"ONLY YOU: “They broke it to me gently. The manager came up to me before a game and told me they didn’t allow visitors in the clubhouse.” – Bob “Mr. Baseball” Uecker"
Among 2017’s surprises, outfielder Carlos Tocci hit .307 at Reading for his best summer since his .321 average in 2015 with the Single-A Lakewood BlueClaws. Yet even though he struggled through just 17 games after earning a mid-August promotion to the IronPigs, he’ll be in their outfield for 2018. And he’ll probably spend the entire campaign there even if the red pinstripes have an opening.
Limited to only five starts due to an 80-game PED suspension, portsider Elniery Garcia had success with the Fightin Phils upon his return. Meanwhile, Seranthony Dominguez and Suarez will probably require more seasoning at Clearwater for at least the first half. But both must improve before advancing to Double-A.
MiLB Starters:
- Garcia: 5 AA Gms., 25 2/3 Inn., 2-1 and a 1.75 ERA.
- Garcia for 2016: 20 A+ Gms., 117 2/3 Inn., 12-4 and a 2.68 ERA.
- Dominguez: 15 A+ Gms., 62 1/3 Inn., 4-4 and a 3.61 ERA.
- Dominguez for 2016: 10 A Gms., 48 1 /3 Inn., 5-2 and a 2.42 ERA.
- Suarez: 8 A+ Gms., 37 2/3 Inn., 2-4 and a 3.82 ERA.
- Suarez: 14 A Gms., 85 Inn., 6-2 and a 1.59 ERA.
According to MLB.com, these seven prospects are in the Phllies’ top 30: Suarez, 14; Garcia, 18; Anderson, 22; Tocci, 23; Alvarez, 25; Arano, 26; and Dominguez, 28.
One additional consideration: If Klentak can re-sign Florimon to a minor league commitment with a non-roster invitation to spring training, he could protect another player from the draft until April: Pinto.
If you’re reading this paragraph, you now realize the difficulty involved in leaving two or three players off the 40-man roster. Firstly, Klentak will probably risk losing Therrien in the Rule 5 Draft because he will likely miss ’18. Yes, a claiming franchise could stash him on the 60-day disabled list, but a year from now he will need a spot on their overall 40 before proving he’s healthy. So, who could the other one be besides Pinto without a chair when the music stops? Curtis.