Thome tests back in field again
News blogs, sports blogs, entertainment blogs, and more from Philly.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.
Thome tests back in field again
Bob Brookover, Inquirer Baseball Columnist
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- As the sellout crowd at Bright House Field cheered a leadoff home run by Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins Saturday, Jim Thome went through the task of testing his aging back for the second time this spring in a sparsely attended minor-league game at the Carpenter Complex.
Thome, after being too sore to play Thursday and Friday, gave a positive report after his four-inning stint with the Phillies' triple-A team.
"After playing (Monday), I definitely felt a little bit of soreness the next day," Thome said. "Today was much, much better. My plan is to talk to (manager) Charlie (Manuel) and maybe comeback tomorrow, depending on what he has planned for me. Obviously we have to see how I feel tomorrow, but my plan is to come back and play tomorrow and see how my body feels from that stage."
Thome, 41, had five putouts during his four innings and was 0-for-2 with a strikeout and a sharply hit grounder to second base. His most taxing play by far came in his final inning when he couldn't handle a throw from third baseman Jeremy Barnes that reached the bag at the same time as the baserunner.
There were runners at first-and-third with nobody out on the play. Thome managed to pick up the ball and force a rundown play that required him to navigate the entire infield diamond before the runner originally on third base was tagged out.
"That stuff doesn’t bother me at all," Thome said. "The big test for me is always going to be the bending forward and getting my body used to that motion again."
Thome said he had been experiencing "general soreness" after playing in the field for the first time Monday.
"It's just the bending over that I haven't done in five or six years," he said. "Doing it pitch after pitch, my body has to get used to the motions of defense again. It's coming along. Even if I was a little bit sore today I was going to push it anyway just because I need to push my body.
"This is a part of my game now after five or six years of not doing this and I need to know what’s soreness and what’s not. I have to be smart about it, too. The long haul is to get me ready for however many days Charlie wants to put me there. I’m trying to be good about it and get myself ready."
How often does Thome think he'll be able to play during Ryan Howard's extended absence?
"Again, I’m not a prediction guy," he said. "I’d like to play every day, but I understand where I’m at and I understand my body and where it’s at right now. I think the player never loses his heart, though. You never lose the desire and the heart to want to play and be out there. Again, Charlie is the boss. He is ultimately the guy who is going to have to determine in his mind how much he’s going to want me to play and it’s up to me as the player to get ready for that."
Buy Phillies tickets 
Oh my gosh - a years worth of Phillies aches and pains is starting already. Rube was too late in starting to get this team younger. Reyes was a missed opportunity.— Bobphxville- Thome's in a tough spot. PH and DH is what's left, the glove has DL written on it.— escapedcamden4monterey
- Thome will be completely useless to the Phillies if they try to play him in the field. He'll end up on the DL and miss most of the season.
They should just get what they can out of him as a pinch hitter and DH in Interleague games.— SteveS11 - The Phillies should be ashamed of themselves for heading into a 162-game schedule with these kinds of players (Thome and Utley, with NO Howard)!!— ANGRY AL 2
- The Phillies should be ashamed of themselves for heading into a 162-game schedule with these kinds of players (Thome and Utley, with NO Howard)!!— ANGRY AL 2
- gotta hand it to rube for chutzpah. gets rid of valdez, who would play second while utley moved over to first, and keeps an alter cocker (that's NOT a naughty expression, censor!) like thome. what next, bring back lefty to close?— bubba church & granny hamner
- They should just forget Thome at first. Here it is just two and a half weeks until opening day and Jim still gets stiff after a game he plays at first after bending over in anticipation of each pitch. Now that Freddy Galvis has proved he is major league ready at second get Utley some work at first to save the wear and tear on his knees until Howard comes back if he every does.— Dull
- It's a good thing Thome is on Medicare.— Wilhelm Von Humboldt
- What is the benefit of having Thome play four innings at first base and then be day-to-day for the rest of the week because of a sore back? He's more valuable to the Phils coming off the bench and winning a game with a late inning dinger as needed. He may be able to only play a game at first base once a week and then be forced to lose time because of a nagging back whereas, when healthy, he can pinch hit daily. The man is going to the Hall of fame because of his bat, not because of a glove he hasn't used since 2005. While the injuries continue to mount, the time has come to critically assess what the Phils currently have as the season approaches and what they still need to become competitive. Thome, Wigginton and Nix will not be able to compensate for the loss of Howard. Mayberry is the Phils only viable option at first base, but the outfield defense goes down a notch without Mayberry. What's more, the offense is already compromised without Howard, Utley and Ibanez. The solution to the problem is to sign free agent first baseman, Derrek Lee, to a one year contract. Doing so would allow the Phils to field a competitive team opening day, allow Howard to mend properly and return to action when he's healthy and ready, and allow Thome to finish his career in the batter's box rather than on the DL.— onthebucks
- Agree with Dull.
They will probably conclude this 2 days before camp breaks.— WFChamps - It says something about the conditioning of big league ball players that Thome has been in 6 training camps since he played the field and it seems like even the simplest of stretching exercises were not performed. Can you imagine a basketball, hockey or football player incapacitated by the degree of exercise involved in playing first base for four innings? John Kruk once said, "Lady, I'm not an athlete, I'm a baseball player." I'm getting that message loud and clear with Thome now.— Claudio Vernight
- It says something about the conditioning of big league ball players that Thome has been in 6 training camps since he played the field and it seems like even the simplest of stretching exercises were not performed. Can you imagine a basketball, hockey or football player incapacitated by the degree of exercise involved in playing first base for four innings? John Kruk once said, "Lady, I'm not an athlete, I'm a baseball player." I'm getting that message loud and clear with Thome now.— Claudio Vernight
- They need to pencil in Brown (LF) and Mayberry (1B) every day and leave it at that until (if) Howard returns. At that point if Brown and/or Mayberry haven't come through, they get the axe. If they are playing well, look to trade Victorino or Pence to get cheaper.— jtj06
- Appears RAJ has had a horrible off-season...some of these moves are real questionable at this point.— scootch
- onthebucks....I like the Derek Lee plan. He's a butcher in the field, but much better than any alternatives they have at this point.— Repubrebirth
