Phillies need younger players to win competitions for jobs | Bob Brookover
CINCINNATI - It is not only opening day for the Phillies on Monday at Great American Ballpark. It is also the continuation of an immense organizational competition that started in spring training with some surprising decisions and will continue right through the Oct. 1 season finale against the New York Mets.
CINCINNATI - It is not only opening day for the Phillies on Monday at Great American Ballpark. It is also the continuation of an immense organizational competition that started in spring training with some surprising decisions and will continue right through the Oct. 1 season finale against the New York Mets.
Veterans such as outfielder Chris Coghlan, fresh off a World Series title run with the Chicago Cubs, and Ryan Hanigan, a backup catcher with loads of big-league experience, discovered that youth is a valued attribute for the Phillies as they continue their rebuilding project. Ready or not, catcher Andrew Knapp and first baseman/outfielder Brock Stassi got the nods over the two veterans for coveted spots on the opening-day roster.
That's a pretty good indication of what the Phillies would like to see happen during their 162-game journey as well. For sure, youth will continue to be served on the main menu. The Phillies already have the second youngest roster in the majors, according to Baseball America, and it will trend even younger as the season progresses.
The first place they could get younger is in the starting rotation. Clay Buchholz should be on a short leash at the start of this season after failing to instill much confidence during his six spring-training starts. His situation is different from Coghlan's and Hanigan's because there is some substantial money involved.
When the Phillies acquired the 32-year-old righthander from the Boston Red Sox just before Christmas, they agreed to take on his $13.5 million contract for 2017. That's a high price for a guy who went 23-28 with a 4.60 ERA over the last three seasons and has made seven career trips to the disabled list, including one in 2015 for an elbow injury.
Buchholz's attraction to the Phillies, who had money to burn, was reasonable. He's experienced and, best of all, his contract goes away after this season, so he will not stand in the way of a younger guy next season should one show he's ready to pitch in the big leagues. The jackpot combination would be that Buchholz pitches well enough to get something in return at the trade deadline and one of the young pitchers knocks down the door to the big leagues at triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Jake Thompson, after serving as the Lehigh Valley ace a year ago, appears to be the candidate most likely to get to Philadelphia in a hurry, and if that means Buchholz needs to be pushed out of the rotation in May, so be it. The competition, at this point, has to be performance-based, with the edge in a close race always going to the younger guy.
The younger guys, of course, also have to perform well. If Aaron Nola's spring training struggles bleed into deep April, he should not block someone such as Thompson or Ben Lively from being in the big leagues if they are performing well for the IronPigs. Zach Eflin would normally be included in that grouping, but he will open the season behind the rest because of knee problems.
Even more fascinating will be the competition among position players. Tommy Joseph played his way into the first-base job last season and backed it up with a strong spring training. But Stassi and triple-A Lehigh Valley's Rhys Hoskins will be gunning for his job and the best man will win.
The battles in the middle infield figure to be the most fascinating. If No. 1 prospect J.P. Crawford gets off to a quick start, what will Freddy Galvis have to do to keep his job? Galvis continued to show power without patience in spring training, collecting six extra-base hits but only two walks to post an unacceptable .284 on-base percentage. Galvis, of course, is a magician with his glove, and that part of Crawford's game still needs development.
Second base is equally interesting. We know Cesar Hernandez can hit for average, post a high on-base percentage, and steal bases, but can he provide enough extra-base pop to stave off challenges from Jesmuel Valentin and Scott Kingery, both of whom had strong spring trainings?
At catcher, Cameron Rupp had a solid first full season in the big leagues last year, but he probably faces the biggest challenge of all to keep his job from going to Jorge Alfaro, who is just one step away from the majors at Lehigh Valley.
In the outfield, veterans Howie Kendrick and Michael Saunders open the year at the corner spots, but it would be stunning if both closed the year there. For that to happen, they would both have to be playing exceptionally well and the Phillies would have to be in playoff contention. It's far more likely that Aaron Altherr, Roman Quinn, Nick Williams, or Dylan Cozens will be in those corner outfield spots when the season closes, but they had better earn it.
Lots of things are going to change between Monday's season opener in Cincinnati and the Oct. 1 season finale in Philadelphia. The competition will be fierce, and the Phillies, in most cases, need the younger men to win.
@brookob