Phillies Rebound From 2015 In First Game

TODAY’S EXHIBITION GAME: Phillies Defeat Tampa 8-3

The Phillies hope they will have a catching problem on their hands in the near future. Two of their top prospects in Spring Training are catchers Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp. Both impressed in Sunday's 8-3 victory over the University of Tampa at Bright House Field. Alfaro went 0-for-2 with one walk and one run scored. His power has enthralled Phillies coaches in the first week of camp, but Sunday he impressed with his arm and legs. He nabbed a would-be basestealer in the fourth inning. He also beat out a double play in the first, which led to a run, and scored from second on a ball hit to left field in the third. "I like to see that, boy," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He runs pretty good for a catcher." Knapp went 1-for-3 with one walk, two RBIs and one run scored. He ripped a bases-loaded single off Spartans first baseman Adrian Chacon's glove to score two runs in the first. "I like hitting bases loaded with one out. It's easy," Knapp said with a smile. "You can hit a ball like that and get a couple RBIs. It was good. I felt good at the plate today. I felt pretty comfortable." Knapp started the game as the designated hitter, but he moved to first base in the seventh inning (he borrowed Darin Ruf's mitt because he does not own one) as the Phillies were shorthanded with Ryan Howard not playing, Ruf out of the game and Cody Asche's and Brock Stassi's sides bothering them. The switch-hitting Knapp's versatility afforded him an extra plate appearance, and his first of the spring as a right-handed hitter. "It's nice to have that in my back pocket if I can stay in the lineup that way," Knapp said of his ability to play first. MLBPipeline.com ranks Alfaro as the No. 96 prospect in baseball, while Knapp earned the Phillies' Minor League Player of the Year honors in 2015. In a perfect world, both catchers continue to improve and live up to their potential and the Phillies ultimately have to move one of them to a different position. If that would happen, Alfaro could move to the outfield and possibly even first. Knapp could play first or outfield. He has played both in the past. "Whatever it takes to stay in the lineup," Knapp said. "If that's where I end up and I'm in the big leagues, I don't think I'm really worried about it as much, you know? As long as I'm in the big leagues playing every day." But those are discussions for another day. The Phillies look at both players as catchers, and they will both catch this spring and once their Minor League seasons begin in April. Until he heads to Minor League camp, Knapp is soaking in everything he can. "I've been just trying to pick [Carlos Ruiz's] brain as much as I can," he said. "He's got so much knowledge, it's just like, why would you not just ask him a ton of questions? "We've been having meetings every day, where we go over who we've caught in bullpens and live BPs and stuff. Chooch will just give us a heads up about what these guys like to do and how they go about their business and stuff. Sometimes, for a lack of a better word, the bull [sessions] are what you get the most out of. Just kind of stories, like, 'We were on the road and this happened.' It's just stuff like that."

PHILS PHACTS:

Vying For Opening Day Start – Jeremy Hellickson and Aaron Nola threw a combined 18 pitches in two perfect innings for the Phillies on Sunday at Bright House Field. Their performances in an 8-3 victory against the University of Tampa meant little in the long run, but they are worth noting because one of the two pitchers is expected to be the Phillies' Opening Day starter on April 4 against the Reds in Cincinnati. The runner-up is expected to pitch the second game of the season on April 6, which would not be a bad consolation prize: He would also be in line to pitch the homer opener April 11 against the Padres. "Yeah, I'd absolutely love the honor, but it doesn't matter one bit," Hellickson said about pitching Opening Day. "We're going to need all five guys to pitch how we're capable of pitching. I don't really think it matters who starts it off, but at the same time, it's a goal and it'd be fun." "It'd be a cool thing," Nola said. "If you haven't done it before, if you haven't had an Opening Day start in your career, it would definitely be cool. But wherever they have me, I'm going to go out there and compete." Nola said he would understand if the Phillies told him they preferred to ease him into the season, giving the nod to the more experienced Hellickson, who won the 2011 American League Rookie of the Year Award. "Being on the field and competing against the batters, trying to get a win for the team, that's the focus," Nola said. Hellickson, 28, went 9-12 with a 4.62 ERA in 27 starts last season with the D-backs. He has a 4.86 ERA in 72 appearances (71 starts) the past three seasons. The Phillies acquired him in an offseason trade with Arizona because they consider him a solid bounce-back candidate and they needed a veteran presence in the rotation. Hellickson certainly has motivation to pitch well. He will become a free agent following the season, so a big year would help him on the open market. And if he pitches well, the Phillies could potentially deal him before the non-waiver Trade Deadline. "I just really need to get back to being consistent," Hellickson said. "The last couple years I feel like I've thrown better than what the numbers said at the end, but my bad ones were just really, really bad. I couldn't stop the bleeding in those big innings. I've just got to be better out of the stretch with guys on base. Just be more consistent every five days. I can't give up one in seven [innings] one game and then give up five in three the next." Nola threw fastballs and curveballs in his short stint, although he said he will be making a concerted effort to improve his changeup this spring.

Today In Phils History - Well, there is one Phillies leap year player in Ralph Miller who was born on this day in 1896 (which technically still makes him less than 30 years old and a prime candidate to make the current roster). 

THE BEGINNING:

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!

Solidifying The Outfield

PHILS PHACTS:

Herrera To Remain In Center – Look up and down the projected Phillies lineup for a second. Odubel Herrera proved to be one of the club's only consistent batters last year, hitting .297 with 30 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 41 RBIs, 16 stolen bases and a .762 OPS in 537 plate appearances as a rookie. His average dipped to .243 with a .627 OPS on May 29, but he hit .326 with an .834 OPS the rest of the way. There has been talk that Herrera could move from center to left to make room for Peter Bourjos or Aaron Altherr, but Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said he is keeping Herrera in center. "I don't want to mess with his head," Mackanin said. In short, the Phillies want to keep Herrera comfortable after his encouraging rookie campaign, even though Bourjos might be better defensively in center. Not that Herrera is a slouch defensively. He surprised almost everybody with how well he adjusted to a new position last season, especially considering he spent most of his Minor League career at second base (411 games) and shortstop (135 games) compared to the outfield (13 games). "He accomplished so much defensively and proved he was a legitimate center fielder," Mackanin said. "He wasn't just a plug-in. I really liked him in center field." Of course, where Herrera plays in a year or two remains to be seen. Two of the Phillies' top prospects are outfielders Nick Williams and Roman Quinn. If the outfield suddenly gets too crowded with talent -- the Phillies would love to have such a problem -- they could return Herrera to second base. "We've talked about that down the road," Mackanin said. "If there's a need to move him over because one of the younger guys comes up and we need to keep his bat in the lineup, we'll worry about that then. The fact that he's played second base early in his career says to me if we have to do that next year or the year after, it's not like he's never played there." But Herrera said he has no plans to break out his infielder's glove this spring. The Phillies have no plans to work him there, either. They just want him to be comfortable and hit. "I think I did a pretty good job," Herrera said about his rookie season. "I think it's all thanks to all the work I put in last season. So I hope I can keep working hard to keep making progress. I try to work hard, just focus on the game and play any position the coach wants me to play. And at the end of the day, what I want to do is win."

Today In Phils History - In 1903, James Potter (no relation to Harry) purchased the Phillies. Ten years later, the team opened spring training in Southern Pines, NC. And just last year, former Phillie Juan Pierre announced his retirement. Today is also the birthday of some bygone Phillies including Moose McCormick (1881), Lil Stoner (1899), and Lefty Bertrand (1909). 

THE BEGINNING:

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!

The Foundation Seems Strong

PHILS PHACTS:

Translation Please – Commissioner Rob Manfred visited every team in baseball last spring and noticed something. His words were lost to many of the Spanish-speaking players in camp. "I noticed a problem in terms of language," Manfred said. "I had a lot of senior people in the organization with me on those visits and they noticed a problem. I think it pushed forward an issue that had been sort of on the table for a long time to make sure that we did the very best job we could allowing our players to communicate as effectively as possible with the press." It is why every team is required to have a Spanish-speaking translator on staff. The Phillies recently just hired their translator: 28-year-old Diego Ettedgui, who is from Venezuela. "I think it's going to help," Phillies third-base coach Juan Samuel said. "Sometimes it takes us from what we need to do as a coach, even though we welcome the idea of helping these guys. A lot of times you have to juggle coaching with personal stuff, and maybe sometimes this guy feels more comfortable talking personally about something strictly to a translator." Last season, Samuel and veteran utility infielder Andres Blanco translated for players uncomfortable speaking to reporters. "It will be more comfortable for everybody," Blanco said. "Everybody will have their own space. Spring Training is Spring Training, but during the season it's a little bit different. People feel tension. They get mad, frustrated. It's good to have better communication." But Samuel and Blanco both hope it does not stop players from improving their English. "Now you have a tendency of seeing all the Spanish guys being together because, 'I only have to speak Spanish,'" Samuel said. "Then you have the rest of the team over there. If they learn the language it'll bring the team even closer together off the field. You don't see the Latinos out, going shopping with Cody Asche. They go with Cesar [Hernandez] or Blanco." Cordero is getting close: Hard-throwing right-hander Jimmy Cordero has not thrown a bullpen session this spring because of soreness in his right biceps, but he said he could throw off a mound as early as Monday or Tuesday. Cordero said he does not consider the injury serious and expects to make up for lost time.

Alfaro Turning Heads – Unofficially, the distance from home plate at Ashburn Field at the Carpenter Complex to second base on the half field at Bright House Field is about 545 feet. A service road separates the two. But Phillies prospect Jorge Alfaro had no problem recently launching balls from Ashburn Field to second base at the half field, which caught the attention of Phillies bench coach Larry Bowa. He had been working on the half field at the time. "It's just a different sound," Bowa said about the ball leaving Alfaro's bat. "It doesn't matter that it's BP. Where these balls go, it's different. The kid has strength. He's got some tools. Big time." It is just batting practice and it is just the first few days of camp, but Phillies coaches have been impressed with Alfaro's raw power. Of course, the trick for Alfaro will be harnessing that power at the big league level. But if he can, the Phillies will be ecstatic they got the 22-year-old catcher in the Cole Hamels trade with the Rangers. Good catching is hard to find. Good catching with power is a dream. The average big league catcher had a .682 OPS last season. Only three catchers hit more than 20 home runs. "BP-wise, I haven't seen a guy on a consistent basis hit a ball that far to right-center field, opposite field, ever," said Matt Stairs, who is in camp as a guest instructor before returning to the Phillies' broadcast booth next week. "I've played with [Jose] Canseco, [Mark] McGwire. Sammy Sosa had great power in BP, center field and pull power. But Alfaro has the thunder off his bat. When you see a center fielder not move in BP, just turn around and watch, you know you've got tremendous power." "He reminds me of Dick Allen," Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt said. "He's got the 28-inch waist and the shoulders three-feet wide. But I'm one of those guys that gets infatuated with young players early. I've pitched to him in the cage, worked with him a little bit. You can just see it. He has a very quiet, confident stance and presence in the batter's box. Everything about him exudes confidence." Alfaro has hit .261 with 52 home runs, 250 RBIs and a .758 OPS in six Minor League seasons. He missed much of last year following ankle surgery. Finally healthy, he played 13 games in winter ball in Venezuela, hitting .262 with one home run, no walks and 16 strikeouts in 42 at-bats. "I felt a little lost," Alfaro said about winter ball. "I started feeling better the more I played." The key for Alfaro will be refining his approach at the plate. He has walked 95 times and struck out 492 times in his Minor League career. It would be advantageous to close that gap. "We've been talking about my stance and trying to be more athletic," Alfaro said. "I just want to be more consistent at the plate. But I also need to get better at calling games." "He better learn to hit the ball inside," Stairs said. "When you watch a guy taking batting practice and he has tremendous power center field to right-center field -- because that's what his swing is -- now it's an adjustment of how he can react to pitches inside. Can he turn on pitches? It will be interesting to see what adjustments he makes." The Phillies are hopeful the hitting and catching comes -- Alfaro's throwing arm is as impressive as his power. The club has another highly regarded catching prospect in the system in Andrew Knapp. If both make it, one of them could change positions. Alfaro has some experience at first base and has worked out in the outfield. "He's young," former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "He still needs some experience to finish him off, but he has a chance to be a good hitter, a power hitter in the big leagues." "He's a strong kid," catcher Carlos Ruiz said. "He can swing the bat. He's a guy you have to keep your eyes on."

A Strong Foundation – Mike Schmidt has lived through the good times and the bad with the Phillies. He was in uniform when a young team won three consecutive division titles in the 1970s, and in 1980 when they celebrated a World Series title for the first time. Schmidt played in the '83 Series loss to the Orioles. And during the Hall of Famer's 18 seasons, he was around when the Phillies were losing a ton of games, like 97 in 1972 or 91 in '73 or 82 the following summer; a combined 191 his final two years, 1988-89. By my count, Schmidt was with the Phils for 1,398 of the franchise's record 10,650 losses. The team has finished last 33 times. Michael Jack has seen this team torn down and rebuilt more times than he can remember, so there's really no one better to ask of what the current construction project reminds him. "The Kansas City Royals four years ago," Schmidt said the other day without hesitation. "And I think we're closer to the World Series than the Royals were then." Kansas City, building from within with young players, lost 90 games in 2012 and, of course, rose to beat the New York Mets last year to win its first World Series championship in 30 years. "Just say I'm very impressed with the young talent here," Schmidt, a Spring Training instructor, added after a workout on a cold, windy day at Bright House Field. "There's a lot of energy." Ask baseball lifer Pete Mackanin what his youthful band of virtually unknown players reminds him of, and the manager chews on the question for only a second or two. "Right away, I think about the Montreal Expos with a lot of young guys when Warren Cromartie, Andre Dawson, Ellis Valentine and Gary Carter came up," he said. "I was part of that mix [1975-77]. Those guys did a little better than I did over the long run. "It reminds me, in that respect, we've got a lot of guys who're not necessarily on the Major League team, but on the verge, knocking on the door. I consider Freddy Galvis, Maikel Franco and Cesar Hernandez prospects as well. Those guys did well enough last year for me to expect much more from them this year." Mackanin, 64, took over on an interim basis when Ryne Sandberg resigned on June 26, and he was given the job permanently after the season, his first full-time managerial job. He received enormous praise for his handling of and communication with the young roster. Once prompted, Mackanin was on a roll, oozing superlatives about the players who are rebuilding the Phillies' future. Once again. "I think [center fielder] Odubel Herrera has a chance to be a batting champion," the manager gushed. "I don't know about this year, but he's got a real good idea at the plate. He's shown adjustments. We need Galvis and Cesar to adjust and Maikel to get 500 at-bats. We have a bunch of prospects -- good young guys who have a chance to make a name for themselves." Herrera batted .297 in 147 games last year, while Franco hit .280 with 14 homers and 50 RBIs. Right-hander Aaron Nola, who was 6-2 with a 3.59 ERA in 13 starts, is the top pitching prospect, and shortstop J.P. Crawford, one of baseball's best prospects, is considered a big piece in the club's future. I first arrived in Clearwater to cover the Phils in 1958. For the first four years, they lost 377 games, including 107 in '61. And they only played 154 games in those seasons, all last-place finishes. When I look back over the years, I can never remember so many changes -- from top to bottom -- within the organization, as are taking place now. To say 2016 is a new beginning is an understatement. Longtime respected executive Andy MacPhail is now the club president, 35-year-old Matt Klentak is vice president/general manager and Mackanin is the new field general. Klentak is the youngest GM in Phillies history. There's an entirely new analytics department. Change was obviously necessary. It's been eight years since the Phils, under manager Charlie Manuel, won the World Series; seven years since they lost the Series to the Yankees in 2009. Their run of five straight National League East titles ended in 2012. They finished last the previous two seasons and lost 99 games in 2015, their third straight losing season. An upbeat Klentak has been talking this spring about building a firm foundation, but is quick to add "a lot of the pieces are already here." The Phillies waited too long to rebuild and were saddled with expensive long-term contracts awarded to players who helped win those five consecutive division titles, but whose skills were on the downside. Jimmy Rollins is gone. So is Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, et al. Only 36-year-old former NL MVP Award winner Ryan Howard and 37-year-old catcher Carlos Ruiz remain from the team that helped sell out Citizens Bank Park all those great years. Most preseason forecasters are picking the Phils to finish last again, and they're near the bottom among the 30 Major League teams in early power rankings. Because they had the Majors' worst record in 2015, the Phillies own the overall first pick in the Draft for the first time since 1998, when they selected Pat Burrell. This is an enormously valuable asset to a rebuilding team. "These young guys are pretty good and have a lot to prove," said Mackanin. "I hope they make very difficult decisions for us on when to bring them up here. A lot of the guys -- especially some of the pitchers -- have to be thinking they have to show improvement this year or one of these young guys will take their jobs. "If that's pressure, so be it. That's what this game is all about. If you can't handle pressure, how do you expect to win the game in the ninth inning -- or the last game of the World Series?" As the workout continued this day at Bright House Field, the overriding thought was that the painful teardown of the Phillies is complete. And the words of Schmidt comparing the rebuilding to the journey that the Royals followed were encouraging.

Getting Fit For Special Needs – It's not just Phillies players who are getting preseason workouts. Back at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, the Phillies front office and NovaCare Rehabilitation trainers recently hosted a Major League workout for elementary students with autism and an adult aphasia group. This unique Phillies Phitness "WorkOUTshop" was held in partnership with AccessSports Experiences, which provides sporting experiences to those with special needs. There were approximately 50 participants, including volunteers, with their day beginning in the Diamond Club for an introduction to what it means to be fit and why it is important, followed by a warmup to get the blood pumping. Bobby DiLullo of NovaCare and Troy Sattin, who oversees the Phillies Phitness program, made sure the group was prepped and ready for the workout. "To be fit means living a healthy lifestyle through working out, being active and maintaining a nutritious diet," Sattin said. "We are trying to create habits that make being healthy easier. It does not matter if you have disabilities; it is all about what can be done now to live a long, healthy life." Alyson Harris of AccessSports Experiences agrees wholeheartedly. "In our group today there is a range of participants, from little kids to adults, showing that sports allow for an equal playing field for individuals to come and be connected," she said. "Whether it's children with autism or adults who have had strokes or traumatic brain injuries, all of a sudden the differences are no longer there because everyone is cheering for the same team and for each other." From relay races to hitting in the batting cages, there was plenty of cheering to be had by all participants. And that is important, as some members of the group have regained speech and mobility through events like this. "One of our aphasia clients actually learned to regain her speaking voice by cheering at a game," Harris said. "It's something everyone can identify with, the experience of rooting for a team, or even each other, can transform someone's life." Activities at the Phillies Phitness WorkOUTshop were all health related, covering everything from exercise to nutrition. The younger group started in the media room, where they learned about nutrition and healthy options through a "healthy food race," with the children running to pick out healthy food items to put on their plate. Meanwhile, the older group participated in relay races, during which the batting cage netting was lifted to reveal an indoor field. Smiles were everywhere, as participants cheered on teammates running back and forth with Major League uniforms to dress up a member of the team. The most important goal of the race was not to win, but to encourage one another. At the end of the activity, the group exchanged compliments and high-fives. The groups then switched places and took part in the other activity. All participants learned the importance of being active, through both exercise and everyday activities, as well as the importance of making smart food choices. "When you're young, you can pretty much do anything you want, but as you get older and you don't have some balance in your diet, things like diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol have a greater risk of occurring. It makes the ability to be active and productive more difficult," DiLullo said. "We want to stress that if you maintain a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet, you live longer. It's something you can start at any age, and you can have fun while staying healthy." To finish the day, everyone headed to the Diamond Club for a nutritious lunch. As the group enjoyed the meal, the best mascot in baseball charged into the room for a big surprise. The children cheered and the adults clapped as the Phillie Phanatic greeted each person individually. It was no doubt a great day for all to get fit with the Phillies.

Today In Phils History - First, look to see how this spring compares to 2013. Second, be sure to wish 2008 NLCS legend Matt Stairs a happy birthday!

THE BEGINNING:

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!

Young Phillies Ready For The Spotlight

PHILS PHACTS:

One In, One Out – After fracturing his right thumb in a bunting drill last week, projected starter Jerad Eickhoff said his injury wasn't anything serious. Apparently it's not. Eickhoff returned to Phillies camp on Thursday to throw a bullpen session, and he was happy to be back. "Absolutely, just to get back on that slope was a great feeling. Wish I could have threw more," Eickhoff said. "I just wanted to get that feel back." Manager Pete Mackanin was encouraged by the quick return. "Very much," Mackanin said. "We know that he's gonna be ready for the season. I'd like to believe it would be in that first rotation. He's set back a little bit. It was unfortunate, but I think he's going to be fine." Eickhoff felt great, but he admitted the injury scared him at first. "A little bit," he said. "I was pretty nervous obviously the day it happened. It's been a good feeling. All the trainers and coaches have been real supportive. They said, 'Don't rush back by any means. Just make sure you get that thing healthy before you get back.'" Asche out: Cody Asche is listed as day to day in camp after getting hit by a pitch and tweaking his oblique. Mackanin says it's simply a precautionary measure, as Asche doesn't want to risk making it worse and should be back soon. On the clock: Major League Baseball is making big efforts to speed up its games, with the latest measure a 30-second stadium clock counting down each mound visit. The clock begins the moment each coach leaves the dugout. "I'm going to have to keep my legs loose so I can jog out to the mound," Mackanin quipped. Mackanin doesn't have a problem with the new mandate, as he says most trips are quick, unless a manager needs to bring his infielders in to make them aware of a certain play. "I think it can be done in 30 seconds."

Ready For Round Two – He's only 22, yet Aaron Nola is quickly checking all the boxes. First-round Draft Pick? Check. Successful big league debut? Check. Opening Day starter? ... "It's all of our dreams to be an Opening Day Starter if you haven't been one," Nola proclaimed Thursday at Phillies camp. The young right-hander is the odds-on favorite to start for Philadelphia on Opening Day on April 4 in Cincinnati, but don't mistake his confidence for cockiness. He's not brash or boastful. Nola is humble, and the proof lies in the priority he puts in getting along with his teammates. "Forming those relationships when I was up in Philly this past year definitely has helped me this Spring Training so far, and I feel it's going to continue to help me." It also helps he earned the respect of his teammates by living up to all of the hype last season. Nola entered the big leagues and acted every bit the seventh overall pick of the 2014 Draft, going 6-2 with 68 strikeouts and 19 walks in 13 starts. Nola wasn't content with his debut, so this offseason he fine-tuned his repertoire. "I put a lot of work into my changeup, trying to get my changeup where I want it to be, have it be a strong pitch in my arsenal this year." Nola's teammate, Jeremy Hellickson, can relate to building off a great Major League debut. Hellickson was an American League Rookie of the Year Award winner with the Rays in 2011, and the new Phillies righty compares Nola's stuff to his former Tampa Bay teammate, James Shields. "I think he's handling it great," Hellickson said. "I don't think much gets to him. He works extremely hard." Nola may be young, but he's wise enough to know big league hitters will be ready to make adjustments this season. "They put whatever I did to them into like a computer in their brain, and I try to do the same," Nola said. "At the end of the day, it's about making adjustments." Learning and adjusting? Check and check. Nola seems to have all the bases covered.

It Could Be A Ruf Year – Entering his eighth year in the Phillies' organization, the past four in the big leagues, the time is now for potential-packed slugger Darin Ruf. "He's at a point, he's [29] years old, he's got to put up or shut up this year," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. Ruf feels the urgency and also understands to reach his potential, he's going to have to compete with fellow first baseman Ryan Howard for at-bats. Entering this spring, Ruf endured yet another offseason of Howard trade talk, which Ruf admits has become quite the broken record. "We've been hearing those rumors for like two to three years now, and nothing has happened," Ruf said. Ruf insists the obvious: both players want to be starters, but the relationship off the field remains a friendly one. "We have a great relationship," Ruf said. "We try to help each other all the time, on the field and off the field. We get together as much as possible, get dinners, lunches." Ruf is certainly the yin to Howard's yang. While Howard has struggled against lefties, Ruf has thrived. His OPS vs. lefties was an eye-opening 1.107 last season, which would have tied Nelson Cruz for the Major League lead if Ruf had enough at-bats. Playing strictly against lefties is a role he has mastered. "I might have the coach throw lefty and work on a little bit more fast-slow things in the cage," Ruf said. "It's a point of emphasis for me." This spring, Ruf is poised to break out of his comfort zone and face more righties, against whom his OPS was .483 last year, compared to Howard's .770. "Yeah I hope so," Ruf said. "I'm going to have to earn those and show I can regularly throw quality at-bats out there. You have more of a comfort level the more years you do it. [It's my] fourth big league Spring Training now. I know how it works." He wants to take playing time away from Howard, a player Ruf has great respect for on the field and the way the veteran has carried himself off of it. "I just try to watch him the way he goes about his work habits," Ruf said. "If there are things I can pick up, implement in the kind of person I am, the way I treat my fellow teammates, coaches, I think it will lead to a long career." It's a career at a crossroads this season, where for Ruf, the time is now.

Today In Phils History - In 1914, baseball was quite a different sport so when the Phillies spring training camp in Wilmington, NC was delayed due to weather manager Red Dooin held an indoor practice at the local YMCA. 40 years later the game had changed to the point that Robin Roberts signed a then NL record contract worth over $40,000 for the season ending his hold out. Of course, we must also remember a couple of players from the early days who have birthdays today including Ed Sixsmith (1863) who had only two plate appearances in his career and Hall of Famer Pete Alexander (1887) who is still one of the greatest pitchers to have ever played the game. 

THE BEGINNING:

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!

Can The Phillies Avoid The Embarrassment?

PHILS PHACTS:

Taking The First Game Seriously – It might be too strong to say the Phillies seek revenge against the University of Tampa, but they certainly want to save face. The Division II college team beat the Phillies in an exhibition game last spring at Bright House Field. They meet again Sunday. "[Larry] Bowa and I are going to spend a lot of time putting that [lineup] together," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin joked. "We have to beat them this year." Nobody came out and said it, but it was embarrassing for the Phillies to lose to a bunch of college kids, even though everyday players like Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz never set foot on the field. Perhaps that is why veteran Jeremy Hellickson will start Sunday. "We agree, we think he can handle the pressure," Mackanin said. But seriously, is it important to have a better showing from a professional baseball team, even if the Phillies that play Sunday other than Hellickson are relatively inexperienced? "We certainly want to beat a college team," Mackanin said. "But you have to consider that it's very early in camp. We haven't even gone over every fundamental yet. So we're seeing where guys are at. I'm anxious to see how we look on Sunday." Mackanin said he plans to play some of the team's youngest players in camp, which likely means top prospects J.P. Crawford, Nick Williams, Jorge Alfaro, Andrew Knapp, etc. They are not expected to be in camp very long because they are expected to open the season in the Minor Leagues. "I want to see them as quickly as possible because down the road we've got to get our team together," Mackanin said. Herrera centered: Mackanin said he expects Odubel Herrera to remain in center field, despite the Phillies acquiring Peter Bourjos in the offseason. Bourjos is regarded as one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball, but Herrera hit .297 with 30 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 41 RBIs and a .762 OPS in 537 plate appearances last season. They might not want to mess with success by taking him out of his comfort zone in center field. "He did such a good job at getting himself to become a pretty good center fielder," Mackanin said. "Now Bourjos has never played anywhere else so I told him and [Aaron] Altherr to work a lot on the corners, because I'm going to look at different scenarios, Bourjos in right and left and Altherr in right and left. And I'll put Odubel in right and left. But I'm leaning toward leaving Odubel alone in center field." Eickhoff update: Mackanin said Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff is "progressing nicely" from a non-displaced fracture of his right thumb. He could throw a bullpen session soon. Mackanin said he still thinks Eickhoff will be ready for the beginning of the season.

Phillies Upgrade Their Pool – The Phillies made a considerable investment on the international market last summer when they signed Dominican Republic outfielder Jhailyn Ortiz to a $4 million signing bonus. Expect them to make similar investments this summer. The Phillies will have $5,610,800 available to them during the 2016-17 international signing period, which is more than any team in baseball. It allows them to sign 16-year-old international players from July 2 through June 15, 2017, if the prospect turns 17 before Sept. 1, 2017, or by the completion of his first Minor League season. It is highly unlikely the Phillies will exceed their pool limit. Teams that exceed their pool by 15 percent or more are not allowed to sign a player for more than $300,000 during the next two signing periods, in addition to paying a 100-percent tax on the pool overage. In other words, if the Phillies exceed their allotment this signing period, they would not be able to sign a prospect for more than $300,000 until July 2, 2019. That makes little sense to a rebuilding team that could have a similar-size pool next signing period. It is why sources said the Phillies are not pursing somebody like 16-year-old Cuban outfielder Lazaro Armenteros, who figures to take more than $5.6 million to sign. The Phillies likely would pursue somebody like him when they rank more toward the bottom of baseball's international allotment, when it might be more advantageous to blow past their pool limit. The only wrinkle there would be if Major League Baseball implements a Draft system for international players, which Commissioner Rob Manfred favors. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on Dec. 1. But that might not happen quickly enough to affect the 2017-18 signing period.

But Did He Remember His Stapler? – It seems too perfect that one of the newest Phillies employees referenced a line from the tech-centric comedy "Office Space" as he described his freshly created role in the analytics department. What would you say you do here, Andy Galdi? The Phillies hired Galdi, 30, in January to be their director of baseball research and development. He spent the past three years at Google in Mountain View, Calif., where he served as a quantitative analyst for YouTube. The Phillies convinced him to leave lucrative Silicon Valley to run their analytics department, which includes data visualization and reporting, statistical research and data infrastructure. "I would say I'm there to help organize their data, the data that they have there and the data that's provided by MLB and [MLB Advanced Media]," Galdi said in a telephone interview. "And then I see how we can extract any kind of insight about anything regarding players or strategy or whatever." There is no question Galdi has the smarts for the job. He graduated from North Carolina in 2008, majoring in business administration and mathematics. He earned his Master's degree in statistics from Stanford in 2013. He worked as a baseball operations intern with the Mets in '09 and spent the following two years working in the NBA Commissioner's Office as a statistical analyst before he joined Google. He worked as a quantitative analyst with YouTube, where his team worked to make product enhancements. Now let's pretend most people don't know what a QA does. "There are certain metrics that YouTube cares about or any company cares about," Galdi said. "Let's say it's how much time users are spending on the website. That's a made-up example, but let's say it's something like that. We'll say, OK, this button works this way or we can have it work a different way. Or we can have this layout one way or another way. We'll kind of experiment." QAs design the experiment, which could be one portion of the YouTube audience seeing a button work one way, while another sees it work a different way. QAs work with engineers to run the experiment, deciding how long it needs to run, what's the proper sample size, etc., before analyzing the results. Galdi said he loved his time at Google, but the Phillies lured him back into sports. "I said I'd only come back to baseball if it's a good situation, and I think the Phillies are a great situation," he said. Of course, the outside perception of the Phillies and analytics has not been a good one. Phillies general partner John Middleton knew that and publicly placed a huge emphasis on analytics last year as Philadelphia hired president Andy MacPhail and general manager Matt Klentak. "Like, are there even computers around?" Galdi said. "That's really not the case at all. They had already built PHIL [the organization's computer system]. They had already done a lot of this work toward making the situation there more technologically advanced, which is where I wanted to go anyway. It's not like I'm starting at zero. What I want to do is push it even further. "To be honest, I'm still learning a lot about what's already been done there and it's quite a bit." But besides organizing and extracting insight from data, Galdi and the Phillies' analytics department will try to come up with their own ways to measure information. "Most teams have access to a lot of the information," Klentak said. "The real advantage to be gained is how we manage it, what we do with that information and the process that we implement to make decisions based off that information." Say the Phillies are interested in an infielder and his defensive metrics the past three seasons are not particularly good, but their scouts think he is better defensively than those numbers indicate. Galdi and his team hope to have a handle on the uncertainties of their data to help make a more informed decision. "I'd like to say, 'Well, this is within the error bound of him being an average defender,'" Galdi said. "I wouldn't say it's defense, offense, pitching or one specific area that we could work on as an analytics community as a whole. I think it's measuring uncertainty." Galdi mentions the marriage between analytics and scouting. MacPhail, Klentak and Galdi have made it very clear the Phillies will not be one-trick analytical ponies moving forward. "I'm not going to revolutionize everything," Galdi said. "I'm not going to tell people how to start doing their jobs, like telling scouts to get the hell out of here. That's not what I'm about. I'm about coming in with some different ideas from a different industry, seeing what works and what doesn't. It's being a good teammate. So if there's a new technological thing I want to introduce or a new statistical study I want to talk about, I want to work with other people. I want to talk to everybody, work with everybody. That's what I really enjoy, trying to help people understand, trying to teach them. And then in turn, which I think is even more important, learn from them. How can their knowledge improve my analysis? "We have some really great scouts. The guys that I've met in the first two weeks are super impressive, great guys to talk to. Whenever you're doing any kind of analysis, you need as much background information as I can to make sure I'm not missing some big assumption or whatever." Said Klentak: "What Andy is going to be doing is a piece of the information puzzle. We're going to gather information in a variety of ways, most notably from our scouts, understanding the makeup of players, medical information as well as statistical and analytical information. Our job is take all of that information and incorporate it into a process to make the best decision."

Where Is Gene Schall? – Following a 12-year pro career, Gene Schall returned to Villanova University to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in business with a minor in psychology. He needed an internship and there was only one opening ... in the IT department. "Not knowing anything about computers, I took it. Got assigned to the help desk. You can image how much help I was," he laughed. Mike Arbuckle, then the Phillies' assistant general manager/scouting and player development, reached out to Schall to see if he was interested in getting back into the game. "I was, but told Mike I didn't want to be in uniform as I had enough of that and I didn't want an office job," Schall said. "Mike replied, 'That makes you a scout.'" A new career was launched as an area scout for the Phillies in 2008 looking at amateur talent in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and South Jersey. The next year, Schall was promoted to regional supervisor. His territory was the eastern part of the country from Florida to Canada. He assumed the title as Mid-Atlantic regional supervisor in 2014. He now oversees three area scouts. The Major League Baseball season generally begins in April and ends in October. Schall explains: "In the middle of January of 2015, Johnny [Almaraz, director of amateur scouting] had a meeting at Citizens Bank Park. It was the first step in preparing for the Draft. We zeroed in on the top 10-20 players, kids we wanted to follow. Around the third week of January, junior colleges and high schools in Florida, the Southwest and Far West began playing. Division I college programs started in February. It cranked up even more in March." Airplanes, car rentals, hotels, games and players now consume Schall's schedule. While the naked eye is still No.1 in judging a player, technology has provided additional tools. "The information that is available today is mind-boggling, 10 times more than five to seven years ago," Schall said. "The radar gun helps, but Louisville Sluggers let you know how hard the kid is throwing. We have video of almost every player. Colleges and even high schools have multiple video cameras on the fields providing various views. Every high school league and college conference has all kinds of statistics. Through analytics, we can digest all this information and learn that a certain player may not play up to his stats. Analytics helps us paint a total picture." Technology is a gigantic tool to help scouts and their schedules. "I don't know how scouts did it 20-30 years ago," Schall said. "One scout told me he'd be heading for a game, would pull off the road when he saw a pay phone, call his voicemail to see if the game for which he's heading is still on or canceled. Today, we have the Internet, smart phones, iPads and GPS. Communication is 24/7, real easy to stay in touch with each other. A text lets me know if the game is still on. My GPS takes me right to the field. No more paper maps." The MLB Draft last summer began June 8. Commissioner Rob Manfred stepped to the microphone, "With the 10th selection in the Draft, the Phillies select Cornelius Randolph from Griffin High School, Griffin, Ga." Randolph is from Schall's territory, specifically scout Aaron Jersild, whose area, in addition to Georgia, includes South Carolina, Northern Florida and Latin America."Cornelius had been on our radar for two years of high school baseball and summer leagues," Schall said. "Aaron pegged him as a high pick right from the beginning. All of us saw him play multiple times. I probably saw him 25-30 times. We all agreed he was the most comfortable high school hitter in the country. Many high school players are question marks when it comes to hitting, inconsistency. This guy hit everywhere we saw him. "As Johnny said on Draft day, Cornelius is a ballplayer and he loves to play. We can see talent but we need to learn what makes a kid tick. Getting to know the parents and teammates is extremely important. Aaron spent a lot of time with the family. Some kids view being drafted as sort of a novelty. Others want to play. You need to learn if a kid is willing to spend time developing his skills in the Minor Leagues riding buses and failing. Baseball is a game of failure." Once the Draft was over, golf, pool time, Cape Cod? Well, somewhat. But more baseball was on Schall's calendar. Throughout the summer various high school showcase events were held across the country. The Phillies scout all the college summer leagues. Schall spent two weeks in Cape Cod ... scouting. Late August turned into a short down time for Schall and the amateur scouts before college programs re-booted in September. Some high schools have fall ball. According to Schall, late October is the unofficial end of the scouting season. The greatest joy of his job? "Finding future Major Leaguers, watching them go through the difficult development process and make it to the top," Schall said. All the travel doesn't get to him. "It's much easier than being a player riding buses and then having to play a game," Schall said, before confessing that his travel schedule can be a nightmare. "Sometimes I wake up in a hotel and don't know where I am. I've returned car rentals to the wrong company. Many times I arrive at an airport with tickets for three different destinations. It depends if a certain player is going to play, pitching rotations and weather conditions. The airline people think I'm crazy." This season, the Phillies have the No. 1 overall selection in the MLB Draft. Two of the often mentioned tops picks are left-handed pitchers from Schall's territory -- 6-foot-7 A.J. Puk from the University of Florida and 17-year-old Jason Groome from Barnegat (N.J.) High School. Schall will be one of many from the Phillies checking out these two young prospects. For Puk's first start in late February, the Phillies had four people on hand, including Pat Gillick. Schall's baseball career: A first baseman at Villanova University, Schall was selected by the Phillies in the fourth round of the 1991 Draft. He spent 12 seasons, 1991-2002, in the Minors (.285 career batting average) and parts of two seasons, 1995-96, in the Majors with the Phillies (.252 for 52 total games). He was traded to the White Sox for Mike Robertson on Jan. 31, 1997. Schall later returned to the Phillies' organization, ending his playing days with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2002.

Today In Phils History - It was on this day that one of the greatest moments in Phillies history happened and I am not talking about Mike Schmidt's 4th appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated next to a list of "Baseball's Millionaires". While the team is know for having made several Hall of Fame caliber mistakes via trade, on this day in 1972 the tables were turned as the Phillies traded Rick Wise to St. Louis for Steve Carlton. 

THE BEGINNING:

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!

Franco Returns, Lee Retires, And Howard In-Between

PHILS PHACTS:

Welcome Back, Now Get To Work! – Maikel Franco could be a cornerstone for the Phillies, and he hopes to solidify those expectations with a strong 2016. His work began Tuesday, when the Phillies held their first full-squad workout at Carpenter Complex. Franco, 23, hit .280 with 22 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, 50 RBIs and an .840 OPS in 335 plate appearances in his rookie season. He played so well that former teammate Jeff Francoeur agreed to buy him a suit, which he has not yet received. "I'll let you know because I need it," Franco said. Franco's play in 2015 was encouraging, but he needs to continue to play well for the Phillies' rebuild to keep moving in the right direction. "I put a lot of work in in the D.R. [Dominican Republic] and I'm prepared for everything," Franco said. "I'm ready to go for everything." Franco said he worked on everything while he played winter ball this offseason. "Mental, physical, worked on my body," he said. "I tried to learn more about hitting. I worked on ground balls. Everything. That's what I did in the D.R. and that's what I'm continuing to do." But news also broke this offseason that Franco filed a grievance against the Phillies, claiming they manipulated his service time to delay his eligibility for free agency. Franco opened the season in Triple-A before being recalled May 15. Franco accrued 170 days of service time, which is two days short of a full season. Those two days delayed his free agency from 2020 to 2021. Franco's agent, Ryan Royster, said in December the grievance will not be an issue moving forward. Franco's absence from camp until Tuesday raised eyebrows from some in the organization both in and out of uniform. The Phillies always have asked players to arrive in camp a day before the first full-squad workouts to take physicals, but Franco arrived Tuesday morning. He is the first Phillies player in recent memory not to arrive at least a day before the first workout, although it is not an official requirement according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Manager Pete Mackanin said he has no problem with it. "Only thing I heard is this was the day I had to report and this is the day I'm here," Franco said. What is important at this point is that Franco is healthy and ready to go. He broke his left hand in August, when current teammate Jeremy Hellickson hit him with a pitch while with Arizona. Franco said the hand feels fine. "It's exciting," Franco said about camp. "A lot of players and new faces. I want to be a good teammate, put in a lot of work and hopefully everybody has fun and enjoys the game. I'm happy. I'm here. I want to put everything into getting better."

Every Day Might Not Be A Good Idea – Ryan Howard made the points he wanted to make Tuesday at Bright House Field. He said the past is in the past. But, frankly, he feels disrespected that arguably the greatest first baseman in franchise history -- a National League MVP and World Series champion -- has been criticized so harshly recently. Suggestions he no longer can hit left-handed pitching befuddle him, and he believes his career successes have earned him the right to be more than a platoon player on a rebuilding team. "The track record speaks for itself," Howard said. "It doesn't matter righty or lefty, I know I can get the job done. I know all the talk over the past few years, this and that, I'm not going to focus on that. For me, it's taking advantage of the opportunities when I get to go out there and play. "Do I think it's fair? Me, personally, probably not. But it is what it is. The situation is the situation. You just go out there and play." This almost certainly is Howard's final season with the Phillies. He will make $25 million, plus he is expected to receive a $10 million buyout on a 2017 club option. The Phillies have tried to trade him, but have had no takers, even after they've offered to pay most of his salary. "Am I surprised that I'm still on this roster? Um, I don't know, to be honest with you," Howard said. "You know, I'm still here. I've got a contractual obligation through this year and you just see what happens. I mean, I don't sit at home waiting for the call, 'Hey, Ry. You're traded.' I've got to focus on getting ready for the season. "And do I want to be here? Yeah, I want to be here. Why wouldn't I?" Well, maybe because former teammates and friends like Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, etc., are elsewhere and he understands he is not part of the Phillies' future. Howard also said criticism about his play has been unfair. "The way I felt with everything that I've done here in Philadelphia, I just felt I was being portrayed as something worse," Howard said. "I felt like I was being portrayed as the bad guy. When you all know me, you know how I'm always joking and stuff. I didn't have a problem at all with my teammates. That's why I didn't talk to you all last year. It was more of a personal thing for me. But it's like, this year … last year is in the past, man." But this year he will have to prove he can hit lefties to play. "Check the numbers, check the track record, all that good stuff," he said. "I know I can hit lefties. There's been talk in the media and all this kind of stuff over the past three years and this and that or whatever about not hitting lefties and whatever. It's about just going out there and doing it." A look at the numbers: Howard hit .130 with three home runs, 10 RBIs and a .418 OPS in 107 plate appearances last season against left-handers. If he had enough plate appearances to qualify, his OPS against lefties would have been the lowest in baseball by 47 points; Howard hit .230 with 10 home runs, 32 RBIs and a .770 OPS in 189 plate appearances against lefties in 2014. He led the National League in homers and RBIs as a left-handed hitter against lefties; Howard had a .771 OPS against lefties from 2005-10, which ranked 22nd out of 61 qualified left-handed hitters. He has a .619 OPS against lefties from 2011-15, which is 54th out of 63 left-handed hitters and 201st out of 212 hitters overall. "I think people forget that," he said about his 2014 numbers. "Last year? There's nothing you can do about it. Last year is last year. This is a fresh year. Just as last year was bad, this year I can go out and hit .300 against lefties. Then what do you say? If I was able to go out and hit .300 against lefties this year. Then what?" Howard has more on his plate than just hitting lefties. He has a lawsuit against Al Jazeera Network. It is his second lawsuit in as many offseasons. He settled one with his family in October 2014. His brother had sued him for $2.8 million. His father had requested a $10 million separation payment after Howard severed financial ties with his parents. Howard claimed in a countersuit that his family conspired to defraud him. Then in December, Al Jazeera ran a report that linked Howard to performance-enhancing drugs. Howard filed a defamation lawsuit in January. "That kind of stuff is life," Howard said. "Stuff that happens in life, it comes up and you have to deal with it. I think it would be tough for anybody at any time. But baseball becomes a great getaway for all that kind of stuff." Howard said he has no idea why his name is one of the names that appeared in the report. "I haven't the faintest idea," he said. "I really can't tell you. I really don't know." MLB said it planned to investigate the claims against Howard. Howard said his focus is on baseball until then. He said he is ready for a fresh start. "I leave here, I go to Philadelphia, I'm going to go out there and give 110 percent every game I've got," Howard said. "Until they come to me and say they've traded you to so-and-so, then I'll go to whoever and play 110 percent. For me, it's just about playing the game right now."

No Comeback Attempt This Time – Despite a recent attempt to extend his career, veteran left-hander Cliff Lee is expected to retire, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. "We don't anticipate him playing at this point," Lee's agent, Darek Braunecker, reportedly told Rosenthal. Lee last pitched in the Majors in 2014 for the Phillies before missing all of last season due to an elbow injury. Currently a free agent, the 37-year-old went 41-30 with a 2.89 ERA over his final four seasons in Philadelphia from 2011-14, including 4-5 with a 3.65 ERA over 13 starts in '14. The four-time All-Star's best season came in 2008, when he went 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA for the Indians. He led the American League in wins, ERA, shutouts, ERA+, FIP, walks per nine innings and home runs per nine en route to winning the AL Cy Young Award. Lee went 143-91 with a 3.52 ERA and 1,824 strikeouts over his 13-year career, during which he spent time with the Indians, Phillies, Mariners and Rangers.

Contest Now Open – Entries are open through April 14 for Major League Baseball's annual Honorary Bat Girl Contest, which will recognize one fan from each MLB club who has been affected by breast cancer and has demonstrated a commitment to battling the disease. Women and men 18 or older can share stories about themselves or loved ones who are "Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer" by visiting HonoraryBatGirl.com for a chance to be recognized on the field by their favorite team on Mother's Day, May 8. Fans also are invited to visit the site to vote for these inspirational stories, which are designed to provide hope and motivation for those currently in the fight against breast cancer. During MLB's annual recognition of Mother's Day, one Honorary Bat Girl per club will take part in pregame activities -- including being recognized during an on-field ceremony -- and also receive pink MLB merchandise along with two tickets to the game. For clubs that are away on Mother's Day, another home game will be selected to recognize their Honorary Bat Girl. Serving as guest judges for the contest will be Jillian Michaels, health and wellness expert and star of "Just Jillian" on E! Network; Gregor Blanco of the Giants; Robinson Chirinos of the Rangers; Kevin Gausman of the Orioles; Curtis Granderson of the Mets; Jeremy Jeffress of the Brewers; Scott Kazmir of the Dodgers; Taijuan Walker of the Mariners; Jered Weaver of the Angels; Sam Ryan and Chris Rose of MLB Network; and Lindsay Berra and Alyson Footer of MLB.com. Michaels is an ambassador for Stand Up To Cancer, a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation that MLB has supported as founding donor since 2008. The mothers of Kazmir, Walker and Weaver are all breast-cancer survivors. Blanco and Granderson both lost a grandmother to breast cancer; Gausman lost both of his grandmothers to the disease. Jeffress lost both his aunt and uncle to cancer. Ryan's mother is a breast-cancer survivor, and both Rose and Berra have several close friends who have been affected by the disease. Footer lost her mother to cancer, and her aunt is a breast-cancer survivor. Chirinos is active in the Dallas-Fort Worth community and is honored to participate in this initiative. Each judge will review a portion of the submissions, and their opinions will be considered in the selection process. Additional Major Leaguers may also join the panel and will be announced at a later date. A panel of judges, including the guest judging panel, will help select the winning submissions based on the following criteria: originality, quality of writing, demonstration of commitment to breast-cancer awareness and public appeal (as determined by online fan votes). The Honorary Bat Girl program was introduced in 2009 to raise additional awareness and support for the annual "Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer" initiative, which is commemorated on Mother's Day. In seven years, thousands of unique testimonials have been submitted and millions of fan votes have been cast in the MLB initiative, which is supported by charitable partners Stand Up To Cancer and Susan G. Komen. The initiative raises awareness about breast cancer while also raising funds to support breast-cancer research. Look over the 2015 winners as a reminder of the true meaning behind the Honorary Bat Girl recognition. It meant the world at the time to Sara Tresselt of Jefferson, Md. A sergeant with the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office in Virginia and a former outfielder for her Maryland high school state champion softball team, Tresselt was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 after a mammogram revealed more than what she had believed was simply a bruise. Tresselt fought bravely with an infectious positive spirit for the next four years and was named the Orioles' Honorary Bat Girl last March. She called that honor "probably the coolest thing I've ever done" -- but the occasion was tempered by the news at about the same time that her disease had spread to her brain. Tresselt passed away last Sept. 11 at age 36. "If something doesn't feel right, go in [for a checkup]," she had said as advice for others. "I think it's important to do your checks and know your body." Last year, Julie Gross of Duluth, Minn., was named the Twins' Honorary Bat Girl after being nominated by her lifelong friend Linda Louie. Gross is a breast-cancer survivor and an ardent advocate against the disease. Two years before receiving this honor, Gross had lost her mother in part to the return of breast cancer. "It is a tough time for her," Louie said in submitting that nomination. "But something like this is a monument to moms and all women that we have loved and lost to the disease." On every Mother's Day since 2006, hundreds of MLB players have used pink Louisville Slugger bats stamped with the MLB breast-cancer awareness logo. To further demonstrate their support for the breast-cancer cause, players and on-field personnel have worn the symbolic pink ribbon on their uniforms, as well as pink wrist bands. Commemorative dugout lineup cards also have been pink and stamped with the pink-ribbon logo. Game-used Louisville Slugger pink bats and other game-used gear from Mother's Day games will again be placed for bidding exclusively at MLB.com/auction to raise funds for the fight against breast cancer.

Today In Phils History - It was the Phillies who started the trend of pitchers and catchers reporting first followed by position players a week later when the club instituted this format from their camp in Savannah, GA in 1906. Three years later, the club was sold to State Senator Israel Durham and a group of his state Senate colleagues after which Durham was elected club president. In 1943, Bucky Harris took the helm as manager following a 42-111 performance by former skipper Hans Lobert. 4 years later, the Phillies opened their first spring training in Clearwater where the team has stayed ever since. Finally, Jimmy Rollins was excused from spring training 5 years ago to attend a tribute to Motown at the White House... given his decline, not sure if he would still be able to get a ticket these days. 

THE BEGINNING:

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!