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For some Phillies, a chance to spring into the lineup

Four players who could benefit from a productive Grapefruit season.

Grady Sizemore takes batting practice. (David Swanson/Staff Photographer)
Grady Sizemore takes batting practice. (David Swanson/Staff Photographer)Read more

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Throughout the week, they have trickled into the clubhouse and onto the playing surface at Bright House Field. Ben Revere. Chase Utley. Grady Sizemore. The first full-squad workout is tomorrow, at which point Ryne Sandberg will begin the process of figuring out where, exactly, the runs will come from this season.

The known quantities are limited to Carlos Ruiz at catcher, Utley at second base, Revere in centerfield, and, to a lesser extent, Freddy Galvis at shortstop. Everywhere else, the Phillies have a heckuva lot of finding out to do. That means that despite the ominous outlook for the regular season, we should at least be in store for an interesting spring.

The players who have the most to gain:

1. Grady Sizemore: If it feels like Sizemore's numbers were a lot better than the .701 OPS and three home runs he posted after joining the Phillies, it's probably because he hit .300/.340/.430 while starting 23 of 32 games after his promotion from Triple A. But beginning in mid-August, he played more of a bench role, starting just 13 of the Phillies' final 38 games and hitting .177/.271/.323 in the process.

The Phillies' usage of Sizemore was always a bit of a puzzle, both their heavy utilization of him in favor of Domonic Brown and then their sudden reversal of course. But the $2 million deal they gave him in the offseason made sense as a low-risk investment that could pay dividends if Sizemore builds any trade value.

Sizemore's recent track record would suggest long odds on such a maturation. He hasn't logged more than 400 plate appearances in a big-league season since 2009, which is also the last season he finished with an OPS+ above league average, and he hooked up with the Phillies last season only after being released by the Red Sox, who had opened the year with him as their everyday centerfielder.

But, with Marlon Byrd gone, the Phillies have 637 more plate appearances to distribute, more than enough to get Sizemore regular work. His performance this spring should help dictate how regular.

2. Darin Ruf: Spring has not been a kind season for Ruf. Two years ago, he struggled mightily in Grapefruit League play while attempting to transition from first base to leftfield. Last year, he hit just .200 with a .273 on-base percentage before straining his oblique in late March, ending his bid for an Opening Day roster spot. Ruf later broke a bone in his wrist after running into a wall at Triple A Lehigh Valley. He finally joined the big-league club in late July but was used primarily as a platoon player, starting just 23 of the Phillies' final 63 games.

That's a pretty good indication that he has some work to do to convince Sandberg and the Phillies' brass that he deserves an everyday look. After having success against righthanded hitters in 2012 and '13, Ruf went just 6-for-41 with 16 strikeouts against them in 2014. He battered lefties, going 18-for-61 with eight extra-base hits, three of them homers (along with 16 strikeouts).

In 447 career plate appearances, Ruf has a solid .251/.338/.466 line with 20 home runs and 135 strikeouts. But with Sizemore, Brown, Ryan Howard and Odubel Herrera all vying for plate appearances in the outfield and first base, and with the Phillies' past reluctance to use him in an everyday role, Ruf would benefit immensely from a spring that they can't ignore.

3. Odubel Herrera: Every Rule 5 pick belongs on a list like this due to the nature of the designation: If he doesn't make the Opening Day roster, he must be offered back to his original team (in this case, the Rangers).

But Herrera has more opportunity than most. For one, the Phillies really like him. At 23, he is relatively young for a Rule 5 pick. He has hit at every level, including an impressive .321/.373/.402 line at Double A Frisco last year and a strong showing in winter ball. The biggest thing he has going for him is that the Phillies have the roster space to accommodate him, even if he isn't big-league ready.

4. Cody Asche: Make no mistake, he's the Opening Day third baseman. But he'll also have well-regarded prospect Maikel Franco trying to play himself into a late-May call-up (when he'll no longer be a threat to hit free agency a year early). In 434 plate appearances last season, Asche hit .252/.309/.390 with 10 home runs and 102 strikeouts. His OPS+ put him at about 5 percent less than league average for third basemen, but as late as June 26 he had a .762 OPS. Over the rest of the season, he hit just .242/.289/.371.

Even a rough spring at the plate and a strong spring from Franco shouldn't keep the Phillies from starting Franco in the minors. But it would give plenty of fuel to a fan base that is clamoring for a regular look at a player the Phillies hope will be a cornerstone of the future.

The rest of the spring's ramifications figure to be minor. Who is the backup catcher (Koyie Hill and Cameron Rupp would seem to be the leading contenders)? Can Cesar Hernandez handle backup duty at shortstop? What about the final spot on the bench, which is projected to be filled by Jeff Francoeur at the moment. The fun officially begins tomorrow.