its tough.. i havent seen other views… but … it did look like it crossed the front of the plan as a strike…then died off below the zone by the time the catcher could frame it. Too close to take as they say… Now… if it was Team USA batting.. it was definitely a ball in that case!

        Like

    2. Definitely low. I thought the USA team got quite a few calls that game.

      I didn’t study what pitchers the DR was getting to face in their pool but I thought it could not of been anywhere near as good as what we would throw at them.

      Hopefully Italy wins and we can that rematch and bring home the Gold. And if we don’t I can be happy for Nola and Nori…

      Like

    3. Definitely low. I thought the USA team got quite a few calls that game.

      I didn’t study what pitchers the DR was getting to face in their pool but I thought it could not of been anywhere near as good as what we would throw at them.

      Hopefully Italy wins and we can that rematch and bring home the Gold. And if we don’t I can be happy for Nola and Nori…

      Like

      1. Last I’ll say about it … but Team DR should’ve taken the Lenny Dykstra approach to umpires… fat stacks. Maybe Team USA did 🤣. With Soto’s haul, he couldve.

        Like

      2. The umpire fell apart in the last couple innings. He missed a couple in favor of DR, but he missed more in favor of the US.

        What a depressing way to end a classic game. If not for that call, people would talk about that matchup for years to come. Now it’s got an asterisk.

        Like

        1. i don’t think it was that bad.. you have 2 strikes and it’s close you have to be swinging.. can’t leave it in the umps or ABS’s hands.. DR lost on their own accord/MM accord… still wish we had landed Mason vs Duran but then no painter… Hope a full season of Duran makes me change on that thinking

          Like

          1. It was that bad, and it really wasn’t a “too close to take” pitch. It didn’t just miss, it missed by 4 inches.

            And yeah, it can be tough to see where exactly it crosses the plate from the broadcast. But it’s easier for the umpire, and we have the tools to not make a mistake that massive to begin with.

            The fact of the matter is ABS should have been used in this tournament, and if it had that would have been the easiest challenge of the night (and an immediate overturn).

            Like

            1. I saw the side view – i think it was a strike… at least close enough to not be bellyaching about it if I was a DR player. Went right across both kneecaps. Higher on the first knee, lower on the second… like others have said. Too close to take.

              Like

  38. “I’ve had two general managers tell me I wish he played on our team because he would leadoff and play every single day. This is a future star. Dante Nori, do not forget the name.” — Alex Rodriguez, on Fox

    Liked by 1 person

  39. MLB Network interviewed Francisco Cervelli, he mentioned that Dante Nori was a player that impressed him. Feels that Nori will be patrolling CF for the Phillies soon enough.

    Liked by 1 person

  40. Nola looked fantastic last night. My friends theory is its an even year and Nola is always good in an even year.

    ST numbers they say mean nothing but De La Cruz has looked much better at the plate than Garcia. Reyes too is finding a groove similar to where he was finishing last season in the Minors.

    If Garcia cr@aps the bed at the plate through the first 30-40 games it will be interesting to see how long they keep going with him.

    Like

    1. Garcia is part of Middleton’s annual deal with the Devil. Each year he is required to spend $8-10 million for a one year contract on some retread position player or reliever (or, in years that we are really lucky, a retread outfielder AND a retread reliever, like last year when we were treated to Max Kepler and Jordan Romano) that has virtually no chance of succeeding. I hope to God I am wrong, but I fully expect Garcia to follow this trend and crash and burn completely. The correct play was to give Bader the 2-year – $20 million deal he wanted. I think they blew that one.

      Like

      1. Relievers are volatile year to year so they take a chance on a retread. The Phillies are not the only ones that do it and sometimes it works out really well: see Jeff Hoffman and of course JC Romero.

        For the OFs, the Phillies were already paying Casty and they had Justin Crawford in the minors. Giving Max Kepler $10M keeps salaries low and makes sure that an open OF spot would be available for 2026, presumably for Justin Crawford. It’s the same principle with Adolis Garcia. Maybe Kemp proves that he’s starter level in the OF. Maybe Nori breaks out and pushes his way into 2027. The Phillies have flexiblity for this.

        Yes, it doesn’t look great when these reclamation projects bomb, but I don’t have too much of an issue with it since it gives the Phillies flexibility for the future.

        Like

      2. That is certainly a solution when we don’t know the complete situation. The Phillies weren’t negotiating with Bader in a vacuum. When the Phillies were open to a reunion, Bader wanted 3/$45M. The Phillies had already signed Garcia when Bader lowered his ask to 2/$21M. When they broke off negotiations and settled on Garcia, they also had other free agent deals working that would preclude “wasting” $15M a year for three years on Bader.

        Would I prefer Bader in RF over Garcia? So far, yes. But that’s based on the small sample of spring training.

        Like

        1. Understood that there were a lot of moving pieces (especially with Bichette), but an important part of the job is knowing when to be patient and knowing when to wait things out (thank you Howie Roseman for waiting out the most recent Goedert contract) – I don’t see why there was any rush to sign Garcia -he’s been terrible for two years so that made no sense to me, but, obviously, in real time, these decisions can be difficult to make.

          As for Hoffman and Romero – they were extremely low dollar signings – heck, Hoffman was a minor league free agent and they also signed Romero for next to nothing after he was released by the Red Sox. They didn’t take any chances or waste any money on those guys. So citing those examples does not disprove prove my point – they’ve chosen very, very poorly on these one-year veteran reliever and position player deals over the last 4 or 5 years. One failure after the next. Listen, they’ve done other things very well, just not this.

          Like

          1. And just to be clear, I really hope I’m wrong about Garcia and that he continues to play great defense and finds his hitting stroke again – but I’m admittedly very skeptical.

            Like

          2. lol – with Bader, I meant to say the GM needs to know when to be patient and when to pull the trigger.

            Like

          3. You make it sound like other teams are signing players and they work out most of the time. The Blue Jays gave Anthony Santander $92.5M and he stunk right away. George Springer was also not looking great before he had a resurgent season at age 35.

            The Yankees gave Paul Goldschmidt 1/12.5 and he gave them 1.2 WAR. Is that what you’re hoping for?

            The Phillies blowing $10M on reclamation projects is the least of their issues. I would be way, way more concerned about the existing long term contracts.

            Like

            1. Well, I agree it’s not the biggest of their issues (of course their longer term bad contracts are worse), but it’s certainly not the least of their issues where they are trying hard to make every penny count with their payroll tax that makes every dollar much more expensive.

              It’s nice that you’ve cherry picked other bad contracts as support for the proposition that, somehow these were good contracts. They weren’t good contracts and, over time, it ends up being a lot of money.

              Are you saying that any of the following were good contracts?:

              Kepler

              Romano

              Merrifield

              Knebel

              Gregorious

              No, they all sucked. And

              The Phillies have been really bad about picking out the right bounce back players and, frankly, have completely thrown away their money.

              In the last 5 years or so, the only good bounce back contract they’ve done was for Craig Kimbrel (who unfortunately, also unraveled at the worst time – but the contract was good for most of the year).

              Listen, I praise this team to the hilt when they get it right. The Jesus Luzardo trade was amazing (and I said it at the time) and signing him to a long term deal was a great idea.

              But they have failed big time in the bounce back veteran market. It’s objectively true. So either they get better at those deals or they try something else, but more of the same is not helpful and I think Adolis Garcia is probably more of the same.

              Liked by 1 person

            2. I take the blame for that/this discussion on retreads and reclamation projects but I don’t make any apologies for it 🙂

              I want the FO to be accountable just as they expect players and coaches to be accountable.

              Like

    2. My take on Nola, its a combination of 3 things:

      1- he’s more rested than he’s been the past 2-3 years

      2- He has been able to increase the spin rate on his pitches. Not sure the reason why, Hopefuly its a new grip. A lot of pitchers enjoyed spidertack… and think without the velo others have, it impacted Nola more than others

      3 – ive heard he is one other harder workers. I’d bet the offseaon chewed him up, embarrassed. He’s back to prove it mode vs being able to rest on his resume.

      Like

  41. Old O C – I believe the FO thinks that Garcia is much better defensively than De La Cruz, that he is a legitimate RFielder. They are probably hoping Garcia could play at a .250 – 20 – 60 level at least and give the team solid play in RF. Hopefully, it works out.

    Like

    1. Casty was an 88 OPS+ player last season and many judged his defense less than adequate so the bar to upgrade the production in that spot wasn’t very high.

      Garcia was a 93 OPS+ player last year with very good defense.

      I’m not sure what else we could have spent $10 million on but I lean into the reason I’m here which is to deepen my knowledge of prospects we have in the system.

      Not that I need all prospects to be AS caliber prospects but if I can get a young guy that can play really good defense for next to nothing and hit to a 93 OPS+ why wouldn’t I…

      A few years back I went out to LKW and saw Reyes play a solid game in RF. He’s played a decent amount out there so I’m just posing the question could he have been an option instead of spending $10 million.

      Like

      1. The reclamation projects get second chances because they have had success in the past. They have shown an ability to hit MLB pitching at one point in the past., so you’re hoping for them to recapture that.

        Prospects fail a lot. Even with top prospects, there’s zero guarantee that they would be able to hit major league pitching like Anthony Volpe. That’s why the Phillies usually give opportunities to those prospects who have nothing left to prove in the minors. Giving Reyes a shot seems like a good idea but not if he’s not ready. He would get diced up in the big leagues. But what if Reyes’ ceiling is a AAAA player? Does that really help the Phillies? I guess it does if you’re only trying to save money.

        Like

        1. So you’re solution is to continue to pay $10-18 million a year for nothing?

          No, they have to do better – it’s not easy but paying money for nothing only works if you’re Dire Straights.

          Like

          2. Reclamation projects fail a lot too. There’s a reason why these players are only getting 1 year contracts at this point in their career. By age 28, Harrison Bader looked finished. The Mets gave Bader $10.5M at age 30. In return, he gave them 0.9 WAR. Not surprisingly, he signed with the Twins the next year for less money.

            Is it unfortunate that the Phillies are not lucking into a reclamation project that hits? Yes. But these guys fail a lot.

            Like you said, you would rather the Phillies sign Bader for 2 years. So we’ll see how he performs the next 2 years.

            Like

            1. Agree there are no risk-free options. But the Phillies’ failure rate has been extremely high for the cost they’ve paid. It’s certainly possible that Garcia has a great year and Bader does nothing – I just liked the odds (and positional flexibility) of a Bader signing more than I liked the odds of Garcia having a great year.

              Like

    1. I wouldn’t say NON-prospect. But last year was his first year of any actual production. The previous four years in the system he hasn’t hit for power or average, wasn’t taking many walks, and wasn’t stealing bases.

      The good news is he’s still young enough that if the switch flipped last year, he could genuinely be a major leaguer with what he showed. 20ish home runs with an okay walk rate and a more-than-acceptable K rate will definitely play.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. To follow-up on Reyes, there’s a bunch of little things working against him that makes him not the most attractive prospect. First, he’s not particularly young (25) which may suggest his upside may be limited. Second, he doesn’t appear to be very athletic, which limits the positions he can play, perhaps significantly. Third, his historical walk rates are not good and, in fact, they are really bad – 4.4%, which is border unsustainable. Fourth, as Dan noted, he wasn’t that great of a hitter until last year, so his track record of success is short, although when you watch him in ST, it definitely looks like he has turned the corner is now quite a hitter.

        So, to have any long-term chance of success, Reyes is going to have to hit like gangbusters and hopefully improve his plate discipline. When I first saw him on TV, I thought “oh, this guy reminds me so much of Josh Bell” and, oddly enough, Josh Bell was also playing in the game and I could definitely see the comparison, although Bell walks twice as often as a big leaguer as Reyes has as a minor leaguer – not helpful. Anyway, if he ends up hitting like Josh Bell he could have a nice little major league career, but it’s hard to see where he would fit in on the Phillies.

        Like

        1. The career of Josh Bell has been amazing. He has provided just enough hitting that he has hung around to play for 6 teams over a 10 year span. His defense is terrible. He’s banked over $60M while delivering 8.6 career WAR. Scott Boras has worked hard to get Bell his money.

          Boras has also worked hard to get Rhys Hoskins his $55M.

          Like

          1. Yeah, classic second division first baseman/DH – hits just well enough to be better than some other options but not well enough to stick around too long. He had a nice 3-4 year run where he was a good player and has now aged out into a bat-for-sale journeyman. He sure has done his fair share of damage against the Phillies, however.

            Like

          2. More importantly for a guy that never got that really big deal he gets the MLB Pension which is a really big deal for many of these guys…

            You never see what they actually bank out of a figure like $60 million. I’m sure it should be enough to live comfortably for the rest of your life but taxes agent fees etc. eat up a nice chunk of that.

            Like

  43. Haven’t even made it to April and we are already complaining about player performance? Going to be a long season.

    Like

  44. Stunk seeing US lose but was nice to see Harper connect on one in a clutch situation.

    Garcia with some nice hard contact, also nice to see.

    Like

  47. Ken Rosenthal today has a really nice article on Harper and his leadership at the WBC. In some ways I got the final result I wanted: the underdog Venezuela won (I always cheer for underdogs, which is what happens when you grow up in Cleveland) but it wasn’t Harper’s fault.

    Gelb also this morning taps the brakes a bit on Nori, pointing out that his HRs were against an old-timer and someone who’d never pitched professionally.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Nori certainly needs more development time, but he’s a promising prospect. If he hits with even moderate power (8-13 homers, lots of doubles), he has first division potential; nothing to sneeze at.

      Like

        1. Carl Crawford only hit 15+ HRs 4 times in his career, but he made up for it with a lot of triples and SBs. It also helped that Crawford was not a negative defender.

          Michael Bourn wasn’t a star, but he still generated 22.8 WAR and he had no power. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is.

          Would anybody here complain if Crawford and/or Nori ended up with 22.8 WAR?

          Like

          1. 22.8 WAR is a guy who is probably a first division regular for 4 or 5 years and not bad for 2 or 3 other years (just like Michael Bourn, not coincidentally), so you’d have to take that from either or both of them.

            And Nori doesn’t need to hit a lot of homers to be very valuable. Take a look at Kenny Lofton or even Lenny Dykstra – if he fields well, has extra base power, and gets on base a lot, he could be an excellent player, perhaps even a minor star. That’s his ceiling, of course, what he actually does is anyone’s guess.

            Liked by 2 people

            1. Not complaining, but from a roster construction standpoint, you ideally don’t want this many below-average power bats. The MLB average was 17 HR last year. 1 every 1.12 games. Right now they’ve got CF, LF, RF, 2B, 3B, and C all under that mark.

              I can live with it in certain spots. You expect it from Crawford, and it’s manageable with Nori. But if that’s the case, you have to get legit power out of RF and 3B.

              My point is, Nori can be a solid player without power, but on a roster built like this, it’s fair to question whether the fit makes sense if nothing else changes. Miller could change that, along with a boost from Stott and Garcia.

              Liked by 1 person

  48. Dear Jim,

    Monday I met Nancy at Clearwater Cottages and she suggested that I contact you about a 6’6” rhp from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire.  He is 21 and throws around 90 with a nasty slider.  He will be pitching tomorrow, Thursday, March 19th at Chain O’ Lakes stadium in Winter Haven , FL at 10 am.  His name is Evan Fischer.  You might want to check him out.

    Gabbi Harnett

    Like

    1. UWEC is a four-year school. Fischer is a sophomore. He isn’t draft eligible until his junior year. He only pitched in 3 games this season so far and ten games last year. Teams will need to see more of him. His “around 90” fastball will need to pick up a few ticks (the stat gathering sites have his FB at mid to upper 80s and sometimes list him as an outfielder) or he’ll need another pitch to garner attention from scouts.

      Like

    1. rocco….hah, finally back….browser issues and the like. Hopefully stays compatible and resolved with Word Press. I could read comments but could not comment. Bet you liked Italy in the WBC….. Dante Afuoco Nori looks like a star in the making.

      Liked by 3 people

      2. Is that the same # you have down at the post office or did WP give you that. I had a wet bottom shoe fly pie for you but, it went bad waiting for you to explain your whereabouts! Roco, claimed you were searching for the “fountain of youth”. Nice you are back.

        Liked by 3 people

        1. WP gave me the same one, thanks Skeet….some guys have to change their handle when they go thru the updates. Also, did not find that fountain of youth…..hoping some of the Phillies do this season, one in particular the first baseman.

          Like

  50. Saw Painter today vs Braves. His 4 innings were very sharp, particularly his breaking stuff which confused hitters. He did a very nice job overall and should have gotten a win for whatever that’s worth in spring training. Yes there were several balls that Braves stung but they were caught. Showing 96-97 on the scoreboard and the boxscore says it all. Impressive as the Braves had a 4-5 of their first stringers facing him. He is a big dude !

    Liked by 3 people

  51. I don’t know how many of you are in florida, but Friday there is a welcome back for Romus. It will be hosted by Jim. All welcome

    Liked by 2 people

  52. As it was being discussed above I do think HRs are a really big deal for this team this season.

    The over/under for Kyle this season on HRs is 41.5. The over seems like a slam dunk but I’m not taking it LOL.

    Liked by 1 person

  54. Kemp with another HR and 4 RBIs today. OPS up to .954. He’s got to feel pretty good about his trend as spring training starts to wind up.

    Liked by 1 person

  55. Our breakout game today Woof

    Cabrera looked really good. Escobar is still lost at the plate and a week or so ago I became intrigued by Gabe Craig. Well today I got to see him pitch and what I saw didn’t resemble the write up.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. I think I take command for granted in this day and age of big velo. Staying in the parts of the K zone that limit hard contact is definitely a skill.

      Also being able to effectively pitch inside without drilling guys constantly…

      We all say its hard to hit in the MLB but it might be just as hard to pitch in the MLB LOL

      Liked by 1 person

      1. The progression of pitchers over the last 15 years is dramatic that it’s difficult to overstate. Let’s start with velocity. 15-20 years ago, anyone who threw over 95 was a hard thrower. At this point, all but a few pitchers, starters and relievers, can hit 95 on the gun – an average fastball these days is like 93 to 95. And it’s not just the big leaguers. I don’t know how gets this information, but Steve Potter’s blog shows velocity figures for our minor leaguers and it’s staggering how many of them touch between 96 and 99. Also, there are a number of Phillies’ minor leaguers we pay little attention to who are routinely throwing between 97 and 99, like Alex McFarlane and Seth Johnson. 15 years ago, I sat at ST and watched Ken Giles throw 95-98 and we all marveled at that.

        But it’s not just velocity. Pitchers move the ball like never before. The sweeper has introduced a new level of pitch movement and so many pitchers throw 5 or 6 pitches whereas back in the day, relievers threw 2 pitches, and starters threw 3 pitches, maybe 4.

        The only thing that has not improved, and it may be worse, is command.

        Honestly, I have no idea how any hitter even hits .250 these days but, clearly, some have adjusted and it leads me to believe that even if hitting stats are worse than they were about 20 or 25 years ago (some of that was PEDs), the hitters are also quite a bit better.

        Liked by 1 person

        2. it is crazy. A good part of that is sports medicine (not the roid part). Before, you trained for strength, and now you have specific strength training exercises per sport. It just keeps getting refined.

          The next part I’d atrribute to is the impact of the age of technology. There is so much information out there about mechanics, what does & doesn’t work, its elevated everyone who has the desire to get better. Eventually the cream rises to the top, but i think it still helps make everyone get better – the young talent & all their coaches as they progress.

          It makes me want to get out there and be an “old fart Cinderella” story 🙂

          Like

        3. I picked a name at random I never saw play but my dad always talked about Stan Musial. He hit over 350 5X in his career which spanned 1941-1963

          He hit 351 at age 36; 330 at age 41 and his last season age 42 255. He had a 376 season at age 27. Even more amazing was he hit those figures with many 1.000+ OPS

          Luis Arraez is the last MLB player to hit over 350 and that was 2023

          Like

          1. Tony Gwynn who I did see play hit a few ticks higher over a 20 year career but was over 100 points lower than Stan the Man in OPS…

            Like

  58. Skubal and Sanchez today for an early season match-up of great lefties in the game.

    The LU is a pretty good tell of how Thomson plans to go against tough lefties. Stott I presume will play against most lefties and Marsh will only see righties.

    Like

  61. I’ve been liking what I’ve been seeing from Bohm so far. He’s been aggressive vs balls in the zone.

    Like

    1. Yeah, he looks good this spring, probably trying his best to make their task more difficult. Would be ironic if he added 22–25 HRs to the skill set!

      Like

  62. it’s Spring Training, but some of the the “ifs” I was thinking about during the offseason are starting to look like “okay” we may have something here. Some nice springs from Stott, Bohm, and Crawford… sooooo

    Turner, Stott, Harper, Schwarber, Kemp, Bohm, Garcia, Realmuto, Crawford

    Anyone?

    there are some protection options for Harper that seam more legit than last year. The optimism seems to be working!

    Like

    1. Not putting 3 lefties in a row. Stott is fine hitting 6th/7th.

      vs. a lefty starter: Turner, Harper, Schwarber, Bohm, Garcia, Kemp, JTR, Sosa, Crawford.

      vs. a righty: Turner, Harper, Schwarber, Bohm, Stott, Garcia, Marsh, JTR, Crawford.

      Like

      1. I hear that but… the MLB only has roughly 25% of all pitchers as LH… Personally i think it gets a little overblown. After all… what do RH do? You should be able to hit either but … think about this … RHP starts the game. At some point would need to face Crawford, break in Turners, Stott, Harper, Schwarber…. That could be pretty tough

        Like

        1. might be 25% but they seem to come out of bullpens in critical situations.

          but besides that, I want the best hitter getting the most at-bats and Stott isn’t one of their best hitters.

          Like

  63. By the All Star Break, if everyone is over-performing – 1) Stott, 2) Bohm, 3) Harper, 4) Turner, 5) Schwarber, 6) Garcia, 7) Kemp, 8) Crawford, 9) Realmuto

    Like

  64. Romus. Nice to see you back. Do not overdo it on the posts. We know you have been chomping at the bit to get back but you are older now since you last posted.

    Almost Opening Day. Weather here in Indiana finally looks like Spring rather than mid Winter.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Don…glad to be back. Baseball weather soon arriving….well for many in the US, not sure about here in the northeast. Will the Iron Pigs play Indianapolis this summer? Cannot find them on the schedule. They make their Mid-west trip in August to Omaha, Nebraska for six games do not see Indy on the schedule.

      Like

  65. Pointed out to Ruff yesterday that LHV comes to Indy this summer for a series. Might be able to slip down and take in a game. Be interesting to see who might be on the team at that time. Think it was mid-July. Indy did not play LHV a year ago.

    Like

    1. Don the ages on that lhv pitching staff. Might get you tryout. Some of those guys are near society security age

      Like

      1. Rocco. Staff may be like fine wine. Better with age. I might be up to about 20′ wind aided pitch.

        Romus. Grandkid has pitched 2 times. 5 batters each time. 18 and 20 pitches. First was just over 8 months from TJ surgery. I cross my fingers each time. Saw where Yankees let Cole throw 10 pitches the other day.

        Like

          1. Agree on the young kids.

            I found yesterday that LHV will come to Indy July 21-27. They play 6 game series. I may be able to slip down for one. About an hour from here minus awful traffic construction everywhere. I did not realize till last year that they do not play each other every year. One of my breakfast friends has a partial ticket package to Indians explained what it was but that was couple months ago. Be kind of interesting to see who might be on roster at that time. Indy has a really nice stadium.

            Liked by 1 person

  66. Pennsburg’s Levi Stoudt signed with Phillies organization earlier this year. Didn’t see much about how he looked. Does anyone know? Hoping to see him with the Iron Pigs this summer.

    Like

  67. Some very interesting transactions happened recently.

    Dylan Crews, #2 pick from 2023, was sent down.

    Kristian Campbell, who received a 8/60 deal last season, was sent down.

    Jasson Dominguez, age 23, got sent down? He had a strong spring and he doesn’t have much to prove in the minors (.816 career OPS). I guess Grisham accepting the QO took up an OF spot. What about DH? Stanton is occupying that slot for this year and next. Trading for Stanton was just terrible for the Yankees (11 WAR in 8 years).

    Like

    1. When Crews was entering and then finally leaving LSU, I along with Hinkie thought this guy is special…next superstar in the Mike Trout mold. And he did well, not particular great, in the minors coning up, but somehow came off the tracks in DC. He still has a chance to get back into the groove, but will be tough road to hoe now.

      Like

      1. Dylan Crews was worthy of the #2 pick but it looks bad when 2 picks later, Wyatt Langford is looking like a budding superstar. Historically, the Nationals have a history of promoting guys early: Harper, Soto, Ryan Zimmerman, Rendon so we shouldn’t be too surprised that Crews is up already. But those guys I mentioned absolutely torched the minors (.900+ OPS) where as Crews is at .800 (it’s still pretty good though). Crews is still only 24 so the Nationals shouldn’t be worried (yet).

        Like

  68. Will definitely be watching the spring breakout game today.

    Looking at the Phillies’ breakout roster reminds me that the system still has a long way to go even with Miller, Painter, Crawford. I’m hoping Wood will pitch today. Nori will have a lot of eyes on him this season after having a great WBC run. The Phillies will need some players (Renteria is the obvious candidate) to start making some noise for the system to improve.

    Like

  69. Gage Wood finished his 3 innings of work. He sat 96-97, and his slider/curveball were decent pitches. He’s not the biggest guy and I do see some Craig Kimbrel in him if he moves off being a starter. Wood got a little emotional on the mound and overthrew some pitches, he’ll need to control that. Wood is still only 22 and he’s plenty talented but personally I think he will eventually land in the bullpen.

    Liked by 1 person

  70. See the Phillies traded for Carter Keiboom for cash considerations. He was a top-100 prospect with the Nats at one time. Some AAA depth.

    Like

    1. No downside here as the Phillies will try to unlock something. Hard to believe but Kieboom is already 28. Carter is the younger, more talented brother of Spencer who also couldn’t hit.

      Like

    2. Former top 10 prospect Jarred Kelenic was informed that he didn’t make the White Sox opening day roster. When you can’t make the roster of the White Sox, you have to think hard about continuing your baseball journey…

      Like

      1. Way back when he was traded by the Mets to the Mariners there were those Mets fans who were disgusted with him being added to get Diaz since he was the number 4 rated MLB prospect by BA prior to his 21age season….but he never panned out.

        Like

  71. Felix Reyes definitely has the power, but he’s a 1B/DH player and hard to see where he will get playing time in Philadelphia in the foreseeable future.

    Rincon has a Shawon Dunston type arm, but he’ll obviously need to hit.

    Saltiban looked lost at the plate.

    Alex McFarlane looked really nasty (97-98, wipeout slider). I can see him getting to the bigs sooner rather than later.

    Another reliever that impressed was Brian Walters. Has nasty stuff.

    Liked by 1 person

  72. Guru – Reyes played about 60 games in the OF last season for Reading-LHV so maybe they’ll see this year if it is a possibility.

    Like

    1. BR has Reyes at 195lbs which I don’t believe for a second. He’s not as large as Big Christmas but I think they have similar body types. At best, he’s going to be slightly negative dWar and at worst, he’s Rhys Hoskins in LF. I don’t think he’ll stick in the OF.

      Like

    2. Romus. In all honesty to that it is probably easier today to find guys throwing 95+ than it is to find guys hitting 95+ pitches. Everything with the young kids is velo based now. On the other side they like to see hitters that hit it out of the park. A little bit like oil and water.

      On the breakout game only got back home in time to see the last two hitters of the game. Bowen the Lander kid, face them. Thought he looked pretty good. Both hitters made him work. He was consistently at the 97-98 mark.

      As we have mentioned here many times before hitting a baseball at these speeds is one of the most difficult things to do.

      Like

  75. Congrats to Christopher Sanchez on his 6 year extension. Wow… that trade is looking worse all the time for Tampa. Remember the squawking we all did on that one?

    Like

    1. There are conflicting reports about what the contract really is but here’s what I’m seeing. Including this year, Sanchez had 3/18 left which is intact. He had 2 team options of $29M total, that has now been guaranteed. The Phillies then added another 2/60 on top of that.

      So including this year, Sanchez is now at 7/107. There is also a team option for 2033 worth $44.5M!

      I’m assuming teams like the Braves won’t be happy about this deal. For example (starting this year), Ronald Acuna essentially has 2/27 guaranteed left (likely 3/51 once the options are exercised). Albies has 2/14 left which is a joke.

      Like

      1. The Braves, are basically a perfect example for the players union to use. A team that drafted so welll, then locked up their talent on the cheap, built out revenue streams with their ballpark/surrounfding area … and how not spent the way you would have liked them too. They couldve really made a push when these players were cheap.. now… they are in danger of it just fading out.

        Like

          1. without getting into every detail of this, on the surface it looks like the braves have spent. As of now, they are 10th in the league. It’s not because they have an influx of young talent to take over. They’ve let Fried, Swanson, Ozuna go. To me, I think this helps highlight that the braves have been holding back. For instance, the only real player th the Philies had who was underpaid was Sanchez. That not th case anymore. The Braves didnt really start spending until 2019, and even then it was up and down. And now it’s back down. Thats all with Albies & Acuna significanly underpaid. You could argue that they also have Fried underpaid. If the braves spent like the Phillies, we’d all be pretty miserable.

            Like

      2. I was pretty baffled by this deal at first, because it truly is unprecedented. We went from having Sanchez in his prime for a steal to having him in his prime and likely a little beyond it for a good deal, but not nearly as team friendly.

        But honestly, it’s kind of brilliant. The Phillies just told the world that they care more about being fair to their players than maximizing value. The next time they try to lock up a young guy (Crawford? Painter? Miller? Nori?) you better believe they’ll be less hesitant to sign away their FA years. Because even if they outperform their contract, there’s now precedent that the Phillies will reward them so they aren’t missing out (as much). It’s a lot easier to take the “safety net” contract when the team is willing to renegotiate in the middle of it.

        And yeah, the Braves specifically see this deal and must be seething. Their stars are not going to be happy with them when they reach FA in a couple years.

        Like

        1. We all know that Zack Wheeler outperformed his initial 5/118 deal (in return he gave the Phillies 25.4 WAR, 2 runner up Cy Youngs). The Phillies wanted him back and the Phillies essentially gave him a big deal to make up for it: 3/126. This deal is for his age 35-37.

          I wonder if giving Wheeler $126M prompted the Phillies to give Sanchez an extra $60M to avoid this type of scenario. The extra 2 years will tie up Sanchez into age 35. The option (which likely won’t be exercised) would be for age 36.

          And yes, If I was Ronald Acuna’s agent, I would ask for at least a 4/120 extension added to his existing deal.

          Like

          1. I think the Phillies gave Wheeler the $42m per year partially as payback but mostly to be exactly in line with big money short-term contracts that Scherzer and Verlander received when they were older and less effective than Wheeler. Even in an injury-shortened year last year, Wheeler pretty much earned that salary – they were paying him to pitch like an ace and he did. If he comes back and is effective, they may overpay him a little, but he earned that deal, but on money, admittedly gave him the benefit of the doubt.

            Like

        1. But it is true that most thought that he Phillies had been fleeced by the sharp Rays front office in trading a star in the making for a Quad-A pitcher. I guarantee that even the Phillies front office did not realize that they had traded a journeyman utility infielder for a perennial Cy Young contender.

          Like

          1. First, let me say that I was one of the squwakers and, boy, was I ever wrong. Not only was this a good trade, it was almost certainly (and already) is one of the great trades in Phillies history. So, with that, Matt Klentak leaves an odd legacy. He was neither a roster nor organization builder, BUT, on his watch, the Phillies signed/acquired Sanchez, Wheeler and Harper, although my sense is that Harper is very much a Middleton acquisition as I believe that Klentak and the dreaded president of baseball operations, Andy MacPhail (is there a more deservedly despised former Phillies’ baseball executive than this guy? I don’t think so), wanted Manny Machado, who is a great player but probably would have been a terrible fit here and is no leader like Harper.

            Second, the Phillies did it again! This extension is a tremendous contract for the Phillies and also was the right thing to do for Sanchez who massively outperformed his original extension. The Phillies now have another great pitcher for a minimum of 7 years and, starting next year, he will be at a ridiculous $17 m AAV (less than the AAV for Taijuan Walker, which is rolling off the books next year when the extension starts) – an incredible feat that will help keep their go-forward taxes lower or, new CBA pending, will help them stay under a cap. Also, while there is new money, the terms of the prior extension remain with the exception that they are now exercising the two original options years which, if Sanchez remains remotely close to the same pitcher, are a big-time bargain. Again, if Sanchez remains a 1 or a 2, even the additional 2 contract years at the end of the deal are likely to be at or below-market (ignore the big option year at the end – it’s a team option – so they’ll do it then only if makes sense and it doesn’t tie their hand). And, like the Luzardo contract, this deal takes Sanchez through, but not past, his likely peak years. Yes, there’s risk and you never know, but this contract does not, on its face, have dead contract years like the Turner deal.

            If you’re a Phillies fan, the Sanchez and Luzardo contracts are exactly what you want to see from your team. They are brilliant contracts executed at the proper time so that we’re getting great players at a reasonable deal and not entering into bidding wars with teams like the Yankees and Giants. I give them an A+ for these two deals because even if there’s work stoppage next year and the baseball world changes, I still think these are likely to end up being very smart contracts. I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy with the front office as I am right now.

            Like

            1. LOL – I meant to say the Yankees and Dodgers, but, sure, the Giants sometimes getting into these bidding wars too.

              Like

          2. Agreed.. but I’d bet that all those who were involved have an ironclad pact between them that admits they didn’t know he’d be a CY young but though he was a #2 🤣. Thats a little more believeable

            Like

  76. McGarry is a back as well. Im in favor of that. Hope the control comes for him. The potential boost to the bullpen from the farm is intriguing. Some good arms down there – im looking out for: Johnson/Mcfarlane. The pen has had some nice results from ST from a few arms, so will how competitive it’s going to be this year.

    Like

    1. McGarry can still get claimed by other teams but if he can’t make the Nationals roster, it’s a near lock he’s not getting claimed. The Nationals are projected to have 65.5 wins.

      So maybe the Phillies knew what they were doing when they let McGarry be unprotected.

      Like

      1. Ahh I jumped the gun, the headline I saw made it sounds like he was back… as in couldn’t be claimed. Well let’s hope he makes its back. Good problem to have if so

        Like

        1. If they get him back, great – if not, oh well. He had an okay ST with the Nationals, but his problem was that he still couldn’t keep the walks down – he walked 5 batters in 5 2/3 innings – an age old problem for McGarry. Good news is that his FB is sitting in the mid to high 90s again. There’s no reason they wouldn’t take him back if they could. He’s good to have around because the talent is still there.

          Like

    1. Hopefully he’s okay. This is, unfortunately, the second time he’s collapsed on the mound from some heart problem. The article goes into it more, but this might mean the end of his career.

      Thankfully the Phillies staff was on hand for both of these, because he’d likely be dead if it happened elsewhere. Maybe the Phillies will offer him a coaching or consulting job.

      Like

        1. I gotta wonder how many lives have been saved just from the fact that professional teams now keep defibrillators on hand.

          Like

          1. Dan. Lots of high schools do as well here in Indiana. You see from time to time where it is the difference.

            Like

        2. Romus ……. remember way back when Charles Hughes wr collapsed while running a fly pattern and died on the field. Played for the Eagles and Lions. 1971, I believe.

          Like

  78. I’m going to the Saturday game and it will be my forth opening night game in a row. Lucky with warm weather on the first 3 but this forecast is more akin to a football game.

    I hate cold weather baseball unless its the chill of October playoff baseball…

    Like

      1. Hi Romus. Rocco thought you might be an impostor, but I think you are the real deal. It is play ball time on all fronts. Even the weather seems to be cooperating at least up here.

        Appears the Phillies now have the rotation secure for the near future. Just hope all can remain healthy. Should be a good deal if they can.

        Like

  79. By the way, I’m not sure if anyone saw the Phillies’ Saturday game, but Jonan Bowlan’s fastball was something to behold. He was regularly hitting 98 and 99 MPH on the gun, but just as impressive as the speed, was it’s late life in the strike zone – a nearly unhittable offering. If that’s his main pitch, he’ll only need an average-ish breaking pitch to pair with that to keep hitters honest. And here’s something that will make you smile – the Phillies control his rights for 6 seasons. This could be another great trade for the team – I like what I’ve seen.

    Like

    1. I saw it yes very impressed with what he can/might add out there. If there is any concern from me it is that the first month and half they won’t be getting many 6 and 7 IP from their starters.

      Like

        1. He is and it’s probably a good signing, but Bowland is going to be paid around the MLB minimum and is under team control for a long time – he has an opportunity to be a huge bargain going forward, something a team with a lot of big salaries needs desperately. Keller is a full-price free agent – perfectly fine, but not where they are saving money.

          Like

  81. I really didn’t understand the need to keep Dylan Moore. If anything they needed a left handed batter.

    I would have kept Stubbs as I bet he could probably play almost anywhere on the diamond plus you wouldn’t really care if he didn’t get many ABs.

    You already of have Kemp and Sosa. Kemp can play corners in both IF and OF plus 2b if you needed him to. Sosa 2nd SS and 3B.

    The 26th guy role is always a peculiar one and one only used in emergency.

    Stubbs is such a high character guy I see value in that. I see him possibly managing in the system one day.

    Like

    1. I love Stubbs the human being, but they already have a better back-up catcher and he’s nowhere near as good at other positions as Moore is so, frankly, as great of a dude as he is (and he is!) there’s just no place for him on this roster.

      Like

  82. Old O C – You wrote/said it too soon. Both those guys (Bowlen & Keller) were terrible today. As a matter of fact, the entire team with an exception or two was abysmal against a team like the Rays.

    Yes, I know it’s only spring training but it’s the END of spring training. Are they bored and want to play real games? I guess but they walked through today’s game, went through the motions and it looked bad.

    This was basically their everyday lineup. Turner, Schwarber, and Marsh haven’t hit at all. Most of the rest have just played so-so. Crawford appears lost at the plate. I hope it will get better come the end of the week.

    Like

    1. It’s end of ST close-out day for a bunch of veteran players. Guarantee they just wanted to get the game over so they can get everything packed up and head north.

      But by all means, start the pre-April worrying now.

      Liked by 1 person

  83. Concerning, PoBO Dave Dombrowski down in Clearwater about Miller’s situation : “He continues to work out. Not much baseball…He’s running, jogging, doing those types of things. A very slow progress — purposely. We’re doing that with him.”

    Shame, Miller is just too young to have these back problems now. I remember Mets’ David Wright going thru it, but he was in the league for 4/5 years already for him.

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.