The big focus at Phillies spring training is undoubtedly going to be the so-called “Four Aces” of Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, and, of course, Joe Blanton. I hear their other starter is good too.
All the rotation hysteria aside, the Phillies do have an interesting and substantial group of non-roster invitees. As one might expect from a team completely set in the rotation, we’re talking strictly about relievers and bats here, but there are a number of guys that intrigue.
RHP Brian Bass—Bass has one MLB skill–inducing ground balls. That’s pretty much all he’s got–a 104/85 K/BB in 183 MLB innings doesn’t reflect well on him, and neither does his generic-to-a-fault sinker/slider/curve repertoire. For all his groundball ability (career 59.3%) he’s actually had trouble with homers, allowing 23 in his 183 innings. Now 29, he’s an acceptable trash-time guy/double play specialist, but nothing more.
RHP Eddie Bonine—Another 29-year-old groundball guy, Bonine almost never strikes anyone out–in his three-year career with the Tigers, he whiffed all of 54 batters in 129 innings. His biggest positive attribute is his getting ahead in the count–Bonine got first-pitch strikes on a whopping 72% of batters in 2010, the highest percentage among pitchers who threw at least 15 innings. Looking at his pitch locations on 0-0 counts, it’s easy to see why (taken from the always-lifesaving TexasLeaguers database):
This allows Bonine to be viable, since his four-pitch arsenal, headlined by a solid changeup, isn’t anything to write home about. Well, maybe it is, since one of the four pitches is an 80-mph knuckleball (yes, really), but that’s only noteworthy for its oddity, not its effectiveness. In any case, Bonine is basically a replacement-level swingman.
1B/3B Tagg Bozied—You have to root for Bozied, a longtime minor league veteran who’s overcome a ton of adversity and continues to press on. He spent all of 2010 in Double-A at age 30, but he did all he could to get noticed, hitting .315/.402/.631. He’s hit quite well at Triple-A in years past, so it’s not like that 2010 dominance came out of nowhere. In fact, he’s a career .283/.356/.502 hitter in Triple-A, and he slugged .629 there in 2004 and .569 there in 2008. The stocky Bozied makes good contact for a slugger, and the longtime first baseman put in 33 games at the hot corner in 2010 in an attempt to diversify himself defensively. He didn’t completely embarrass himself there, and Bozied also has a bit of corner outfield experience. He could be a useful lefty bat in the majors–perhaps he could take over Greg Dobbs‘ old role.
C Erik Kratz—You’d think a catcher with .200 ISO-grade power would get some playing time, but it hasn’t worked that way for Kratz, who hit .273/.337/.470 in Triple-A in 2009 and then .274/.380/.496 there in 2010. He finally broke into the majors for nine games with Pittsburgh last year, but a 4-for-34 showing didn’t impress anyone. An average defender with an average arm behind the plate, he should ultimately be able to contribute in a Kelly Shoppach sort of role. Of course, the 30-year-old Kratz is just two months younger than Shoppach, so he’d better impress the staff in his new organzation. One would think Kratz can outhit Brian Schneider, though, no? At the least, he’s an upgrade on fellow NRI Dane Sardinha as the organization’s third catcher.
4C Jeff Larish—Like Bozied, Larish is a first baseman with pop who’s attempted to learn third base and the corner outfield since his bat can’t quite carry first base. A longtime Triple-A masher, he’s never quite seemed comfortable in the majors, hitting just .224/.308/.380 with the Tigers and A’s. His patience and raw power are undeniable, but he doesn’t have quite enough of either to offset his career 33.9% strikeout rate. He’s likely the new Andy Tracy for Philadelphia.
LHP Dan Meyer—After finally reaching a tiny portion of his once-considerable potential with a solid season in 2009, Meyer promptly imploded in 2010, walking twelve batters in 9 1/3 innings and spending most of the season in Triple-A. It wasn’t for lack of stuff, as he threw harder than he ever had, but Meyer lost his command and never really got untracked. Still, he’s not far removed from success, and the 29-year-old has better stuff than most lefty relievers. He’s worth a look, although his extreme flyball tendency isn’t a good fit for Citizens Bank Park.
OF Matt Miller—Like Bozied and Larish, Miller is an accomplished Triple-A hitter, although he’s more distinguished in the contact arena than the power one. In his three Triple-A seasons, he’s hit .331, .319, and .325, and while that came in Colorado Springs, it’s still impressive. His defense isn’t thought of highly, and he doesn’t have a giant platoon split, so he tends to fall through the cracks, but Miller’s ability to rip liners all over the park shouldn’t go unnoticed.
3B Robb Quinlan—If you forgot Quinlan existed, you’re forgiven–I did too. He hit .121/.171/.182 in 36 plate appearances last year, and while he’s played for the Angels in every season from 2003-10, he’s been fading into obscurity ever since his tour de force 2006, in which he hit .321/.344/.491. Consigned to Triple-A for most of 2010, he hit a meek .258/.336/.305, and is probably done at age 34. It’s quite astonishing that a corner guy like him survived for four straight years without hitting much of anything, and it’s not like Quinlan’s defense is particularly good.
RHP Michael Schwimer—I’ve compared the 6’8″ Schwimer to fellow mega-sized reliever Jon Rauch in the past, and it makes a certain amount of sense, as Schwimer combines average-ish stuff with the weird angles his height creates to be a very solid pitcher. He was too much for Double-A hitters (58 strikeouts in 40 innings) to handle, and was also solid in Triple-A last year. The 25-year-old is the top relief prospect in the Phillies organization and could win a job with a strong camp, but will more likely be up around midseason.
2B Delwyn Young—The versatile Young is best known for homering off of Stephen Strasburg in the National hurler’s memorable big-league debut. A career .258/.317/.393 hitter, he hit .236/.286/.414 last year. Best suited as a pinch-hitter who can make the occasional spot start at second base or one of the four corner spots, the stocky Young has solid power for a middle infielder, but none of his other offensive skills are particularly interesting, and his defense at the keystone is below average. He’s more worthwhile to have around than Brian Bocock, though.