EXHIBITION GAME
RECAP: Phils Tie Jays 4-4
The spring rematch between the Phillies and the Blue Jays ended in
a 4-4 tie after nine innings on Wednesday afternoon at Florida Auto Exchange
Stadium. Philadelphia's Emmanuel Burriss led off the ninth with a double to
left, and Andrew Knapp drove him
home with another two-bagger to take the lead. In the bottom of the frame,
however, the Blue Jays notched back-to-back two-out singles, and Dwight Smith Jr. scored the tying run on a wild
pitch. Toronto had jumped out to a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning
with a rally that started when Josh Donaldson was hit by a pitch and Michael Saunders reached base on an error. Ryan Goins followed later in the frame with a triple
off the wall in right-center field, and he scored during the next at-bat on
former Phillie Domonic Brown's single. Three of Toronto's runs were scored off
Phillies right-hander Vincent Velasquez, but
only two of them were earned. Velasquez surrendered three hits and added three
strikeouts during his two innings of work. Right-hander David Buchanan got the start for Philadelphia, and he
tossed two scoreless innings while allowing one hit and striking out one.
Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey made his
first start of the spring for Toronto and allowed one run on two hits with a
strikeout. Right-hander Aaron Sanchez, who is
competing for the final spot in the starting rotation, then came on in relief
and also allowed one run over two innings while surrendering three hits and
striking out three. "Right now, it's not at all about results. It's much
more about getting your body ready for the grind of a long season," said
Dickey. "Today was a big step forward in that regard. "I felt very
comfortable out there, trying to fill up the strike zone as much as I can. I
feel like that's the one thing I can identify during my tenure as a Blue Jay
that's really significant, when I don't walk people I usually have good
results." The big blow off Sanchez came on a 3-2 changeup that outfielder Aaron Altherr sent deep over the wall in left field.
Other standout performances for Philadelphia included an RBI triple by
outfielder Peter Bourjos and a
double by outfielder David Lough.
NEXT GAME:
The Phillies have a split squad Thursday. They host the Astros at
Bright House Field at 1:05 p.m. ET, live on MLB.TV, while they play the Yankees
in Tampa at the same time. Top pitching prospects Jake Thompson and Zach Eflin are scheduled to pitch against the Astros.
Left-hander Adam Morgan starts
against the Yankees. He is competing for the No. 5 job in the rotation. Mark Appel and Alec Asher also are scheduled to face the Yankees.
PHILS PHACTS:
Pitchers Ready For Fast Starts – Vincent Velasquez does not believe in a slow build
during Spring Training. The coveted prize of the Ken Giles trade came out firing Wednesday in a 4-4
tie with the Blue Jays at Florida Auto Exchange
Stadium. His fastball sat in the 95-96 mph range throughout his two innings of
work. "It's just within my nature," Velasquez said. "I'm the kid
that likes to get after it. I'm competitive, no matter what it is, no matter
what sport. I've always been competitive growing up. So even that little kid in
the neighborhood, I've always been on top. I try to keep it that way." Velasquez
allowed three hits, three runs (two earned) and struck out three. He threw a
scoreless third inning before he allowed three runs in the fourth. He hit Josh Donaldson with a pitch to start the frame, then
allowed a two-run triple to Ryan Goins and an RBI
single to former
Phillies outfielder Domonic Brown. "Right
out of the gate, you've got to be consistent," Velasquez said. "I
lacked that a little bit, but it's a work in progress. After last year, what
I've experienced, it's been getting a little bit better." But forget about
Wednesday's results for a moment. Velasquez is the favorite to be the Phillies'
No. 5 starter come Opening Day. Philly loves his arm. He certainly showed that
life against the Blue Jays. "I get after it," Velasquez said.
"You have all offseason to prepare, so I don't see why you should baby it.
I've had plenty of bullpen sessions and a lot of [live batting practice
sessions]. I've been kind of the same way all the way through, so I'll face
myself tomorrow until my next outing and get after it again." Phillies
manager Pete Mackanin said he expects Aaron Nola, Jeremy Hellickson, Jerad Eickhoff and Charlie Morton to be the first four pitchers in his rotation.
Mackanin got a look at two more No. 5 candidates Wednesday in David Buchanan and Brett Oberholtzer. Buchanan allowed one hit and
struck out one in two scoreless innings. Oberholtzer, who the Phillies also
acquired in the Giles deal, allowed one walk and struck out two in two
scoreless innings. Oberholtzer is out of options, so he figures to make either
the rotation or bullpen. Buchanan has plenty to prove this spring. He went 2-9
with a 6.99 ERA in 15 starts last season with the Phillies. He said he battled
himself mentally last year, beating himself up and focusing on the wrong
things. "I refused to let that happen again," Buchanan said. It is
why he connected with Jim Brogan, who has been a performance specialist for Cole Hamels for years. Brogan is from Philadelphia,
but he has worked near San Diego for some time. He works with people about
improving their focus, concentration and gaining that mental edge, whether it
is in sports, business, etc. Buchanan met Brogan at a baseball camp run by
Hamels in Philadelphia in the offseason. Buchanan and Brogan have been working
together a little more than a month, speaking on the phone two to three times a
week. Buchanan also just finished "The Power of Habit" by Charles
Duhigg. "Right now, I'm mentally solid," Buchanan said. "I'm
very positive. I'm very confident in what I have to bring to the table, so I'm
excited for the competition. It makes it fun. It's nice to come in here and
have something to work for, having something to compete for." But Buchanan
and everybody else know in the end that the results matter most. Velasquez,
Oberholtzer, Buchanan, Adam Morgan and others
will have to pitch well to earn consideration as Opening Day nears. "I
don't know what's in his mind," Mackanin said about Buchanan. "All I
care about is if he commands the ball, whether he's got his mental coach or
not, I don't care. This is the last stop. You've got to do it, or you're not
going to be here. So whatever it takes to stay here is all I care about."
Looking Into The Future – The
top of the Phillies' lineup Wednesday could have been a peek into the future. Opening
Day 2018, maybe? Who knows? Maybe even earlier. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin
had Roman Quinn, J.P. Crawford and Maikel Franco hit in the top three spots in a 4-4
tie with the Blue Jays in a Grapefruit League
game at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Quinn and Crawford are two of the Top
100 Prospects in baseball, according to
MLBPipeline.com, and Franco's rookie season in 2015 has the Phillies thinking
they have a middle-of-the-lineup hitter on their hands. "It's a
good-looking combo right there," Mackanin said. Quinn went 1-for-3 with a
stolen base, Crawford went 0-for-3 with a walk and Franco went 1-for-3. They
opened the afternoon facing Blue Jays knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. "Facing
Dickey," Quinn said, "that was a cool experience, man. I really
enjoyed it." "That's really the first time I've seen J.P. make a
play," Mackanin said. "I like what I saw. Great actions, accurate
arm." Crawford said when he saw the lineup, he could not help but think
about the group being in the big leagues together in the future. "I think
about it all the time," Crawford said. It remains to be seen if and when
that will happen. Both Quinn and Crawford are expected to open the season in
the Minor Leagues, either in Double-A Reading or Triple-A Lehigh Valley. From
there, their play will dictate their big league arrival. But on Wednesday, they
at least got to get on the field together. It was the first time Quinn said he
had faced a knuckleballer, much less a former Cy Young Award winner like
Dickey. Crawford said he faced a couple last season. Mackanin said he did not
consider it particularly cruel to start a couple prospects against a
knuckleballer. "I want to see them," Mackanin said. "I don't
care who's pitching. I'd rather have those two guys facing them than our guys
-- that could set you back a little bit. But I wanted to get them at-bats as
early as possible in the camp because they're probably not going to go with us,
and we need to get them at-bats if and when they go down."
Breaking Down The Prospects – The
time had come to rebuild and restock. The glory years of 2008-2010, when the
Phillies played in two World Series -- winning one -- and a National League
Championship Series, seem like a very long time ago. Perhaps they held on to
some core veterans from those years a bit too long, but the Phillies did
finally realize it was time to hit the reset button. And they've done so in a
big way, this time trading away some players at the height of their value and
getting excellent value in return. In total, trades since last July's
non-waiver Trade Deadline brought in 11 new members of the team's 2016 Top 30
Prospects list. Five of the new acquisitions are in the overall Top 100,
completely re-making the top of the organizational list. More good news: Nearly
all of these new prospects -- 10 out of 11 -- should be ready to help out in
Philly in the next two seasons, so the return on investment might start coming
in soon. The biggest trade, of course, came back on last July 31, when Cole Hamels (and Jake Diekman) went to the Rangers for six players,
four of whom are in Top 30 (three in the top six). New general manager Matt
Klentak added to the prospect coffers by dealing Ken Giles to the Astros in December and getting two
Top 30 guys in addition to some other young arms. All of these changes have
greatly altered the outlook of the Phillies' farm system. The trades, along
with interesting talent developing in the lower levels, thanks largely to
strong efforts internationally as well as the one constant -- No. 1 prospect J.P. Crawford -- are the reasons why the Phillies are
ranked No. 7 on MLBPipeline.com's rankings
of the Top 10 farm systems in baseball. And they'll be able to add more,
holding the No. 1 pick in the 2016 Draft, a year after the 2015 Draft yielded
two players in the top half of the team's Top 30. Biggest jump/fall: Here
are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2015 preseason list to
the 2016 preseason list. Jump: Malquin Canelo (2015: NR | 2016: 12); Fall:
Tom Windle (2015: 6 | 2016: NR). Best tools: Players are graded on a
20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is
below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above
average. Hit: Crawford (60); Power: Jorge Alfaro (60); Run: Roman Quinn (80); Arm: Alfaro (70); Defense: Crawford
(65); Fastball: Jimmy Cordero (80);
Curveball: Franklyn Kilome (50); Slider: Jake Thompson (60); Changeup: Ricardo Pinto (60);
Control: Thomas Eshelman (70). How they were built: Draft: 8;
International: 9; Trade: 11; Rule 5: 1; Free agent: 1. Breakdown by ETA:
2016: 11; 2017: 5; 2018: 10; 2019: 3; 2020: 1. Breakdown by position: C:
3; 1B: 1; 2B: 2; SS: 2; OF: 9; RHP: 12; LHP: 1.
Brown Trying To Rebound North Of The
Border – Domonic Brown is in a new uniform with a new number that looks
more at home on the back of a first-time Spring Training participant than
somebody who made the 2013 National League All-Star team. But Brown had little
choice after the Phillies cut ties with him in October. He could not land a
Major League contract in the offseason, so he instead signed a Minor League
contract with the Blue Jays late last month. He was in the Blue Jays' lineup
batting sixth and playing right field in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game vs.
the Phillies at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. "A little different,"
Brown said about his new surroundings, "but definitely it's been
great." Brown is wearing No. 81 this spring, the result of signing so
late. He hopes to eventually change that number, which would happen if he makes
the Opening Day roster. He has a real shot to be the Blue Jays' fourth or fifth
outfielder. But if everything had gone according to plan, Brown still would be
with the Phillies, hitting in the middle of the lineup. A former top prospect,
Brown appeared to be fulfilling his hype in 2013 when he hit .285 with 21 home
runs, 59 RBIs and a .907 OPS in 300 plate appearances from April 27 through the
All-Star break. But Brown hit .239 with 19 home runs, 104 RBIs and a .650 OPS
in 803 plate appearances following the 2013 All-Star break through the end of
'15. Brown's OPS in that span ranked 250th out of 336 qualified hitters in
baseball and 117th out of 132 qualified outfielders. "Philly did me
great," Brown said. "They did a great job. A lot of great memories. A
lot of great times. It's just time for a fresh start." Brown said he has
no regrets about his time in Philadelphia. "Not at all," he said.
"I put everything on myself. Accountability for me has always been big.
That's why I didn't have any bad times with the fans. It was all on me, you
know what I mean?"
Today In Phils History - In 1911, the Phillies Bert Humphries collapsed (one of several players affected) due to a gas leak coming from a stove used to heat a dressing room at Rickwood Park in Birmingham, Alabama where the Phillies were holding spring training. 4 years later, the Phillies held their first spring training in Florida when they opened camp in St. Petersburg. Birthdays for today include Emil Gross (1858), John Kelly (1859), Bobby Locke (1934), and Bobby Munoz (1968).
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies have begun the spring with a 0-1-1 record (1-1-1 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!
