The Phillies square off against the Florida State Seminoles this afternoon in an exhibition game at Bright House Field. Here's a look at Charlie Manuel's first lineup of the spring:
1. Jimmy Rollins, SS
2. Juan Piere, DH
3. Shane Victorino, CF
4. Hunter Pence, RF
5. Ty Wigginton, 3B
6. Domonic Brown, LF
7. John Mayberry Jr, 1B
8. Michael Martinez, 2B
9. Tuffy Gosewisch, C
Austin Hyatt will start on the mound. Also scheduled to pitch are Jake Diekman, Jeremy Horst, Michael Schwimer, Joe Savery, J.C. Rameriz, B.J. Rosenberg and Phillippe Aumont.
Manuel said Chase Utley and Placido Polanco will not play, nor will catchers Carlos Ruiz or Brian Schneider. Jim Thome will get at least one at-bat but will not play in the field.
Obviously, Manuel wants to get a good look at Pierre this spring. A spot on this team is his to lose during camp. Brown will also see a lot of playing time, but unless he completely wows everyone and wins the left field job outright, he'll start the season with Triple-A.
The Phillies open their Grapefruit League schedule on Saturday against the New York Yankees in a game that will be televised by Comcast and be streamed on MLB.TV.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Recent additions create competition this spring
The Phillies have made quite a few potential low-risk, high-reward additions this off-season that could help the team in 2012.
This week they added the speedy veteran outfielder Juan Pierre on a minor league deal and reliever Chad Qualls on a one-year pact.
The team has a few roster spots to fill during spring training and while Qualls is expected to join the big club, Pierre has his work cut out for him while he looks to earn one of the vacant spots.
Examining the offense, Charlie Manuel usually carries five bench players. First, the players guaranteed a spot barring injury:
C: Carlos Ruiz
1B/OF: John Mayberry Jr.
2B: Chase Utley
SS: Jimmy Rollins
3B: Placido Polanco
OF: Shane Victorino
OF: Hunter Pence
Bench: Jim Thome
Bench: Laynce Nix
Bench: Ty Wigginton
Bench: Brian Schneider
That leaves two open spots while Ryan Howard is on the DL; one on the bench and one in the outfield, assuming Mayberry gets the lion's share of the play at first base.
Michael Martinez is likely to come back, especially after Wilson Valdez was dealt away. That would leave one spot for an outfielder, and it likely could come down to Domonic Brown and Pierre.
Pierre has one thing working in his favor: Brown is unlikely to be a bench player.
Brown needs at bats to become an every day player. If he doesn't win the left field job outright in spring training, expect him to return to the minors which should open a spot for Pierre as a pinch-hitter/runner and occasional starter.
Of course, injuries could always wreak havoc on these plans, or Ruben Amaro Jr. could have something else up his sleeve.
Pitchers and Catchers report in less than three weeks!
This week they added the speedy veteran outfielder Juan Pierre on a minor league deal and reliever Chad Qualls on a one-year pact.
The team has a few roster spots to fill during spring training and while Qualls is expected to join the big club, Pierre has his work cut out for him while he looks to earn one of the vacant spots.
Examining the offense, Charlie Manuel usually carries five bench players. First, the players guaranteed a spot barring injury:
C: Carlos Ruiz
1B/OF: John Mayberry Jr.
2B: Chase Utley
SS: Jimmy Rollins
3B: Placido Polanco
OF: Shane Victorino
OF: Hunter Pence
Bench: Jim Thome
Bench: Laynce Nix
Bench: Ty Wigginton
Bench: Brian Schneider
That leaves two open spots while Ryan Howard is on the DL; one on the bench and one in the outfield, assuming Mayberry gets the lion's share of the play at first base.
Michael Martinez is likely to come back, especially after Wilson Valdez was dealt away. That would leave one spot for an outfielder, and it likely could come down to Domonic Brown and Pierre.
Pierre has one thing working in his favor: Brown is unlikely to be a bench player.
Brown needs at bats to become an every day player. If he doesn't win the left field job outright in spring training, expect him to return to the minors which should open a spot for Pierre as a pinch-hitter/runner and occasional starter.
Of course, injuries could always wreak havoc on these plans, or Ruben Amaro Jr. could have something else up his sleeve.
Pitchers and Catchers report in less than three weeks!
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