Exploring some under-the-radar Phillies story lines

YESTERDAY, we looked at some of the bigger individual Phillies story lines we'll be monitoring, as pitchers and catchers hold their first official workout tomorrow. Now, let's look at five names who haven't garnered nearly as much attention, but who have more to gain (or lose) than most pitchers and catchers in camp this spring.

1 Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez: At this time last year, the Phillies were hoping that their first significant foray into one of baseball's emerging markets (Cuba, Korea, Japan, etc.) would result in a middle-of-the-rotation starter who could help them contend, thereby defying the expectations of, well, everybody else in the world. All it took was a couple of bullpen sessions to realize Gonzalez would not be that player for the 2014 Phillies. The fact that members of the front office have mentioned his name only in passing in conversations with the media this offseason is a pretty good indication of their level of hope that he will ever establish himself as a viable starter.

That said, the plan seems to be to stretch him out as a starter and evaluate from there, although the signings of Chad Billingsley, Aaron Harang and Jerome Williams suggest the bullpen is a more likely destination. If you wanted to give Gonzalez the benefit of the doubt, you'd give significant weight to the fact that he entered last year having pitched sparingly in his last couple of years in Cuba, which he fled in 2013, eventually signing a 3-year, $12 million contract with the Phillies.

You'd also dwell on his fastball, which averaged 95 mph last season in his brief work in the majors. But the fastball doesn't have a ton of movement, and major league hitters were all over it in his six appearances. Nine of the 29 batters he faced reached base via a hit, including a home run, and only five of the 21 balls he allowed in play were on the ground. Command, though, is the biggest thing Gonzalez needs to display this spring. He walked three batters in his 5 1/3 big-league innings and walked an average of 5.1 per nine in 31 minor league appearances. It will be interesting to see whether Gonzalez has made any mechanical adjustments to his violent delivery.

2 Jesse Biddle: Biddle's biggest opportunity for gain might be in the confidence department. Coming off a brutal 2014 in which the Phillies decided to give him a mental vacation before sending him down for remedial work at Class A Clearwater, Biddle is entering his first year on the 40-man roster, and thus will be in big-league camp in the early days of spring training.

In 16 starts at Double A Reading, Biddle posted a 5.05 ERA, while walking an average of 4.8 batters per nine. He needs to find an answer for the fastball command that has eluded him in bedeviling stretches throughout his minor league career. A strong showing in front of the big-league staff could go a long way in restoring the confidence Biddle seemed to have lost last season.

3 Tommy Joseph: It's worth remembering that Joseph started last season on fire, hitting .282/.345/.551, with five home runs in 78 at-bats before his latest bout with concussion issues forced him to miss 2 months starting in early May. The snake-bitten Joseph then injured his wrist shortly after his return, leading to season-ending surgery. Joseph, who was the centerpiece of the Hunter Pence trade with the Giants in July 2012, has logged only 268 plate appearances over the last two seasons because of injuries (chiefly, the concussions).

He began taking batting practice late last month. He needs to show the Phillies he is healthy, and, while that will take much longer than a month in spring training, he will have plenty of eyes on him while he is in big-league camp.

4 Jeanmar Gomez: If Gonzalez is not on the Opening Day roster, there is a decent chance that Jeanmar Gomez will be the beneficiary. Gomez spent last season as a long reliever for the Pirates, posting a 3.19 ERA with middling rate stats (5.5 K/9, 3.3 BB/9) in 62 innings over 44 appearances. That could be his role this season if he has a solid spring. There is a good chance the Phillies will need a lot of innings out of their bullpen, and Gomez is a guy who can provide them.

5 Kevin Slowey: The pride of Winthrop University has 106 big-league starts under his belt and has always shown excellent command. He had a league-average-ish 3-year stretch for the Twins from 2008-10, logging 406 2/3 innings with a 4.36 ERA and 96 ERA+. He has battled injuries throughout his career and last year was released by the Marlins in late June. But the back of the Phillies' rotation doesn't exactly bring back memories of 2011, and Slowey will have a chance to put himself on the radar this spring.

On Twitter: @ByDavidMurphy

Blog: ph.ly/HighCheese