Offense Fails To Support Rookie In Loss

GAME RECAP: Nats Blank Phils 4-0

The Nationals began a stretch of 22 consecutive games against National League East opponents on Monday night, a chance, perhaps, for them to get on a roll considering they began the day with the best record against their own division in the Majors. They began that stretch with a gem from right-hander Tanner Roark, combined with a two-run first inning, for a 4-0 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Roark held the Phillies to four hits in seven innings while Jayson Werth continued to torment his former team with a solo homer in the first inning. "I think after the first two innings, I started executing and really driving the ball in there," Roark said. "Instead of using my upper body, I used my legs as well. Everything felt in sync." Washington added a pair of runs in the ninth inning and has now won nine of its 13 meetings with Philadelphia this season, including seven in a row. The Phillies did receive an encouraging start from right-hander Jake Thompson, the team's top pitching prospect and fifth ranked overall, who lasted a career-high seven innings. After giving up two runs in the first, Thompson scattered five singles and did not allow a run across the remainder of the outing, with three strikeouts and one walk. "What a job he did after the first inning," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "In the first inning, it was more of the same. He hung a breaking ball to Werth and gradually, as the game went along, he got better and better. ... A real positive outing."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• The Nationals didn't score on Thompson after the first, and they hardly even mounted a threat in his final six innings. The rookie got off to another rocky start in the first, allowing Werth's home run and Anthony Rendon's RBI single for a 2-0 lead. But Washington didn't put two runners on base in an inning again until the seventh, and Thompson pitched out of it, finishing his night with possibly the best of his career-high 111 pitches, a curveball that froze Trea Turner to end the inning. "I thought about getting him out after six to keep it positive, but I thought he was just pitching too well," Mackanin said. "In that seventh inning, he really battled hard to get out of that. All three of his strikeouts were in that one inning. That was huge. Great to see. I'm real pleased with that." Pitching coach Bob McClure made a change to Thompson's delivery between starts, simplifying it, and it paid major dividends. "Just on the physical side of things, I'm in a better position to make pitches," Thompson said. "It actually wasn't too difficult. It's really simple, just small moving parts instead of a bunch of stuff moving at the same time. I got off a mound twice this week in the bullpen. I feel like that helped a lot, just getting those reps."
• The Phillies' bullpen has been among the most active in the Majors this season, especially of late. Philly relievers have thrown the eighth-most innings in the month of August. Manager Pete Mackanin sounded excited at the prospect of adding some relief arms when rosters expand on Sept. 1, saying the Phillies will immediately recall "a couple arms." But Thompson, in his fifth Major League start -- and having not gotten past five innings previously -- provided the relief the 'pen needed, going seven strong. He joined Jeremy Hellickson (Aug. 20) as the only two starters to pitch seven innings since July 26.
• "McClure noticed something with his leg. I'm not going to get up and demonstrate. But it's his lead leg. He was lifting it a certain way, which kind of caused him to lean forward and not stay over his backside. Oddly enough, he used a new leg lift, which is not easy to do just overnight. I think that had a lot to do with it. It looked real good; his command was really good. He started to throw a lot of good pitches; he looked like the pitcher that was advertised." -- Mackanin, on the change in Thompson's delivery.
• The Nationals issued a challenge in the ninth inning after Rendon was only awarded second base on a fan-interference play on an errant pickoff throw by right-hander Frank Herrmann. The call on the field was overturned, and Rendon was awarded third base; he would later score on a single by Robinson.
• The Phillies joined the Nats in ninth-inning challenges when Chris Heisey hit a potential inning-ending double-play ball to first baseman Tommy Joseph. Joseph fired to second; Mackanin issued a challenge, saying that Danny Espinosa slid too aggressively into the bag. He wanted Heisey ruled out at first after the throw back to Joseph was too late, but replay confirmed that Espinosa's slide was within the rules.
• Werth spent four seasons with the Phillies, winning a World Series, and considers Citizens Bank Park one of his favorite places to play. He homered in his first at-bat on Monday and now has 11 homers and 29 RBIs in his last 29 games in Philadelphia dating back to the start of the 2013 season. It was his seventh home run this month, tied for the most he has hit in any calendar month as a member of the Nationals. "Home runs come in streaks, and home runs come with a thought process," manager Dusty Baker said. "When you start hitting a couple home runs, it's sort of like you think about it. ... So you know me, I always feel that water seeks its own level. J-W is healthy this year, where he wasn't last year, and he's always hit the ball out of the ballpark." 

NEXT GAME:

Jerad Eickhoff (9-12, 3.87 ERA) starts the middle game, and it will be interesting to see how Mackanin monitors his pitch count, as he pulled him from his last start after 71 pitches through six innings of two-run ball.

PHILS PHACTS:

Small Change, Big Difference – Pretend you're a Major League pitcher. Take a big step back with your left foot and lift your arms over your head, rock back a little and fire. Now eliminate those movements, just raise your lead leg and throw again. See the difference? That's the change that Phillies pitching coach Bob McClure made to Jake Thompson's delivery between Thompson's most recent start and Monday's, the best of his Major League career. The rookie right-hander tossed seven innings and allowed only two runs to the Nationals in a 4-0 Phillies loss at Citizens Bank Park. Rather than the standard single side session between starts, Thompson worked back-to-back bullpens on Saturday and Sunday in New York. Prior to Saturday he'd never thrown a pitch the way he did fairly dominantly, all things considered, only two days later. McClure approached Thompson before Saturday's session, saying, "Hey, I want you to try this." He then proposed stripping Thompson's delivery bare -- not even a windup. "First I was trying to go from the side and still go over my head," Thompson said. "The timing really wasn't there. Then he had me try it without it, and I had a really good bullpen after that, and we kind of just stuck with it." In Sunday's second bullpen session, he threw only a dozen or so pitches, but he said the additional work helped him immensely. Thompson had thrown thousands of pitches using the delivery that caused him so many issues in his first four Major League starts. It was a conundrum, as he posted a 2.50 ERA in Triple-A doing the same thing. "The only thing I can probably pinpoint is, it has a lot to do with timing," he said. "Coming up here and struggling kind of disrupted my timing a little bit." Thompson posted a 9.78 ERA through those first four starts, the second highest by a Phillies starter in his first four Major League outings. "It was his lead leg," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He was lifting it a certain way, which kind of caused him to lean forward and not stay over his backside. He simplified everything. Too many moving parts. His leg lift was a little unorthodox, and it caused him to lean forward instead of staying over his backside. So that, with the simplified mechanics, I think, helped him a lot." Changing mechanics overnight seems like an impossible task, but for Thompson it was easy. It's almost the same motion, just with the entire first half of his delivery eliminated. Although the change in results was drastic, the tweak was simple. "It actually wasn't too difficult," Thompson said. "It's really simple, just small moving parts instead of a bunch of stuff moving at the same time."

A First Pitch To Be Proud Of – A rainbow flag fluttered from a flagpole in center field at Citizens Bank Park on Monday. Billy Bean, Major League Baseball's vice president of social responsibility and inclusion, threw out a first pitch. That was both fitting -- it was the inaugural Phillies Pride Night -- but not exactly a new gesture by the club, since it was also the 15th consecutive year the organization has recognized the local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. It all started when a fan named Larry Felzer approached the Phillies with a question. If he sold 500 tickets, could the LGBT fans get the same recognition on the scoreboard and elsewhere that any other group did? The answer was yes, putting the franchise far ahead of the curve, and the promotion has been a success ever since. This year, the Phils set aside a date -- in this case, the series opener against the Nationals -- without attaching it to a minimum number of tickets to be sold. Other clubs that have held official Pride events this season are the Athletics, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Giants, Mariners, Mets, Nationals, Padres, Rays and Red Sox. The Cubs are holding one this Sunday. Bean, who was hired by MLB on July 15, 2014, acknowledged before the game that he's always a little nervous about any sort of potential negative reaction, even though his personal experience so far has been overwhelmingly positive. "It's not to polarize anybody or alienate any of our fans. Most fans will come and not even be aware that that's going on," Bean said. "But there will be a large group of LGBT people who are absolutely aware and feeling supported and wearing shirts and know they're in a supportive environment to express their true selves. So to me, the importance of it being the inaugural Phillies Pride Night is that we've had a decade and a half of successful nights that led up to this." Bean only visits teams when asked; this was his fifth time he's been invited to visit the Phillies. In fact, one of his first appearances after he was hired was to speak at the Phils' organizational meetings. Pride Night is like most of the group nights that are held each season, with two important differences. One is that the LGBT community spans all other groups. For example, Monday was also the team's Jewish Heritage Celebration. "The LGBT community is a part of every community," Bean said. "So there are members of the Jewish community that are part of the LGBT community. So I think we cross into every special-interest group." The other is that most of the other groups take basic liberties, like the right to get married, for granted. Said Bean: "People are not initiating religious-freedom laws to take away the rights of [other groups] right now." "Everyone has a right to bring their passion to the front office of a big league organization and say, 'We want to celebrate the things that matter most to us, and we're going to do it by having a party in your stadium. And here are 1,500 ticket requests.'" The shootings at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., earlier this year emphasize the importance of the issue, and Bean is working to help baseball become a leader, inspired by the way that Jackie Robinson helped break down racial barriers in 1947. "We have a great product on the field, and I think we're expanding the initiatives of social responsibility, which makes me very proud," Bean said. "It's about everyone coming to the ballpark and feeling like they can sit right next to the person that's most important to them in their life and cheer as loud as they can. "That's the beauty of embracing the responsibility that goes with that privilege and us making a great impression for people who may never have heard of an LGBT night. Let's throw an olive branch out across the aisle and make friends. We don't need to be separated. When you raise the visibility, it allows a conversation to be expanded. It's a chance to get to know people better. Then, as communication or conversations happen, we start to see the things we have in common. And then it doesn't seem like such a foreign or scary interaction. "If the fear was that we don't have anything in common, I can tell you that we have baseball in common. That's a start." And when the former big leaguer, one of only two to come out as gay, threw out the first pitch on Monday night, he was greeted with a warm round of applause.

Today In Phils History – In a game that was originally forfeited in 1913 to New York due to fans trying to distract opposing hitters, the NL later ruled that the game should be continued and the Phillies pulled out the victory. Possum Whitted had quite the unique extra inning homerun to give the Phillies the victory in 10 innings in 1915 when the ball bounced off the front of the bleachers, then off the outfielder’s chest, and over the fence for the game winner. Phil Collins had another day in paradise when he pitched a 1 hitter against the Giants at the Polo Grounds in 1931. After retiring the last 17 batters he faced in his start against St. Louis, Saul Rogovin retired the 1^st 15 Cubs batters in 1955 to tie the MLB record. The Phillies received Bob Browning in 1970 from St. Louis as a replacement player in the Curt Flood trade. Kent Tekulve became only the 2^nd pitcher in MLB history to appear in 1000 games when he faced 4 batters in the Phillies win over the Giants in 1988. The Phillies acquired Wes Chamberlain from the Pirates in 1990. Lenny Dykstra tied a team record with his 4^th leadoff homerun of the season in 1993. 5 years later, Jeff Kent lined into a triple play with Alex Arias, Mark Lewis, and Rico Brogna recording the outs against the Giants. In 2000, on his 56^th birthday, Tug McGraw was inducted in the Philles Wall of Fame with is son, Tim McGraw presenting him with a leather jacket with his number 45 on the back and a motorcycle. The Phillies acquired Matt Stairs on this day in 2008, a move that would pay huge dividends in the post season. Other Phillies celebrating birthdays today include Marlon Byrd (1977) and Roberto Hernandez (1980).

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 60-71 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 55-61-0 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record.

Things Are Getting Ugly Already

EXHIBITION GAME RECAP: Tigers Blank Phillies 6-0

Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez is trying to make the Phillies' rotation, but he struggled in two-plus innings Tuesday at Bright House Field. He allowed three runs in a 6-0 loss to the Tigers. Tigers starter Alfredo Simon fared better, tossing three scoreless innings with two strikeouts. He gave up two hits and a walk. Gonzalez allowed a two-run home run to Tigers center fielder Daniel Fields in the second inning. He then allowed a triple to Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler in the third. Kinsler scored when Jose Iglesias ripped a line drive off Gonzalez's right foot or leg. Gonzalez left the game at that point. "I don't want to hit him," Iglesias said. "Just try to put a good swing on it. I got a man on third, and I was able to hit it good, unfortunately right to him. I know him back in the day. We played on the same team in Cuba, and I was so excited to see him. Did not expect to face him today, but I was really happy to see him. Unfortunately, I hit it right to him, but there's nothing I can do about that." The Tigers scored two more runs in the sixth inning -- on homers from J.D. Martinez and Steven Moya -- and another in the eighth. The Tigers also held the Phillies to just five hits. "We need to improve on that," said Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg, whose team entered the afternoon with the lowest OPS in baseball. "We had a lot of flyball outs today. That's something we're addressing as far as staying on top of the ball. We need to put together hits and have some better quality at-bats."

TODAY’S EXHIBITION GAME:

Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels pitches Wednesday afternoon against the Pirates at Bright House Field. Expect more scouts to be on hand, as Hamels is not only pitching for the Phillies, but for teams looking for starting pitching help. The latest rumor has the Yankees making the most aggressive push. Watch the game live on MLB.TV, starting at 1:05 p.m. ET.

PHILS PHACTS:

Bean Brings Unique Perspective To Camp – Billy Bean became Major League Baseball's Ambassador of Inclusion in July 2014, and the Phillies were the first team to call. They wanted him to speak to a select group in Philadelphia, then to the team's Major League and Minor League players in Spring Training. Bean, the former big leaguer who revealed he was gay in 1999, was in camp Tuesday to do just that. "I told the players that I'm only going to see the clubs that invited me," Bean said. "It's not mandated by [the] Office of the Commissioner. "There's a message of complete acceptance. It doesn't mean that it's specifically to LGBT people like myself. It's for women. It's for every race, every religion. I'm sure you guys are aware … I went to see the Mets, and Daniel Murphy had some comments. I wrote that I support his opinion 100 percent, because it's vital that we have a conversation so people can grow a little bit. It's like a relationship." Bean, who has been invited by 14 teams to speak, said this is the first camp where he spoke to both Major and Minor League players. He then got into a Phillies uniform and shagged fly balls in the outfield during batting practice. It was another way for Phillies players to talk with Bean and possibly ask questions in an informal setting. "Today is a win for the Phillies," Bean said. "The world didn't stop spinning."

Can Billingsley Bounce Back? – The Phillies are not terribly optimistic Cliff Lee can pitch without pain in his left elbow, which makes Chad Billingsley's recovery from a pair of right elbow surgeries even more important. Billingsley, 30, took another step forward Tuesday when he faced hitters in a bullpen session at Carpenter Complex. It is the first time the right-hander has faced hitters since June 8, when he was making a rehab start for the Dodgers in Class A. "I came out healthy, so it was good," Billingsley said. Billingsley is on a five-day schedule as he prepares to start in the future. He said he is hopeful he can pitch in a Grapefruit League game before the end of the month, although if he does, it might be for just an inning or two. Billingsley signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract following Tommy John surgery in 2013 and a second elbow surgery in 2014. The Phillies signed him because they lack starting pitching depth, which became more evident following news Tuesday that Lee will have to try to pitch with a tear in his common flexor tendon in his left elbow, if he can pitch at all. But Billingsley is not expected to be ready to join the Phillies' rotation until late April at the earliest, assuming he remains healthy and pitches effectively. "I'm getting into that routine and getting ready for the next step," Billingsley said.

Is It Time To Cash In? – In their bid to rebuild and become a viable contender sooner rather than later, the Philadelphia Phillies lack leverage. They don't have it when shopping Ryan Howard and his diminished offensive skillset. They don't have it when shopping an aging Chase Utley or Carlos Ruiz. They don't have it when shopping Jonathan Papelbon and his cumbersome closer contract. They don't have it when shopping Cliff Lee, whose ongoing elbow issues won't immediately prompt surgery but do prompt questions about where his career is headed. And they don't really have it with Cole Hamels. Not with the money he makes. Not with the date on his birth certificate. Not with the number of big league innings his arm has accrued. The Lee situation is a reminder -- an unpleasant one -- that between now and Opening Day, the Phillies need to find the best possible offer they possibly can for Hamels and make it happen. Leverage or no, Hamels remains their most valuable trade piece, and his seemingly inevitable departure is a necessary step for an organization that must not cut any corners in the accrual of young talent. Is trading Hamels this spring -- likely at a markdown from the winter asking prices -- a risk? Absolutely. But not nearly as great a risk as keeping him. Hamels, remember, had some minor elbow issues of his own just one year ago. Thankfully, they subsided, and he turned in possibly his strongest statistical season -- a 2.46 ERA, 3.07 FIP and 151 ERA+ in 204 2/3 innings. It's possible that Hamels will repeat those totals. It's possible he will improve upon them. It's possible he will only see minor regression. But the primary issue is not so much the stats as the status of his arm. Because the possibility of injury -- one made apparent not just with Lee but also Yu Darvish -- suddenly sullying Hamels' value is always present, and that's not a possibility the Phils have the luxury of playing around with. Money is the huge hangup in the Hamels talks. By the standards of the day, the $100 million guaranteed to him over the next four years (five years, $114 million, if his option is exercised) is reasonable. But not when we're talking about forking over top young talent, too. In their talks with other clubs about Howard, in particular, the Phillies have demonstrated a willingness to absorb a significant percentage of the contract in order to get something back. Unfathomable though it may seem, given that Hamels is seemingly still on top of his game, some sort of courtesy along those lines might be in order to get the right package back for Hamels. Organizations value young talent, and many are understandably leery of the over-30 pitcher with high mileage. But there is a right value equation for every player, and it's incumbent upon Ruben Amaro Jr. to find it with Hamels, and soon. The ask on a Hamels return has reportedly been three prospects, one of them in the marquee vein. A select group of teams -- the Red Sox, Yankees, Rangers, Dodgers, maybe the Cardinals -- have the resources in both talent and finances to make it work. And only the first three in that group have what might resemble an outright need, depending on what you feel is the value of a tested ace. Only by swallowing salary can the Phils widen that pool or increase the enthusiasm within it. Otherwise, it's hard to imagine them getting the kind of return they're hoping for. It seems clear that the Phillies aren't going to get Mookie Betts or Blake Swihart from the Red Sox. They're probably not going to get Luis Severino or Aaron Judge from the Yankees. They're doubtful to get Joey Gallo or Jorge Alfaro from the Rangers. What the Phils need to do is load up as best they can on the next tier beyond those top-tier-type prospects. For an organization in the midst of an overhaul, there is value in casting a wide net and seeing what sticks. There is value in being advantageous when a team like the Rangers -- a team that legitimately feels it can contend and has now lost its ace -- has a need. There is not much value in holding onto depreciating assets. Pitchers are inherently just that. A year ago, we could point to Lee as the picture of durability and consistency in the face of all the issues that had unraveled the Phillies' once-mighty standing in the National League East. Now? We're simply hoping his elbow and stuff can hang on as he pitches through a flexor tendon tear. None of this is to say Hamels is doomed to get hurt between now and July 31. If he were, he wouldn't be much of a trade asset, anyway. But if the Phils hold onto Hamels into the regular season, his trade value at best will remain stable and at worst will drive downward if he gets hurt. The midseason trade market can get crowded, and it could involve multiple arms on shorter and more manageable deals than the one Hamels holds. That's why the Phillies, one of probably just two teams (the Braves being the other) going into 2015 in some sort of rebuilding process, need to find the best possible offer they can prior to Opening Day. They don't have a lot of leverage, but they do still have an opportunity to improve their talent stash.

Can’t Cash In – The opportunity has never been better for Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez to make the Phillies' rotation. Will he take advantage of it? Gonzalez allowed five hits and three runs in two-plus innings Tuesday in a 6-0 loss to the Tigers at Bright House Field. Gonzalez, who left the game in the third inning after getting hit by a line drive on the right knee, has allowed nine hits and five runs in four innings in two Grapefruit League appearances. "It's a Spring Training game, I'm working on things," Gonzalez said through translator Rickie Ricardo. "It's not like I'm trying to dominate hitters down here. I'm working on specific things. I'm just going to do my best to either be in the rotation or in the 'pen. But the Phillies will need to see results from Gonzalez at some point, because he does not have a track record in the big leagues like Cole Hamels, Aaron Harang or Jerome Williams. Gonzalez entered camp as a candidate to be the team's fifth starter, and with Cliff Lee's season and possibly career in jeopardy because of an elbow injury, Gonzalez's competition for a job got smaller. Chad Billingsley will not be ready by Opening Day. Assuming David Buchanan is a lock behind Hamels, Harang and Williams, Gonzalez is competing with non-roster invitee Kevin Slowey for the final spot. Slowey has allowed just one hit in five scoreless innings in two appearances. "Slowey has made some nice showings as a possibility," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. Gonzalez's right knee is bruised following the line drive from Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias. He said he will be ready to make his next start. Gonzalez's fastball showed some life, but he had trouble commanding his pitches as much as he would like. "That's the No. 1 thing I'm working on," Gonzalez said. "I know I had location issues last year."

Interesting Routine – Is that a yoga class? Nope. It's Phillies' big league strength coach Paul Fournier, pitcher David Buchanan and Minor League strength coach Jason Meredith practicing their handstand holds. Buchanan, a 25-year-old righty from Atlanta who is making a push to become the Phillies' fifth starter this spring, began doing yoga in 2011. He thinks yoga has greatly helped his baseball, so he carries his practice into the regular season. He especially loves going upside down. "In the very first yoga class I did, they were doing handstands and other arm balances and I knew right away I wanted to learn," Buchanan says. "But all the stretching and strengthening we do in yoga has been great for my shoulder, thoracic and hip mobility and stability." Fournier is a big proponent of the handstand hold, especially in the rehab setting, to promote shoulder and elbow stability, strength and stamina. He'll have rehabbing pitchers hold a handstand for anywhere from 20 seconds to a minute. Buchanan, though, is healthy, and thinks handstands will help him stay that way. Fournier agrees. He encourages Buchanan and often participates himself. "If a guy wants to do a handstand hold and he isn't afraid to do it, we allow that," Fournier says. "We love that."

Breakout Candidates – Every Spring Training, prospects get a chance to show what they can do as they prepare for the season ahead. Some are competing for jobs in big league camp, while others are prepping for the season as they vie for spots at Minor League affiliates throughout the team's system. MLBPipeline.com is visiting all 30 camps this spring. Today, we check in on the Philadelphia Phillies. It has been a transformative year for the Phillies' farm system. The 2014 First-Year Player Draft, the international signing period and a bevy of trades have infused the organization with new talent. Most prominently, the Phils selected right-hander Aaron Nola seventh overall last June, and he quickly began working his way toward the Major Leagues. Nola reached Double-A Reading less than two months after the Draft, and he is expected to return there to begin this season. The Phillies also acquired several other advanced pitchers in offseason trades, including right-handers Zach Eflin and Ben Lively and left-hander Tom Windle. Now as a new season gets underway, director of player development Joe Jordan is eager to start working with all the new players in the organization. "I think the reality is since last year's Draft and the July 2 [international free agent] signings after that, the trades that were made this winter, we've added some talent to the system," Jordan said. "Our system is healthier now than it was this time last year. "Now we're getting to watch them, so that's good. We need time to get familiar with them to see what they need." Camp standouts: The Phils had a few roster spots up for grabs going into the spring. And some of their young players have made the most of the opportunity. Maikel Franco, ranked No. 55 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list, has played well, as has outfielder Odubel Herrera, who is being given a long look as a Rule 5 Draft pick. Jordan said he has also been pleased by what he has seen from left-hander Jesse Biddle. The 2010 first-round Draft pick had a rough 2014 season, but he is now healthy and is throwing well. "Jesse, for me, has looked great," Jordan said. "He's been very impressive in the bullpens, the live BP, he's been very impressive. He looks like Jesse Biddle, if you will." Breakout candidates: Aaron Brown, OF: A two-way player at Pepperdine, Brown has given up pitching since the Phillies picked him in the third round last June. Because he didn't focus on hitting as an amateur, he has some rough edges to his game, but he has impressive all-around tools and got off to a good start to his professional career in 2014. "Aaron left a really good impression on us in a lot of the things that he does," Jordan said. Elniery Garcia, LHP: A native of the Dominican Republic, Garcia has already shown in his young career that he has some feel for his craft on the mound. Like many young pitchers, he needs to become more consistent and get stronger. If Garcia can do that, he could start advancing quicker in the Minor Leagues. Three questions with Andrew Knapp: Knapp, Philadelphia's second-round pick in 2013, missed the first month of last season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery in the offseason. The catcher played well once he was able to get back on the field, and he hit .297/.359/.462 during the second half. MLBPipeline.com: Last offseason, you were recovering from surgery. What was it like this year to be able to have a normal offseason? Knapp: It felt really good. I was able to get in the gym a lot, get my strength back up. Last year, when I got ready to play, I was kind of thrown into it a little bit. I didn't really have time to work on my body as much. It was good to get some long toss in, too. It was just nice to kind of relax and get healthy again. MLBPipeline.com: What's the hardest part of preparing for a season as a catcher? Knapp: I'd say one of the hardest parts to prepare for is just being able to catch every day. You can't really prepare your body for that kind of toll. You can get yourself strong and you can work on your defensive and offensive parts of your game, but in order to be able to play every day, you've just got to go out and really maintain your body and stretch and work on it. I think that's going to be a big thing for me, is just getting back behind the plate every day. MLBPipeline.com: What are your goals for this season? Knapp: I think I just want to play every day. I want to be an everyday guy. I think the stats will take care of themselves. I'm not really worried about that as much as staying healthy and catching every day.

ON THE RECORD:

The Phillies will look to rebound this season from a 73-89 record last year. While uncertainty abounds, there is little question that the franchise is in rebuild mode based on the moves and statements that have been made during the offseason. The only question that remains is whether or not the young and veteran talent on the team can work together to disprove Gillick’s predictions either this year or next.