Philadelphia Phillies: Who's making the cut in 2018 and beyond?

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With many young flamethrowers in the pen, Appel’s only chance was as a starter. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images. /

With the Phillies’ roster deadline in the rearview mirror, the importance of those still on the bubble has the same informative value as those general managers Matt Klentak did not protect.

In or out:

When it comes to MLB roster rules, the difficulty includes language with two possible meanings. Therefore, a writer has one answer but one question also regarding decisions by the front office of the Philadelphia Phillies.

IN OTHER WORDS: “It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.” – James Thurber

The answer: The rules do not appear to be vague: A signed 18-year-old requires a spot on the 40-man roster after playing five seasons. The question: Does that include a one-campaign gap before taking the field or missing an entire summer due to injury?

In this article, the first part covers the “swing and miss” candidates, the second is for accurate expectations, and the last features the surprises. Regarding decisions, every franchise has reasons for their moves and gambles besides just statistics. They could be unhappy with a player’s attitude, work ethic or ability to learn from boneheaded mistakes.

Concerning Klentak, he had time limits to decide on players and promoted many up a level or two in the second half: He threw them into the deep end of the pool. Sink or swim. And this most likely determined the fate of many prospects.

My misses:

In his two seasons with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, right-hander Mark Appel, 26, had stretches of good and bad pitching but spent five of his 10 months on the disabled list. Was he getting too old to make an impact in 3-4 years?

Reliever Alberto Tirado walked his way off the 40-slot roster with 19 free passes to 8 punch outs after his advancement to the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils.

However, he was probably in the rotation of the Single-A Advanced Clearwater Threshers to improve his control with more innings. The righty struck out 58 and walked 38 at the lower level, which was enough for a chance at Double-A. That stated, management has now cut both flamethrowers acquired for Ben “Revy” Revere.

Among the most interesting developments, southpaw Elniery Garcia, almost 23, went 2-1 with a 1.75 ERA in five outings for Reading. He threw 25 frames in his first contests there. Even though lefties are a common Rule 5 selection, Garcia missed the first 80 games of 2017 due to a PED suspension.

Translation: the red pinstripes could be gambling their number 18 prospect won’t last a full 162 in the majors with another organization.

After batting .307 for the Fightin Phils but .189 for the IronPigs in 54 plate appearances, Carlos Tocci did not receive a roster spot even though he had ranked 23rd in the pipeline.

He was below average in walks, didn’t strike out a lot, or hit for power. In other words, this surprise could be missing some in-house information.

Pinto’s fastball plus his control for Lehigh Valley was enough for a roster slot. Photo by H. Martin/Getty Images. /

With his return, left-hander Zac Curtis will compete in March for a bullpen seat, but he will probably be with Lehigh Valley on Opening Day. He had a 3.51 ERA with 13 saves at Double-A when the Seattle Mariners promoted him to the major leagues. Though, he pitched 8 1/3 MLB innings with a 1.08 ERA. He only worked 3 2/3 frames with the Phillies for a 2.45 ERA.

My Hits:

Klentak advanced three relievers in ’17 for a firsthand look, and they’ll return in March to fight for one bullpen spot. Yes, right-handers Victor Arano, Yacksel Rios and even Ricardo Pinto did enough to earn the GM’s approval.

Also making the cut was portsider Ranger Suarez with Reading and righty Seranthony Dominguez with Clearwater. Both had decent stats after moving up to the next plateau in 2017.

Expected to miss all of 2018, Jesen Therrin had UCL reconstructive surgery, and the hometown nine are fairly certain he won’t be a Rule 5 pick. Basically, another club can select him and then put him on the 60-day DL, but they’d need roster space next November to keep him without knowing if he’s healthy. A risky claim!

In the minors, the right-handed reliever fired 28 2/3 innings each for the Fightin Phils and the IronPigs. He recorded a 1.26 ERA for Reading and a 1.57 ERA for Lehigh Valley. But he struggled with the red pinstripes with an 8.35 ERA for 18 1/3 frames.

MiLB relieving stats:

Arano: 32 AA Gms., 38 2/3 Inn. and a 4.19 ERA.
Rios: 13 AAA Gms., 18 1/3 Inn. and a 1.96 ERA.
Rios: 24 AA Gms., 38 Inn. and a 1.89 ERA.
Pinto: 11 AAA Gms., 20 2/3 Inn. and a 0.00 ERA.
Curtis: 41 AA Gms., 51 1/3 Inn. and a 3.51 ERA with 13 Saves.
Terrien: 18 AAA Gms., 28 2/3 Inn. and a 1.57 ERA.
Terrien: 21 AA Gms., 28 2/3 Inn. and a 1.26 ERA.

Phillies relieving stats:

Arano: 10 Gms., 10 2/3 Inn. and a 1.69 ERA.
Rios: 13 Gms., 16 1/3 Inn. and a 4.41 ERA.
Pinto: 25 Gms., 29 2/3 Inn. and a 7.89 ERA.
Curtis: 6 MLB Gms., 8 1/3 Inn. and a 1.08 ERA (including 3 Mariners games)
Terrien: 15 Gms., 18 1/3 Inn. and an 8.35 ERA.

MiLB starting stats:

Pinto: 8 AAA Gms., 40 Inn., 3-3 and a 5.85 ERA.

Florimon surprised many with his hitting. Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images. /

More hits:

Re-signed by Klentak to a minor league contract, utility man Pedro Florimon was equally comfortable in the infield and the outfield. He was batting .348 when he went down with an ankle injury on Sept. 2 after only 49 PAs.

Having the inside track against three Triple-A infielders for a bench spot, Florimon will probably come to camp as a non-roster invitee. And if he’s healthy, he will likely have the role he earned last August.

ON THE OTHER HAND: “I hate the cursed Oriole fundamentals… I’ve been doing them since 1964. I do them in my sleep. I hate spring training.” – Jim “Cakes” Palmer

Last summer, many Phillies fans believed Appel belonged in the relief corps. In other words, a demotion was one way to salvage something. But, apparently, he was going to be a starter or nothing else.

In late October, one poster at another site thought Valentin would be cut. Yet, Klentak has added two reserve infielders since August’s end and still has Valentin.

Surprises:

Recently, the exec claimed switch-hitter Engelb Vielma, 23, off the waiver wire from the San Francisco Giants. Klentak must like slick defensive infielders for inventorial purposes. That said, the youngster averaged .286 in Double-A for 119 at-bats but only .206 at Triple-A for 296 ABs.

Nola will be on the mound in Clearwater when you see the Phils again on TV. Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images. /

More surprises:

The red and white protected one pitcher with four years of playing time, but five campaigns have passed since his signing: righty Franklyn Kilome. Yes, the roster-rule answer must be five. Period.

Being the second-best hurler in the farm system, Kilome, 22, is also the seventh overall prospect. So, he’ll return to the Fightin Phils in April after going 1-3 with a 3.64 ERA for five starts. He earned a promotion there after a 6-4 mark with a 2.59 ERA for 19 outings with the Threshers.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: “It’s the fans that need spring training. You gotta get them interested. Wake them up and let them know that their season is coming, the good times are gonna roll.” – Harry Caray

Perhaps, the biggest surprise was right-hander Jose Taveras because he had advanced through three levels in ’17. He went from Clearwater through Reading to Lehigh Valley.

Taveras, 24:

Single-A+: 16 Gms., 102 Inn., 6-4 and a 2.38 ERA.
Double-A: 2 Gms., 11 1/3 Inn., 0-1 and a 3.97 ERA.
Triple-A: 7 Gms., 41 Inn., 3-1 and a 1.32 ERA.

Being another example of Klentak’s audition process, Taveras passed the test to earn a roster spot. This was the MiLB version of the GM’s second half promotions to evaluate the players and pitchers to keep. And what would you label Taveras? A sleeper!

Florimon waves thank you, not goodbye. Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images. /

The Numerical Bible:

This review is not a sabermetrics article, which means no heavy statistical analysis. But because some readers rely on stats, this is only a reference: no reason to articulate the importance of these numbers.

* In split numbers, just basic info is available.

Phillies stats:

Florimon, almost 31: 15 Gms., 49 PA, a .348 Avg., a .388 OBP, a .478 SLG, a .130 ISO, a .533 BABIP, 0 HR, 6 RBI, an .866 OPS and a 0.6 fWAR.

MiLB stats:

Valentin, 23.5: 29 AAA Gms., 104 PA, a .229 Avg., a .282 OBP, a .292 SLG, a .063 ISO, a .266 BABIP, 1 HR, 7 RBI, a .573 OPS and a -0.6 WARP.
Alvarez, 23: 54 AA Gms., 209 PA, a .247 Avg., a .321 OBP, a .382 SLG, a .134 ISO, a .328 BABIP, 4 HR, 26 RBI, a .702 OPS and a 0.2 WARP.

Vielma, 23.5:

AAA: 87 Gms., 314 PA, a .206 Avg., a .233 OBP, a .260 SLG, a .054 ISO, a .266 BABIP, 0 HR, 17 RBI, a .493 OPS and a -0.7 WARP.
AA: 34 Gms., 141 PA, a .286 Avg., a .362 OBP, a .328 SLG, a .042 ISO, a .312 BABIP, 0 HR, 18 RBI, a .690 OPS and a 0.5 WARP.

Hitting stats:

Tocci, 22:

Triple-A: 17 Gms., 54 PA, a .189 Avg., a .204 OBP, a .245 SLG, a .057 ISO, a .220 BABIP, 1 HR, 4 RBI, a .449 OPS and a -0.2 WARP.
Double-A: 113 Gms., 474 PA, a .307 Avg., a .362 OBP, a .398 SLG, a .091 ISO, a .356 BABIP, 2 HR, 48 RBI, a .760 OPS and a 2.3 WARP.

Pitching stats:

Taveras, 24:

Triple-A: 7 Gms., 41 Inn., 3-1, a 1.32 ERA, a 4.20 FIP, a 4.40 xFIP and a 1.00 WHIP.
Double-A: 2 Gms., 11 1/3 Inn., 0-1, a 3.97 ERA, a 3.84 FIP, a 3.34 xFIP and a 0.97 WHIP.
Single-A+: 16 Gms., 102 Inn., 6-4, a 2.38 ERA, a 3.99 FIP, a 3.45 xFIP and a 1.07 WHIP.

Arano, 22.5:

Phillies: 10 Gms., 10 2/3 Inn. a 1.69 ERA, a 1.85 FIP, a 3.35 xFIP, a 3.18 SIERA, a 0.3 fWAR and a 0.94 WHIP.
Double-A: 32 Gms., 38 2/3 Inn. a 4.19 ERA, a 4.54 FIP, a 3.80 xFIP and a 1.29 WHIP.

Rios, 24:

Phillies: 13 Gms., 16 1/3 Inn. a 4.41 ERA, a 5.91 FIP, a 5.13 xFIP, a 4.49 SIERA, a -0.1 fWAR and a 1.47 WHIP.
Triple-A: 13 Gms., 18 1/3 Inn. a 1.96 ERA, a 4.26 FIP, a 3.68 xFIP and a 0.76 WHIP.
Double-A: 24 Gms., 38 Inn., a 1.89 ERA, a 2.38 FIP, a 2.77 xFIP and a 0.84 WHIP.

Pinto, 23.5:

Phillies: 25 Gms., 29 2/3 Inn. a 7.89 ERA, a 6.36 FIP, a 5.39 xFIP, a 5.01 SIERA, a -0.5 fWAR and a 1.89 WHIP.
*Triple-A: 11 Gms., 20 2/3 Inn., a 0.00 ERA and a 0.58 WHIP.
*Triple-A: 8 Starts., 40 Inn., 3-3, a 5.85 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP.

Therrien, 24.5:

Phillies: 15 Gms., 18 1/3 Inn. an 8.35 ERA, a 6.92 FIP, a 5.72 xFIP, a 4.97 SIERA, a -0.3 fWAR and a 1.69 WHIP.
Triple-A: 18 Gms., 28 2/3 Inn., 2 Saves, a 1.57 ERA, a 3.06 FIP, a 3.09 xFIP and a 1.08 WHIP.
Double-A: 21 Gms., 28 2/3 Inn., 7 Saves, a 1.26 ERA, a 1.27 FIP, a 1.74 xFIP and a 0.59 WHIP.

Curtis, 24.5:

MLB: 6 Gms., 8 1/3 Inn., a 1.08 ERA, a 5.08 FIP, a 5.65 xFIP, a 4.71 SIERA, a 0.0 fWAR and a 1.08 WHIP.
Double-A: 41 Gms., 51 1/3 Inn., 13 Saves, a 3.51 ERA, a 3.20 FIP, a 3.63 xFIP and a 1.21 WHIP.

Phillies: Making the cut