Phillies claim Carrera, designate Inciarte
After one game, the Phillies roster has undergone change. They claimed outfielder Ezequiel Carrera off waivers from Cleveland and designated outfielder Ender Inciarte for assignment Tuesday.
Phillies claim Carrera, designate Inciarte
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
ATLANTA — After one game, the Phillies roster has undergone change.
They claimed outfielder Ezequiel Carrera off waivers from Cleveland and designated outfielder Ender Inciarte for assignment Tuesday. The move is a shuffle of fifth outfielders. With a hole in right field and no particularly good answer for at least a month, Carrera could stand to gain playing time.
The 25-year-old Venezuelan led the majors with 11 stolen bases this spring. He has 116 games of major-league experience, all with the Indians, and a career .653 OPS. Of those 116 games, 88 were starts.
Carrera, a lefthanded hitter, was out of options and designated for assignment March 25 by Cleveland. Earlier in the spring, Indians manager Terry Francona said, "His speed impacts the game."
He can play all three outfield positions, with the majority of his time coming in center field. Carrera was originally signed by the New York Mets from Venezuela.
Charlie Manuel started John Mayberry Jr. in right field Monday. He said he has no problem platooning Mayberry and Laynce Nix until Delmon Young's return from ankle surgery. Young was scheduled to play the outfield for three innings in an extended spring training game Tuesday.
But Young's addition to the roster is not imminent and the team is not enamored of Mayberry nor Nix. In an ideal world, one of them swings a hot bat and earns the majority of at-bats. If not, Carrera enters the equation.
Inciarte, 22, did not appear in Monday's season opener. As a Rule 5 pick, the Phillies were required to keep him on the active roster for all of 2013. It was a challenge, considering he had never played a game above single A. The Phillies could have attempted to trade for his rights with Arizona.
If a team claims Inciarte off waivers, they must follow the same Rule 5 stipulations. If he clears waivers, the Diamondbacks recover his rights. The Phillies will receive $25,000 in exchange.
Carrera will be in uniform Wednesday, the Phillies said.
EXTRA BASES. Chase Utley became the 13th second baseman in history with 200 home runs. The others: Jeff Kent, Rogers Hornsby, Craig Biggio, Ryne Sandberg, Joe Morgan, Joe Gordon, Bret Boone, Lou Whitaker, Bobby Grich, Bobby Doerr, Dan Uggla and Roberto Alomar. ... Monday's game achieved the highest opening-day rating on PHL17 in the last 17 years. It averaged an 11.5 household rating and was the No. 1 program in the Philadelphia market. ... Mike Schmidt, George Brett and comedian Joe Piscopo will throw the ceremonial first pitches prior to Friday's home opener at Citizens Bank Park vs. Kansas City.
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
Except for the comment by tripleplay83, you guys are really panicked over a nothing move. This guy is a stop-gap 5th outfielder until D. Young is healthy. We're not talking about moving Utley or Howrad or Rollins. Just give it a rest. This is season is one game old and it will play out the way it will play out. Nothng more, nothing less. Let's have fun and enjoy the ride.— mike 1717- More from the 2009 ranking:
Ranked Seattle Mariners #15 prospect after the 2009 season
Carrera stood in the shadow of the other two minor leaguers acquired from the Mets in the December 2008 trade of J.J. Putz, but the slight center fielder passed Maikel Cleto and Mike Carp by winning the Southern League's batting (.337) and on-base percentage (.441) titles in 2009. In fact, his OBP ranked third in the minors. While in the Mets system, he revered fellow Venezuelan Endy Chavez, whose game Carrera emulates. He excels as a defensive outfielder because of his first-step quickness and proper angles to the ball. He doesn't throw well, but he improved his release time and accuracy in 2009. An above-average runner, Carrera is adept at bunting for hits, stretching singles into doubles and stealing bases late in games. The definition of a pesky hitter, he can outlast pitchers for walks by fouling off even quality offerings. He offers little power, and none against lefthanders, against whom he still looks uncomfortable. He also doesn't read lefties well on stolen-base attempts, and his success rate fell from 81 percent versus righthanders to 43 percent against southpaws. He spent time on the disabled list with a high ankle sprain and sprained thumb last year, both sustained while chasing down balls in the outfield. Farm director Pedro Grifol describes Carrera as having a compact game, excelling in all aspects of small ball. It's difficult to see him supplanting any of Seattle's starting outfielders, but Carrera profiles as a valuable reserve.— tripleplay83 - Does Rube Amoron have a clue? Sounds like this new guy is the same as Inciarte. How about someone not from the scrap heap? Another "Band-Aid Ballplayer" to go with the Durbins of the world.— gentian
- It's very simple: the Phils OF is all about the money. In essence, the plan is how little can the team spend on outfielders, because far too much money is tied up in huge contracts with infielders and pitchers.
Saving money was the reason why they dumped Victorino and Pence last year and why we have the outfield we have this year. If the "money" guys do not produce, we will be in really bad shape in 2013. Time for Hamels, Lee, Halladay, Papelbon, Howard, Utley and Rollins to earn their keep. And maybe some less expensive talent will surprise us all.— DPinDC - Professor1982 is worth LESS than a bag of donuts. Always posting bull on politics-now insulting someone who is a professional ball player.— kingofpoker
- How can Mayberry be considered major league talent?— Disco Dave
- Are the owner and GM related because I can't understand how he has a job? He has made the team nearly irrelevant now and in the future only a footnote in baseball.— wmontanez27
- He was listed in a MLB article recently about the best players that are out of options and probably would be traded. He probably is more capable of hitting at the major league level until Delmon Young returns than Encierte would have been, and has just as much speed. It's an upgrade, and when Chooch and Young are back in May, there will be another upgrade.— drbob1
- Cholly plays Mayberry because he likes looking at the back of Jr.'s uniform. It reminds the tired, old fool of home.— Wilhelm Von Humboldt
- Sesame Street song "Which of these 3 Opening Day guests doesn't belong here?" Schmidt, George Brett, Joe Piscopo?— dglass1
- Kind of opens the door to a Mayberry trade in my mind. Possibly a reliever or back up infielder.— tony bell
- Mayberry is clearly running thin on time to show he can play consistently, but it's equally clear the Phils are going to give him every opportunity to succeed and have a lot invested in him. I know a lot of you hate him, rightfully so based on his inconsistent play to this point, but he's shown flashes of power and is a better fielder than Nix, Brown or Young. If anyone is going to see less playing time it's Nix. I don't get Nix, never have, never will but he has played for a number of years and probably makes a lot more money than the other reserves in OF making it much harder to get rid of him. I like picking up a speed guy if you can mix in a small ball lineup some nights that can eek out a few cheap runs while the big unit is striking out it just might buy you a few more wins and a wild card birth. Of course Charlie prefers the long ball approach, but I think this year he's going to be forced to change if he expects to have a job here next year. Sandberg is waiting and watching, and he will surely have a different approach.— TrollXterminator
- What is Rube thinking? Carrera has a career .255 Batting Average, 2 Home Runs and 25 RBI's. He has been released by four different teams and is another "BAND AID" player. Heck, I would rather have Ruf and Orr on the roster. Rube and "The Dope" are clueless. That fact that they changed the roster after only one day tells you all you need to know about the 2013 Edition of our PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES. PATHETIC!— cleusner
- @Advantasux: I think he had a good look at the 2 Upton brothers and Heyward in the outfield last night and realized a full year of Inciarte, let alone Nix and Mayberry is a non-starter. Either way, this latest acquisition is not the makings of a championship caliber outfield and with that, I lay it all on RAJ. To let Frank Wren get both Upton's to complement Heyward may prove to be a fatal flaw.
In conclusion: We got played into thinking Ruf could be a left fielder, that is, until the first ball his way ruined that thought. We got snookered by the Braves. And as a consolation prize, we got the spring time version of Andrew Bynum in the form of DYoung, who is better served as a DH, but serving time in a National League town.— DelawareRiverRat - @DRR, as always, well said.
Snookered by failed expectations for Ruf or not, exactly what could Amaro have been thinking in those January and February weeks when the Braves continued to strengthen their outfield and entire team while he was holding tight to an outfield keyed by a singles hitter in center and riding on the hopes pinned to hardly-tested Domonic Brown and never-tested Darin Ruf? This man is paid to put the most competitive team on the field and, instead, he sat idly by, acting for all the world that his acquisition of Ben Revere was, in actuality, an acquisition of Willie Mays.
Amaro is off-the-charts in over his head.— advantasux
