Skip to content
Sports
Link copied to clipboard

Almost showtime for top Phillies prospects, many of whom should reach majors this year

CLEARWATER, Fla. - One by one, they were summoned by a Phillies coach. The prospects walked from the clubhouse at Spectrum Field, past the new wall decorations that show six years since the team's last division title, around the corner to the manager's office. It is a rite of passage for the youngest players in camp, the brief taste of big-league life interrupted by a meeting that ends with a demotion.

Phillies’ Nick Williams (left) talks with coach Matt Stairs during batting practice at Phillies spring training in Clearwater, Fla., on Feb. 15, 2017.
Phillies’ Nick Williams (left) talks with coach Matt Stairs during batting practice at Phillies spring training in Clearwater, Fla., on Feb. 15, 2017.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer

CLEARWATER, Fla. - One by one, they were summoned by a Phillies coach. The prospects walked from the clubhouse at Spectrum Field, past the new wall decorations that show six years since the team's last division title, around the corner to the manager's office. It is a rite of passage for the youngest players in camp, the brief taste of big-league life interrupted by a meeting that ends with a demotion.

This spring, it felt different. The prospects are closer than ever. The spring games, they said, were validation that they belonged. For some of them, it might have been their last demotion to the minors.

Maybe not. Prospects can break hearts. Right now, that is all the Phillies have, and they have invested a sizable amount of time and resources in them. That is why, as Pete Mackanin delivered the news to each one, he issued a directive.

"Make us call you up," the Phillies manager told his young players. "Do well and force our hand."

This is the gray area of the Phillies' rebuilding process. It is a time when the Phillies can see a path to contention in the distance while mediocrity reigns in the interim. A contending team in 2017 is futile, but a team that generates interest is not an unreasonable projection. Why? Every position player with the exception of Maikel Franco has a prospect in triple A trying to steal his job.

"It's a great problem to have," said Dusty Wathan, the triple-A manager and one of the more important characters in the 2017 chapter. "Selfishly, as an organization, that's what we're looking for. We want guys to push each other. I think it's great for the players, as far as competition goes for the spots. You have to prove yourself every day - whether it's in the major leagues, triple A, or double A, wherever it is. So it just brings value to the organization."

For Cameron Rupp, this spring was different from the others. He had a secure job. He had a full big-league season with a .750 OPS. He had a chance to refine the small things, although the bigger picture was not lost on the 28-year-old former third-round pick.

"At the same time, I'm not going to be complacent," Rupp said. "There's still two young kids that want my job. So I have to keep it. The only way to keep it is to continue to get better. I don't want to stay the same."

The Phillies have guaranteed money to one player, Odubel Herrera, beyond the 2017 season. There are players who will begin the season with better footing than others, but it is still difficult to predict what the roster for the next competitive Phillies team will resemble. Jorge Alfaro, at triple A behind Rupp, owns some of the best tools for a young catching prospect. Evaluators consider his potential ceiling to be higher than Rupp's.

Motivation, even for those earning big-league salaries, is simple.

A few Phillies coaches, at the beginning of spring training, noted how Clearwater was the land of opportunity for young players. The initial 25-man roster for 2017 was nearly set, even before camp started. But a good impression here could have an effect later. For much of the elongated spring, Phillies officials watched a bunch of their prospects show their skills.

Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt spent a weekend in camp. He did not recognize many of the faces. That, to him, was a wonderful challenge.

"To be a coach now would be a lot of fun," Schmidt said. "I think that's why [bench coach] Larry [Bowa] didn't retire. Because coaching kids like this is a challenge and it's rewarding. And watching them grow as players and feeling like you had something to do with it is very rewarding."

The Phillies departed Florida last spring with similar feelings. They had seen a glimpse of the prospects, most of whom were dispatched to double-A Reading and pushed that squad to an 89-52 record, and expected to see some reach the majors. Only Alfaro and Roman Quinn experienced a taste, as September call-ups.

It will be different in 2017, just based on sheer roster mechanics. If an injury strikes or ineffectiveness lingers in the majors, the depth is not veteran flotsam at triple A. It is the prospect-filled lineup.

There is not much Wathan, who managed that dominant Reading team last season, must say to motivate his Lehigh Valley roster this season.

"No, not really," Wathan said. "If anything, you have to do a little bit of holding them back. We have to live in the now. We have to take care of business here. They have to take care of their business on the field.

"Nick Williams has talked openly about it. Maybe he put the cart before the horse a little bit last season. He needs to focus on today. He did a tremendous job in big-league camp of doing that. Hopefully, you know, some other guys see that and realize that's probably the best way to go about it."

The Phillies have questions to answer about those on the major-league roster. But, as the schedule creeps toward the summer, it will be hard not to peek at what's happening in Allentown. That is the current stage of this rebuilding effort, one that offers equal intrigue in the International League as it does the National League.

"I feel like we're going to be great," Williams said. "I couldn't tell you a time frame, but there's a lot of talent here, and it's going to be fun."

mgelb@philly.com

@MattGelb