The last time we saw the Phillies, they were heading for the final stretch of spring training.
It was March 12. Only two weeks left for the opening day.
But instead of starting the countdown to opening day, the Phillies and all other baseball teams were arrested at the time when a beast named coronavirus shut down the sports world.
Now, 3½ months later, the world of baseball is ready to start the countdown to opening day again. Phillies players are already arriving in town as the team prepares to restart their preparation for what will be a shorter 60-game season that begins July 23-24.
The Phillies will resume “spring training” Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park.
When the camps closed, the Phillies had the best record in the majors at 14-5-1, not that it really mattered. First of all, it was just practical. And second, more important things were happening in the world. They still are. However, let’s take a look back at the Phillies’ location as a team when it all closed on March 12.
The fifth initiator
Aaron Nola was in line for the opening day start and Zack Wheeler, Jake Arrieta and Zach Eflin were also in the rotation.
Vince Velasquez and Nick Pivetta were vying for fifth place in the rotation and the schedule dictated that the decision was near.
Oh, but a third candidate, left-handed Ranger Suárez, was gaining some strength.
Will Suarez still be in the mix when the camp reopens? Or will he return to the bullpen, where he stood out at the end of the season last year?
Beginners will need a few starts before they’re ready to pitch in games, so bullpens will be more important than ever. Perhaps Suarez works outside the corral. Or maybe the Phils use it in rotation and try to add the necessary power to the ‘pen using Pivetta and Velasquez as relievers. At least one of them will have to go to the ‘pen anyway. Suárez, Velásquez and Pivetta have the ability to go to several tickets and there will be great value during the first month of the season.
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How about Spencer Howard?
The shortened season will take care of your workload limit and should feature prominently in this one-season sprint.
However, the question is: will it impact the first week of the season? It wouldn’t be surprising to see that management slows him down a bit so he can preserve an additional season of control before free agency. With a shorter season, that only means about seven days.
If the starters only get three or four innings out the door, it might make sense to take Howard with one of the top four starters during, for example, weeks 2, 3 and 4 of the season. Then, if he stays steady, he could be mixed in the rotation or continue helping out in the bullpen.
Either way, Spencer Howard needs to impact this team, after the first week.
The same goes for Alec Bohm, whose bat could be useful as a designated hitter or possible first baseman if Rhys Hoskins fights.
Hoskins had joined new hitting coach Joe Dillon and was starting to feel good after making some adjustments to his swing when camp closed. He’s still a big guy on this team, and the Phillies need his right hand in the middle of the lineup.
Who plays second and third?
That was one of the big questions when the camp opened, but it was on the way to being resolved when the camp closed in March.
Not only was Jean Segura open-minded about trying a third base, but he looked good in position.
So, going to camp 2, he looks like Segura in third and Scott Kingery in second. Newcomer Didi Gregorius is at shortstop.
The clutch is configured
The Phillies really missed Andrew McCutchen after he suffered a knee injury on June 3 last season. He wasn’t going to be ready for the first game on March 26, but the shutdown gave him the time he needed to fully recover to get ready.
New leadership
The players responded very well to new captain Joe Girardi in Clearwater. It comes with a lot of credibility, both personally and professionally. Here’s a look at what makes Girardi work.
The leadership of new pitching coach Bryan Price was also notable in Clearwater. In fact, it seemed that pitchers were getting out of his way almost daily to rave about him and his potential impact. They were particularly excited about their fastball-down stress after the team had walked away from that the year before.
But don’t trust our word.
Look what Jake Arrieta said.
Look what Aaron Nola said.
And Zach Eflin.
JT Realmuto framed it nicely, comparing the old to the new.
Price has a very interesting background and came to the Phillies highly recommended by Pat Gillick. Larry Bowa is also a great admirer. Find out more about Price here.
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