Phillies set 40-man roster, announce spring training invitees

This spring, the Phillies will get a close look at several minor leaguers who have played their way onto the organizational radar. Top relief prospect Justin DeFratus, first baseman Matthew Rizzotti and second baseman Harold Garcia were three of five players named to the 40-man roster yesterday.

DeFratus, a hard-throwing 23-year-old who went 3-0 with 21 saves and a 1.94 ERA at Class A Clearwater and Double A Reading in 2010, has the best chance at playing his way into consideration for the Opening Day roster. Garcia, a 24-year-old second baseman, garnered headlines this summer when he broke a 59-year-old Florida State League record by hitting safely in 37 consecutive games en route to hitting .305 with 29 stolen bases at Clearwater and Reading. And Rizzotti, a 24-year-old first baseman, led the entire organization with a .343 batting average and hit 17 home runs while rising from Clearwater to Triple A Lehigh Valley.

Joining them on the 40-man are 21-year-old shortstop Freddy Galvis, a defensive whiz who hit .233 with five home runs and 15 stolen bases at Reading, and 20-year-old switch-hitting second baseman Cesar Hernandez, who hit .325 with 32 steals at short-season Williamsport.

The Phillies had until midnight to promote players to the 40-man roster, thereby protecting them from December's Rule 5 draft. The roster is now full, meaning the Phils will have to part with somebody if they wish to make a selection in the draft, which takes place at the winter meetings in Orlando.

The club also announced 12 players who will attend spring training on minor league deals. Several of those players already have been reported, including lefthanded reliever Dan Meyer, utility man Pete Orr, corner infielder/outfielder Jeff Larish, catcher Erik Kratz and righthanded reliever Eddie Bonine.

In addition to Meyer, 30, a Woodbury, N.J., native who posted a 3.09 ERA in 71 games for the Marlins in 2009, the Phillies invited two other lefties: 25-year-old Ryan Feierabend, who started 24 games and posted a 5.14 ERA in the Mariners organization after missing all of 2009 because of Tommy John surgery, and 32-year-old Juan Perez, who finished 2010 with a 2.83 ERA in 47 appearances in the Dodgers organization.

Two familiar names also were revealed yesterday: former San Diego infielder Josh Barfield and former Pirates outfielder Brandon Moss.

In 2006, Barfield hit .280 with 13 home runs and 21 stolen bases as a 23-year-old rookie for the Padres, while logging 539 at-bats as the team's everyday second baseman. His production declined the next season after a trade to Cleveland, where he hit .243 with three homers and 14 stolen bases in 420 at-bats. Barfield, who hits righthanded, spent most of the last three seasons in the minors, including 2010, when he hit .294 with five home runs and four steals for Triple A Portland.

Moss, a lefthanded hitter, has played in 244 major league games for the Pirates and Red Sox over the last four seasons, hitting .238 with 15 home runs in 672 at-bats. The 27-year-old spent most of the 2010 season with Triple A Indianapolis, where he batted .266 with 22 home runs and 96 RBI in 136 games.

Filling out the invitations: infielder/outfielder Tagg Bozied, a 31-year-old who led all Phillies minor leaguers with 27 home runs and 92 RBI while hitting .315 at Reading; outfielder Matt Miller, a 27-year-old who hit .325 with 10 home runs at Triple A Colorado Springs; and catcher Dane Sardinha, who spent most of last season at Lehigh Valley but played well in a 13-game stint for the Phillies. *

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