EXHIBITION GAME
RECAP: Exhibition Game
Washed Away
Did Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka do enough? Yankees manager Joe Girardi
challenged his starter before Tuesday afternoon's Grapefruit League game
against the Phillies at Bright House Field, which was called after the fourth
inning because of rain. Tanaka entered the game with a 7.36 ERA in his first
four starts, and Girardi wanted to see better before he named him the Opening
Day starter. Tanaka allowed seven hits, one run, one walk and struck out five
in four innings, and he threw in the bullpen during the delay to extend his
pitch count. Phillies left-hander Brett Oberholtzer allowed seven runs in four innings.
Yankees first baseman Dustin Ackley hit
a three-run homer in the first. Miguel Andujar hit a two-run homer in the
fourth. Darin Ruf singled in the first to score the
Phillies' only run.
NEXT
GAME:
Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson starts the Phillies' final Grapefruit
League game on Wednesday at 1:05 p.m. ET, facing the Houston Astros at Bright
House Field. It will be the final tuneup for Hellickson before he starts on
Opening Day in Cincinnati on Monday.
PHILS PHACTS:
One Less Option – The
Phillies released Edward Mujica on
Tuesday to tighten their bullpen competition. Mujica signed a Minor League
contract with Philadelphia in December, and he pitched well this spring. He had
a 2.16 ERA in seven Grapefruit League appearances, allowing four hits, two
runs, two walks and striking out seven in 8 1/3 innings. Opponents hit .154
against him. But the Phillies like their other options better. "They told
me I'm free to go," Mujica said. Mujica's release leaves nine healthy
relievers in camp. Right-handers David Hernandez, Dalier Hinojosa and Jeanmar Gomez and
left-hander Brett Oberholtzer are locks. Rule 5 Draft pick Daniel Stumpf looks
like a lock, too. The Phillies love his arm, and they must keep him on the
25-man roster or risk losing him. Non-roster invitees James Russell (3.38
ERA in six appearances), Andrew Bailey (5.14
ERA in seven) and Ernesto Frieri (6.75
ERA in six) remain in camp. Hector Neris (6.23
ERA in eight appearances) is on the 40-man roster, and he also remains. Unless
the Phillies acquire somebody before Opening Day, those four are fighting for
the final two bullpen jobs. Russell has the edge on one of those spots. Manager
Pete Mackanin said the other day that there is a good possibility the team will
carry three left-handers in the bullpen. Frieri can exercise an out clause on
Thursday, but only if he has a spot on a 25-man roster elsewhere, and that is
highly unlikely. Bailey has a May 1 out clause; Mackanin has been lukewarm, at
best, about his past three appearances. It is not a stretch to think Frieri and
Bailey could open the season in Triple-A and Neris works his way onto the team.
Neris has not pitched well this spring, but he had a 3.79 ERA in 32 appearances
last season. Mackanin has said that although Grapefruit League performances are
important, he will consider regular-season performances, too. Mujica activated
an out clause in his contract when the Phillies did not add him to the Opening
Day roster by midnight ET Sunday. They then had 48 hours to make a final
decision on him. The Phils called Mujica into Mackanin's office on Tuesday
morning to inform him of his release. The Phillies saved $100,000 in the
process. Article XX-B free agents with six or more years of Major League
service time who sign Minor League contracts must be placed on the 25-man
roster or released five days before the regular season. If the team does
neither, choosing to instead send the player to the Minor Leagues, the team
must pay him a $100,000 retention bonus. Mujica could re-sign with the Phils
and open the season in Triple-A if he cannot find a big league job elsewhere.
"I'll have to see," Mujica said. "Pete told me I'm going to have
pretty good chances if I go to Triple-A, in getting back to the big
leagues."
Venable In, Asche Out? – Will Venable has
five games to prove himself and win a job on the Phillies' Opening Day roster. Venable
arrived in camp on Tuesday morning after Philadelphia signed him to a Minor
League contract on Monday. Venable, 33, hit .133 in 13 Cactus League games with
the Indians, who released him on Sunday, but he has a chance to make the
Phillies, as they have few other options in the outfield. He went 1-for-2
before the Phillies' Grapefruit League game against the Yankees was cancelled because of rain. "I
have no expectations," Venable said. "I'm just in camp right now. If
it means I have to go to Triple-A and prove myself there -- whatever it takes
-- I know that at some point I would like to be here contributing at the big
league level." Outfielders Aaron Altherr and Cody Asche will open the season on the disabled
list. Altherr had surgery on his left wrist this month, which will sideline him
until July at the earliest. Asche has not played a game this spring because of
a strained right oblique. He aggravated the injury the other day, essentially
resetting his recovery to the very beginning, and he could miss another several
weeks. "It's just giving it more time to heal," Asche said.
"Obviously, the time frame we had last time wasn't enough. This time we've
just got to be a little more cautious." The Phillies re-assigned
outfielder David Lough and infielder Ryan Jackson to Minor League camp on Tuesday,
leaving Venable and non-roster invitees Cedric Hunter and Emmanuel Burriss the final three candidates for the
final two bench jobs. Burriss has a good shot because he can play the infield
and outfield, and at the moment, the only utility infielder is Andres Blanco. Manager Pete Mackanin has hinted
that he likes the flexibility Burriss provides when it comes to maneuvering the
lineup during National League games with double switches, etc. Hunter has
impressed nearly everybody in camp. In fact, Mackanin said that if Hunter makes
the team, he could be his leadoff hitter. The fact that he has been in camp from
the beginning and earned the right to be in the conversation for a bench job
will play a factor, Mackanin said. "Hunter has had the best at-bats of
anybody other than [Maikel
Franco] in camp, in my opinion," Mackanin said.
"I'll put it that way." Venable posted a .669 OPS in 390 plate
appearances last season with the Padres and Rangers. He had a .613 OPS in 448
plate appearances with San Diego in 2014 but posted a solid .796 OPS with the
Padres in '13. "I'm not far off," he said. Venable also can play all
three outfield positions, which makes him attractive to the Phillies. "There
was mutual interest," he said. "I got released in the morning, and by
the afternoon ... we had some momentum going on a possible deal." Venable
knows the Philadelphia area relatively well. He played basketball and baseball
at Princeton, and played a few games at The Palestra. "Not good memories
at The Palestra," Venable said. "I think we blew, like, a 15-point
lead in the last minute of a game one time. But great venue."
Closer Spot Still Up For Grabs – If
the Phillies have a three-run lead in the ninth inning on Opening Day in
Cincinnati, somebody will have to pitch to protect it. Will it be their closer?
Do they even have a closer? "You'll find out," general manager Matt
Klentak said on Tuesday afternoon at Bright House Field. "So will I."
This is the first time in more than 15 years the Phillies have not entered the
season with an established closer. In years past, it has been Jonathan Papelbon, Ryan Madson, Brad
Lidge, Tom Gordon, Billy Wagner and Jose Mesa. This season it could be David Hernandez or Dalier Hinojosa or ... somebody else. "It's up in
the air," manager Pete Mackanin said. "You guys see what we see.
Hinojosa is still a candidate. Hernandez is a candidate. After that we might
have to use a committee situation. It is what it is, and we have to try to find
somebody that can do it." It has been an interesting spring in that
regard. Hernandez began camp as the favorite because he signed a one-year, $3.9
million contract in the offseason, making him the only free agent the Phillies
inked to a Major League deal. But Hernandez started the spring slowly because
of soreness in his right elbow. He is healthy, but he has pitched in only three
Grapefruit League games. Tuesday's appearance was cancelled because of rain. Hinojosa
had a 0.78 ERA in 18 appearances last season. He has a 4.50 ERA in seven
appearances this spring, although he allowed two hits and two runs in one
inning on Monday against the Blue Jays. "That's probably the worst outing
that we've all seen from him," Mackanin said. "I think he was
overthrowing all of his pitches. I think he might have been auditioning for
that role." Right-hander Andrew Bailey emerged as a favorite early in camp,
based on four scoreless innings in four appearances, but Mackanin has not been
enamored with Bailey's past three performances, and Bailey could open the
season in Triple-A. "I don't have a rooting interest in this,"
Klentak said. "I want the best seven guys in the bullpen to get outs.
Sometimes declaring who pitches the ninth allows who pitches the eighth and who
pitches the seventh to kind of fall into place a little bit better. I
understand the way that works. But ultimately, we're looking for the best
combination of relievers to get outs toward the end of the game." Mackanin
will not name a closer unless he is "100 percent sure about somebody that
I want to call a closer." "I'm not going to call anybody a
closer," he said. "A closer is somebody that you can count on for the
ninth inning. I don't know if we probably have one. I hope we have one, but I'm
not going to name one right now just to call a guy a closer. It doesn't really
mean anything."
Big Piece Not So Big Anymore – Ryan Howard is struggling at the plate, going
0-for-2 with two strikeouts on Tuesday. Since hitting a grand slam over the
batter's eye at Bright House Field on March 18, he is 2-for-19 with one double,
two walks and 11 strikeouts. That does not include a 1-for-5 effort with four
strikeouts in a Minor League game on Sunday at Carpenter Complex. "Yeah,
I'd like to see better at-bats," Mackanin said. Howard entered camp with
the opportunity to earn more playing time, but it looks as though he and Darin Ruf will be platooning at first base. "Let's
put it this way: I need to see more," Mackanin said. "More
production. In his defense, [Howard is] behind everybody, [because] he was sick
for a week. I'd like to think he caught up. I think he's caught up. This is
performance. We have to get performance. Numbers matter."
Say Hello To The X Factor – It took Matt Klentak just a couple
months to make his first bold move with the Phillies. The new general manager
traded Ken Giles and
Minor League infielder Jonathan Arauz to
Houston for five pitchers: right-handers Vince Velasquez, Mark Appel, Thomas Eshelman and Harold Arauz and
left-hander Brett Oberholtzer.
The Phillies badly wanted Velasquez in the deal, and Monday they named him
their No. 5 starter. "We like Velasquez's power arm," Phillies
manager Pete Mackanin said. Velasquez is the Phillies' X factor in 2016. The
Phillies see big-time potential in Velasquez because of his stuff. If he
pitches as advertised this season, the Phillies' rotation could set up nicely
for the future, particularly if Aaron Nola and Jerad Eickhoff pick
up where they finished as rookies last year. Going into 2017 believing in Nola,
Eickhoff and Velasquez would give the Phillies more room for error with
prospects like Jake Thompson, Zach Eflin and
Appel. Now, nobody seems to be expecting Velasquez to make 33 starts this
season. He pitched just 88 2/3 innings last season and pitched a career-high
124 2/3 innings in 2013. The Phillies want to be careful with him. They need to
keep him healthy. The original four-player return for Giles included Houston
outfield prospect Derek Fisher, but Appel and Arauz were late additions
after sources said the Phillies had concerns about Velasquez's physical.
Velasquez had Tommy John surgery on Sept. 22, 2010. "I'm healthy as an
ox," Velasquez said. No issues with his shoulder? "I've never had any
problems with my shoulder," he said. "Any type of soreness I've had
was in the biceps or triceps. Nothing in the shoulder." That is a good
thing. Because for the Phillies to speed up their rebuild, they need Velasquez
to pay off. That does not mean he needs to immediately be one of the top young
pitchers in the National League. But he needs to show he belongs. He needs to
show there is no doubt he is part of the Phillies' future. That is why the
Phillies insisted on getting him, after all.
Phillies Have An Impressive Collection – This
year's Spring Training is the first time that the Phillies have been able to
observe their impressive collection of top prospects, many acquired in the past
year. Though the organization is trying to temper expectations, there's still a
palpable excitement in camp regarding the future of the club. "This is the
most talent we've had in the four years I've been here," said Phillies
director of player development Joe Jordan. "We got to see all of our big
prospects -- J.P. Crawford,
Roman Quinn, Nick Williams,
Jorge Alfaro, Andrew Knapp, Mark Appel, Zach Eflin andJake Thompson -- together in big league camp this
year, and they all represented themselves very well. There are a lot of good
things happening." The aforementioned core of Phils prospects all enter
2016 with at least some upper-level experience, and many of them -- save for
Appel, who came over from the Astros in the Ken Giles trade during the offseason -- have
already played together after finishing last season at Double-A Reading. "A
lot of those guys were together in Double-A last year, so they kind of formed
that kind of cohesive, team unit," said Jordan. "It gave them all
some level of comfort to be together in big league camp at the same time. "Right
now, it's just about keeping them all healthy and building them up for the
season, because we have a chance to put some really good [Minor League] rosters
together." Camp standouts: MLBPipeline.com No. 99 overall prospect
Roman Quinn has proved to be a dynamic player when healthy.
However, the 2015 season marked the third straight injury-shortened campaign
for the 22-year-old outfielder, who was in the midst of a breakout performance
(.306/.356/.435, 29 SB) when he suffered a tear in his hip flexor on June 12
while he attempted to beat out an infield single. Now fully recovered from the
injury, Quinn impressed club officials with his showing this year in his first
big league camp, hitting .300 with one home run, three triples and two steals. "He's
really stood out," said Jordan. "He hit a home run and big two-out
single with a couple RBIs and a stolen bag the other day, and he was doing that
in the big league camp all spring. He had some days there where you really saw
what he has a chance to do." The Phillies have also liked what they've
seen so far from Alfaro, MLBPipeline.com's No. 96 overall prospect,
as he's impressed club officials with his exceptional tools on both sides of
the ball after missing most of the 2015 season with an ankle injury. In his
first Spring Training with the Phils, the 22-year-old backstop went 5-for-17
(.294) with a pair of RBIs before he was sent to Minor League camp. "We're
still getting to know him because he didn't get to play at all last year with
us. His strengths are easy to see -- the power, the arm strength -- but the
weaknesses and what he needs from us, that's all still evolving. He needs some
work defensively, but he gives a great effort and works very hard behind the
plate. He's an impressive young man," said Jordan. Breakout candidates: After a mediocre full-season
debut, Dylan Cozens didn't rank among the Phillies' Top 30 prospects headed
into 2015. But the former 2012 second-rounder bounced back last season against
advanced competition, compiling a solid .286/.336/.426 batting line and
finishing the year with a strong showing at Double-A Reading. He continued to
make strides during the offseason in the Puerto Rican Winter League, and he
enters 2016 ranked as the Phils' No. 23 prospect.
"We have a lot of people that, industry-wise, get a little more notice,
but he's going to be a name people talk about this season," said Jordan.
"He had some success in Puerto Rico this offseason, and we think he's
going to have a big year." The Phillies also have high hopes for No. 11 prospect Scott Kingery, the club's second-round
Draft pick in 2015. After an outstanding career at the University of Arizona,
highlighted by a .984 OPS last spring as a junior, Kingery made the jump
directly to full-season ball after signing, hitting .250 with 11 steals in 66
games at Class A Lakewood. "He can really hit," said Jordan. "He
was worn down last summer after a taxing college season, but we think is first
full season is going to be very productive. He has a real chance to be an
everyday player in the big leagues for us."
5 Questions For Future Phillies Outfielder
– As part of MLBPipeline.com's visit to all 30 Spring Training
facilities this month, we will be sitting down with prospects and getting to
know them a little better. At Phillies camp, it was No. 3 prospect Nick Williams. A second-round Draft pick of the Rangers in 2012, Williams has put
up impressive offensive numbers at every Minor League stop throughout his young
career, amassing a .296/.346/.489 batting line in 374 games. He took a major
step forward in 2015 and was having a tremendous season at Double-A Frisco when
he was sent to the Phillies as part of the Cole Hamels blockbuster.
The 22-year-old outfielder capped his season with a strong showing at Double-A
Reading and has continued to impress this spring in his first camp with the
Phils. MLBPipeline.com: Where were you and
what were you doing when you learned that you had been traded last summer? Williams: I was playing for Double-A Frisco, and we
were going into either the seventh or eighth inning when I was pulled from the
game. I didn't know that those other guys had been traded too until I got into
the clubhouse. While waiting for the trade to become final, I went home for
about a week and went to the beach and hung out with some friends. I was
getting in the car with my girlfriend to go pack up my stuff at Frisco when I
learned the trade went through, so we drove 22 hours to Reading to meet up with
the team. MLBPipeline.com: Upon joining Reading, you collected
two hits in your first game and then went 4-for-4 with two home runs the next
day. Was the transition from the Rangers to the Phillies as easy as you made it
seem? Williams: It was extremely easy. Jake [Thomson] told me
that it would be tough, but it really wasn't. After that 22-hour drive, we
spent another five hours on the bus going to Trenton because we got stuck
behind a dump truck that was on fire, so I basically went a full week without
hitting before that first game with Reading. MLBPipeline.com: You
and a lot of the Phillies' other acquisitions were in big league camp together
this spring. What was that experience like -- to play together with all of the
other big-name prospects who, like yourself, are viewed as the future of the
franchise? Williams: It was great not just being the one guy who
goes in there and feels out of place. The younger guys were asking me questions
and the veterans were all very welcoming -- it was just great energy overall.
You can tell the team chemistry is going to be really, really good, because
everyone is clicking already. MLBPipeline.com:
You've always had an impressive knack for hitting, but last season you seemed
to make big strides with your approach and plate discipline. To what do you
attribute that improvement? Williams: They put
me at leadoff last year at Frisco, and it allowed me to see a lot of pitches
and also made me realize just how overaggressive I can be at the plate. Really
focusing on the pitchers and the counts, I started to learn how to put all the
pieces together and be a more complete hitter. MLBPipeline.com:
Video question: You hit this impressive home run with Reading on August 24. First of
all, how did you manage to keep this ball fair? Secondly, how on earth did you
hit it out of the park? Williams: I can't
explain it, really. I get asked those types of questions a lot, and I really
can't explain how I hit like that. I just see the pitch and my hands want to
attack it, so I let 'em go.
Today In Phils History - We bid adieu to The Bull as the Phillies sold him to the White Sox on this day in 1981.
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies have an impressive record this spring… 14-10-3 (15-10-3 if you include
the exhibition game against the University of Tampa). With the Phillies having
finished the 2015 season with a spectacularly awful record of 63-99 it will be
interesting to see what kind of team new President Andy MacPhail and GM Matt
Klentak put on the field. At the same time I am definitely looking forward to
the games against Boston with former GM Ruben Amaro on the field. Given the
departures, lingering contracts, a history of injuries, bipolar
performances, and unproven talent, it should, at the very least, be an
interesting season for the Phillies. Who knows, maybe they can avoid 100
losses... hopefully by more than one game!
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