Phillies Update from the Grapefruit League

With Spring Training having been underway for a few weeks, now is a good time to check in on our Philadelphia Phillies and see what’s going on with some of their prospects during their time down in beautiful, sunny Clearwater, Florida.  This time, I want to look at the position players and give some notes on their progress. I’ll take a look at the pitchers next week.  All stats are as of this writing March 15th.

Scott Kingery – One scout said that he is similar to Dustin Pedroia but with more talent.  High praise for him, indeed. Right now he’s showing an excellent amount of speed and power. As of this writing, in 28 at bats he has hit 3 home runs, stolen 4 bases and has a slash line of .393/.433/.786.   He’s having a successful spring and picking up where his excellent 2017 left off. While it’s still a long shot that he makes the team right away, he’s building a strong case to be called up very early in the season.  Kingery was just included in William Boor’s “25 prospects who have impressed in Spring Training” on MLB.com.

Jorge Alfaro – He has already been pretty much named the starting catcher for the big-league team.  He came to camp 12 pounds lighter than last year and is making a strong impression on the coaching staff.   In 25 at bats, he has 2 home runs and and has a slash line of .280/.379/.560. In his 11 games, he has also shown off his powerful arm behind the plate gaining praise from the coaching staff, especially manager Gabe Kapler who called his arm “elite, elite.”

Roman Quinn – He came into camp as an outfielder but has played some shortstop to give him some versatility and hasn’t looked bat at all.   Coming off an injury-plagued few seasons, Roman is looking to re-establish himself as a potential leadoff hitter. He started off strong but has struggled in his last few games, overall slashing .222/.417/.389 in his 18 at bats.  He has a decent chance at making the team as a utility player with the potential for much more.

J.P. Crawford – I know I’m kind of hard on him but it’s because I believe he’s much more valuable in real-life instead of fantasy baseball.  That’s not a knock on him at all. So far this spring, the potential starting shortstop is slashing a .250/.276/.321 line with no home runs and no stolen bases (with one caught stealing) in 28 at bats. I still believe he can make a solid contribution to the Major League team in the future. With Freddy Galvis shipped off to San Diego, he should be the starting Shortstop.

Dylan Cozens – So far in 23 at bats, he has 11 strikeouts for a .174/.208/.261 slash line.  He’s looked a little lost at the plate but does have 1 stolen base. He has no chance at making the big-league club this year but he would have to show better aptitude to hitting to remain on prospect lists.

Terry Bollea – A little older than other prospects at 64-years-old, the Hulkster has shown a great presence at camp.   Every player and coach have been talking to him and Charlie Manuel went out of his way to shake his hand. He could prove to be a “real American hero” if he can harness his control.


Article featured emoji image of Jorge Alfaro – courtesy of Phillies on Twitter.

Tony Bps Spina is a lifelong baseball fan hailing from the City of Brotherly Love - Philadelphia! Tony has loved baseball since 1980 and has followed the Phillies through good and bad times. Tony is married with 3 kids and works for a financial institution but has enough free time to play in 20 fantasy baseball leagues with 75% of them being Dynasty Leagues. He lives a few blocks away from Citizens Bank Park and attends many Phillies games per year in addition to their minor league teams in Lehigh Valley and Reading. He can be reached on Twitter at @TonyBps1.




Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*