We predict the Phillies' Opening Day roster

00:00:04
Speaker 1: Hi, this is Chase that Lee.

00:00:06
Speaker 2: It's the Phillies Show.

00:00:08
Speaker 3: Hi, everybody, Rubinamara Junior, Jim Salisbury, Todd's lucky. Today we are going to project the Phillies twenty twenty six opening day roster, and we're doing it. This episode's posting on Monday morning, and we're doing it because a week from today the Phillies play their last Grape Rud League game, and then March twenty six, just a few days later, is opening Day against the Rangers at Citizens Bank Park.

00:00:32
Speaker 1: And there are a few jobs.

00:00:35
Speaker 3: Up for discussion, up for grabs, and two of those jobs are on the bench. We've got a backup catcher, We've got the fourth bench bat, the fourth and final bench bat. And so I say we start there, Guys, what do you think this is?

00:00:53
Speaker 4: This is when things got really nervous for me. Why why it took us was very tight.

00:01:01
Speaker 5: It's funny you said that, ruben U.

00:01:03
Speaker 2: I once did a story way back when about the final week of camp and how nerve wracking it is. It was for like the twenty fifth man and I one of the people I talked to was the late great John Vukovich, who spent his whole career as the twenty fifth man. And he said, you wake up in the middle of the night seeing snakes.

00:01:25
Speaker 1: What did you see, Ruben.

00:01:26
Speaker 4: He's not right. I saw.

00:01:30
Speaker 6: I probably saw scorpions for me now, I mean, listen it. It did keep you up at night, There's no question because back then, you know, playing in Triple A is very different than it is in the Major than than Triple A back then. But I will tell you it was the difference between heaven and hell. There's no question about that. It's heaven and hell and so many things that are associated with being in the big leagues as opposed to being in Triple A. Never did you ever want to be, you know, on that train back to Triple A. But sometimes you had to grin and Barrett and I grinned and beard it a lot of times. And it's a very nerve wracking part of the part of your career, you know about it.

00:02:16
Speaker 2: One thing I think a little bit has changed from the time you played is the they turn these rosters quite often these days. Guys are up and down, you know, locally, up and down the Northeast Extension. You know, when I worked in New England, they were up and down route ninety five going to Boston. It just seems like these front offices, you know, make a lot of moves, a lot of transactions that that that roster is almost like twenty seven, twenty eight, twenty nine, thirty thirty one, thirty two spots deep. So if if you are laying awake looking at snakes this week and you are going to go to Lehigh Valley, you can't let it bring you down because you need to go there and perform, because you could be rather quickly, and if you do the job, you could stay.

00:03:03
Speaker 4: So let's go ahead. A question, no question about it.

00:03:06
Speaker 6: It's all about, uh, whether you have options, you don't have options. There's a lot of things that are associate with it, and uh outrights and that sort of thing.

00:03:15
Speaker 4: But uh, no doubt about that.

00:03:18
Speaker 6: These next uh, these next you know, six days are really frightening.

00:03:25
Speaker 3: Okay, so let's start. Let's talk bench. We're gonna start with the bench. We know ed Mundo Sosa is on the team. We know Auto Kemp is on the team. He's going to platoon in left field with Brandon Marshall. Though he has not had a great spring out of camp, has really struggled this spring.

00:03:38
Speaker 4: Wait a minute, Alert Alert Alert, Oh alert.

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Speaker 1: Wait hold on, wait, wait, Ruben, do you say alert?

00:03:44
Speaker 5: Hold on?

00:03:49
Speaker 6: I love Auto Camp and I know that he can do some damage against lefties, but he has struggle. We talked about the numbers punched out a bunch of times so far this spring. And yes, he's feeling healthy and I love the guy, and I hope he makes the ball club and gets his act together and starts swinging the bat well this night last week.

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Speaker 4: But think about this for a second.

00:04:12
Speaker 6: They do have Dylan Moore and they have Garrett Stubbs playing a couple of different positions. Now there is a scenario sure where Dylan Moore and Stubbs makes the team and they can option the other guy out until he's ready to go, meaning Auto Kemp. I don't think that's gonna happen, but if you want to, you know, there's a scenario that that can happen.

00:04:37
Speaker 4: I doubt it will. I just want to throw that little piece of information out.

00:04:41
Speaker 1: That's great stuff.

00:04:42
Speaker 2: They're very intrigued by Camp's bat, even though he has struggled this spring. If I had to wager, I'd say he probably gets there as part of a platoon with Marsh but you know, Stubbs did get out and left field today. I think carrying purely three catchers is a long shot. But I don't know if one week of camp is enough for Stubbs to prove his versatility, even though he has played the outfield in Houston in the past. So it is a fascinating little little topic here whether they could shuffle that. But all winter long, it's been pointing toward camp making making this team. And you mentioned Dylan Moore. I think he's on the team because Rob Thompson has talked about how he wants that last guy to be very versatile, and that is, you know, his calling card, Dylan morris calling card, the versatility. Moore has got an out in his contract. I think on the twenty first Dela Cruz has really swung it very well Brian Delacruz here in camp, but he doesn't have that type of versatility and he does not have an out until July, So that bench is there's still some intrigue there. We know we know so Else is going to be there because they love him and he's a he's a good player.

00:06:03
Speaker 5: He's a really good player.

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Speaker 6: He's a really good player. Maybe even a great player for his role. And Todd, what do you think about this whole?

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Speaker 5: Well?

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Speaker 3: You know, I yeah, I asked Rob Thompson just the other day because day La Cruz has had a really solid spring. You know, he played really well in winter ball, He's played really well in the Great Fru League, and so I kind of wanted just to make sure, you know, sometimes obviously opinions change. You're still thinking that last bench bat, somebody can play the infield, in the outfield, and he said, yes, that is my.

00:06:33
Speaker 1: That is my preference.

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Speaker 3: So I ad knowing like Jim just said, day La Cruz has that out not until July leads me to think that they will start him there. You know, Stubbs Marshawan backup catcher. I think we all seem to agree it's probably going to be Marshwan. You know, Stubbs has that.

00:06:50
Speaker 1: Now.

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Speaker 3: What's interesting about this is if Stubbs doesn't make the opening day roster, the Phillies would have to put him on waivers. If he's not by anybody, there's a chance he could be claimed, I guess as a backup catcher somewhere. A lot of teams need catching. But if he clears waivers by the Phillies, and the Phillies give him an outright assignment to Triple A. He has enough service time where he can elect to become a free agent, but he has this split contract where he's going to make five hundred and seventy five thousand dollars in Triple A. So if Stubbs would elect free agency, he would forfeit that contract and then he would look for another job elsewhere. And there's no guarantee that uh, you know, I say he signed with I'm just going to make up a team the Twins, for instance, they might say, well, we're not going to pay a five to seventy five in Triple A.

00:07:41
Speaker 1: We'll pay you two fifty.

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Speaker 3: Two fifty is what Zach Popp, the right handed reliever, is getting get in his split contract. So it's kind of an interesting decision that Garrett Stubbs would have to make if he got to that point. So there's something else to kind of for fans to think about when you talk about, you know, possibly losing Garrett Stubbs if he doesn't make the opening day roster.

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Speaker 6: Say, this isn't the personal stuff that people really don't understand. All that well, this young man, Garrett Stubbs, great kid, great young man, personal player, good solid catcher, but he's got to make a decision based on his family. He just had a baby, and he's a guy that has to figure out, Okay, do I stay in the organization that I really that knows me well and they know that if there's an injury, I'm gonna be the next guy probably come to.

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Speaker 4: The big leagues.

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Speaker 6: It's all based on the fact that he may not make the team, and should I continue to make the kind of money at that.

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Speaker 4: Level pro rated.

00:08:45
Speaker 6: Based on what I can do for my family? These are all really important. Or should I roll the dice and hope that my agent can hook me up in a spot that's going to be, you know, really strong for me and my family short term and long term. There's so many things to think about and a lot of personal decisions that have.

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Speaker 4: To be made under these circumstances. It's it's interesting stuff.

00:09:12
Speaker 2: Staying in an organization where the people who make decisions and the staff is familiar with you. It can be beneficial to you because.

00:09:23
Speaker 6: In the major leagues with the Phillies, why I never know, Yeah, why I signed a you know, minor league contract because I came back because I knew they knew me, and I felt like there was there was a connection there.

00:09:36
Speaker 2: They know your skill set, there's something you don't have to go prove yourself in front of a new set of eyeballs and a new analytics team. So and like I said, the way these guys use rosters, you're only a phone call away. So if he's not on the team, it may be wove him financially and you know, opportunity wise, maybe to stay here.

00:09:56
Speaker 3: Right, So we think right now it's Marshawn over Stubbs backup catcher and then probably Dylan more for that last base spot.

00:10:05
Speaker 2: Yeah, based on what Topper's been saying about versatility. Yeah, I mean, how many gloves does Dylan Moore.

00:10:10
Speaker 1: Have he's got? I talked to him the other day about this.

00:10:12
Speaker 3: He's got obviously, he's got his first baseman's met, he's got a third baseman's mit, he's got a middle infielders gloves a glove, and he's got obviously his outfielders gloves. So he carries all those positions. I asked him, I did ask him. I said, so, are you like the de facto emergency catcher goes, oh god, no, He's like he wants no part of being the emergency catcher. So I don't know who to be the emergency catcher if something happened to two guys in one game.

00:10:34
Speaker 1: But yeah, that was kind of fun.

00:10:35
Speaker 3: I was like, really, I said, I would just assume you're a twenty twenty four Gold Glover utility utility player, you'd be the emergency catcher.

00:10:42
Speaker 1: Goes, No, that's not me, So it's gonna have to be somebody else.

00:10:48
Speaker 4: That's a tough one.

00:10:49
Speaker 6: The only I guess the one thing that I would say about this whole scenario is that as a GM.

00:10:56
Speaker 4: You have to look at short term and long term scenario.

00:11:01
Speaker 6: The one way that they can keep everybody, literally keep everybody, is by having Garrett Stubbs make the team and send Dylan Moore out. I know he's got an out unless they feel like, you know, Dylan more will take a job if they want to keep.

00:11:19
Speaker 4: Everybody and keep all your assets. I don't think that's going to happen.

00:11:23
Speaker 6: Because I do believe and I and I believe in this is that as a GM, particularly with the twenty fifth or twenty sixth man nowadays, you want to allow Rob Thompson the manager, to make that decision because he's the one who's gonna be utilizing that player.

00:11:41
Speaker 3: Great point. So okay, let's you know, it's it's it's it's uh, it's Monday, and it's time for Manco and Manco Best Week.

00:11:54
Speaker 1: There's Jimmy crushing some za.

00:11:57
Speaker 5: That's an out, that's a preview of later.

00:11:59
Speaker 1: That's a that is a preview of later down in clear wat.

00:12:02
Speaker 4: I just love that artwork, man, it is just fantastic.

00:12:05
Speaker 3: That is once so Manco Manco Best Week. As you know, all season long, the first episode, every week we're gonna be talking about the Phillies' best Phillies player, play, performance, whatever we want, and this week is kind of a unanimous one.

00:12:19
Speaker 1: I feel like we're all.

00:12:20
Speaker 3: We're all on the Alec Boom bandwagon. He hit two home runs. What day was that Friday against the Orioles.

00:12:27
Speaker 2: He hit one one day and two the next day, So three and twenty, you know.

00:12:31
Speaker 3: Two days and you yeah, So, I mean, Alec Bohm has had a fantastic spring. It's been a big year for him. Rubin Jim, We've talked about it all spring long. He's coming with a great mindset. I talked to him early in camp and then Jim, you just talked to him the other day and what was what was kind of his mindset?

00:12:48
Speaker 2: Correct, great mindset. He knows he's been a human trade room for the last two years, and he don't care. He's digging in that batter's box. He's making adjustments, looking to turn and get the bat out a little bit more in front, rubin on mistake type pitches without losing that ability to hit the line drive to right center.

00:13:06
Speaker 5: I talked about the you know, the.

00:13:09
Speaker 2: Knock against him that the power is not there, but he still wants to maintain be the hitter there that he is, because he doesn't want to be a guy who punches out one hundred and fifty times while maybe adding just that ability to capitalize maybe on a middle end mistake more often. I think he's in a great mindset. I think this is the biggest year of his baseball life going into the free agency. Could you have a great year, You're gonna be a very wealthy man and the team is gonna benefit from from it. Here in twenty twenty six, and I think he's in a good spot swinging it well here in spring training. That leads me to believe that maybe the most important baseball year of his life is a good one.

00:13:49
Speaker 4: I don't disagree with any of that.

00:13:51
Speaker 6: And just to add to what you just said, Jim, you know I was really barren down on him on the defensive side of the ball lately. I mean there was a time when the ball was hit to the left side of the infield, particularly at third base, where you had some jitters right you were worried about that play was going to be executed and finalized. And I don't have that feeling at all now. I have complete trust in Alec Bohm on so many different levels. Got to give the guy a lot of credit. I know he takes a lot of heat. I know he was benched at some point. I know there's a lot to talk about him. But he's a good baseball player. And there's not a lot of free agent talent out there in the next free agent class, particularly a third base.

00:14:37
Speaker 4: Oh my word, this man could be awfully he would.

00:14:43
Speaker 2: He would not take a lot of heat if if they bat at him sixth. It's that whole thing about the cleanup spot. And he's not an ideal clean up guy. But you know that's the whole reason he takes heat. But you know, he's a pretty thick skinned guy. And you know the defensive struggles early. I always talked about it takes a young player a little bit of time to believe he can do it and believe he belongs. I think that was a big part of it with his his defense, because for so long in the minor leagues, everybody said, oh, he's you know, he's a he's a he's a first baseman disguised as a third baseman. He's not gonna stay at third base. He can't play at third, but he's gonna end up at first base. And I think that, you know, he ended up believing it a little bit, and it took him a while to, you know, believe that he belonged and can play that position. And he's really with Bobby Dickerson's help and Larry Bowa's help and the belief of the organization, he's become a good, good, hot cornerman.

00:15:33
Speaker 3: And all those guys really really root for him. They want him to have a monster, monster year. There's no doubt about it. So Alec Bohm, Hey, congratulations, you get a you get a full pie this week, dude.

00:15:45
Speaker 4: He's a full full pie, full large.

00:15:48
Speaker 1: A full large pie for Manco Manco.

00:15:51
Speaker 3: So now all right, So we're gonna continue with our opening day roster projections and these are all kind of set, but we're gonna talk Philly's rotation, and this lines us up to talk a little bit about.

00:16:00
Speaker 1: The WBC uh Our five.

00:16:02
Speaker 3: All of our World Baseball Classic coverage is brought to you by our friends at Fox one, which is live stream all your Fox favors together in one place, including all WBC games over the next few weeks, and after that the best MLB action all season long. So rotation, we know, we know what it's going to be. Christopher Sanchez, Jesus Lozardo, Aaron Nola and Yourew Painter, Taiwan Walker and Zach Wheeler not too far behind. Tell you who's in a good mood these days? It seems like Zach Wheeler's in a good mood. He's i mean through through a his first live ruben on Saturday here at bake Care Ballpark. It went well, using good spirits.

00:16:42
Speaker 2: Afterwards, I'll say he was in good spirits. He sent ice cream up to the press box.

00:16:48
Speaker 1: What No, No, it didn't get that taken to that point, Rubin.

00:16:53
Speaker 7: But he is he's yeah, but I mean he just looked like he's he in a really positive, upbeat frame of mind.

00:17:03
Speaker 3: Yeah, and he never know like if he's hiding you know, if he if he wasn't feeling great, man, he is really hiding it well because he seems to be in good spirits, like I said, just joking around, smiling, you know, it was it was funny. So he comes out in the field yesterday, Rubin, and you know, there's a lot of fans, not a lot, but there's a good amount of fans in the stands, and he gets a nice round of applause, and and then he goes out and he gets on the mount. He's warming up and I think he punched out a couple guys, right, and he got you got some cheers yeah from fans, And so then afterwards we're talking to him, Rubin, and uh, Jim afterwards goes, so, I mean, you know, he got some cheers out there, did it? Did it mean anything to you to to kind of get some some applause from the fans, And that kind of pauses He go, yeah, yeah, I guess so, and then Zach pauses and then dead pans, looks at Jim and goes, did he clap for me out there?

00:17:59
Speaker 1: Did he clap on me?

00:18:00
Speaker 4: Jim?

00:18:01
Speaker 2: I just I don't know what you said, but it was I don't know what I said, but I just kind of took it in. And that live bullpen session had the feel of an event. There were fans here, his three young kids were here with his wife, and and he just you know, he's in the bullpen, he's in full uniform, first time he saw a hitter since the fifteenth of August. It had a real event feel to it, and he just felt like, this is a guy who can't wait to get back and make up for some lost time those final two months last year and missing October. He wants to reclaim that stuff this year.

00:18:41
Speaker 6: Let's not marginalize the importance of this guys. Okay, this is one of the best pitchers, if not the best pitcher in the last five years in baseball, best starting pitcher, no disrespect to like the Terri Schoobols of the world and last five years of baseball. This guy is the best starting pitcher I think in baseball. And so if this guy is not in the rotation, is in the rotation. I mean, it makes a difference. And so happy for him. Came through a very very significant surgery, a lot of questions about the future, his own personal health, all that stuff, and the fact that he's doing well on that side of the ball makes me happy for him and his family, but also for the Philly fans.

00:19:26
Speaker 4: The progression that he's had so far, that's got to be great news for all folks involved. And it's very possible you might seehim at the end of April.

00:19:35
Speaker 3: Never yet, Yeah, no doubt so WBC. Christopher Sanchez, he's with the Dominican right now. He pitched in the quarterfinal game. He will not pitch again in the World Baseball Classic, but he is going to remain with the team through the end of the termin as far as they go. Well, by the time this runs, they will have played the United States. So Taiwan Walker just got back from Team Mexico. He pitched pretty well on you know, really economical six five innings, sixty pitches, scoreless, five scoreless innings. Aaron Nola could pitch in the championship game for Team Italy on Tuesday against either team Usa or the Dominican that is wild. That is wild. He's had a great spring. And then you've got Andrew Painter. Am I missing anybody?

00:20:26
Speaker 6: Oh?

00:20:26
Speaker 1: Jesus, Sizzardo is going to pitch on Tuesday.

00:20:28
Speaker 3: He was angling to pitch for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, but he said, hey, listen, the Phillies just kind of made this big commitment to me. I don't know if I'm going to get the up downs I need before opening day, so I'm going to hang back Harry's. He expressed disappointment, but he also understands they just gave me, you know, one hundred and thirty five million dollars. I'm going to stay in clear Water. So and then of course there's Andrew Painter in the rotation.

00:20:53
Speaker 2: Yeah, Painters looked good. And then looking at that bullpen shifting gears. Yeah, we figure there's one or wait, hold hold on, hold.

00:21:03
Speaker 1: On, just one second, hold on, I don't say one thing.

00:21:07
Speaker 6: Let me just say one thing about there thing okay for Venezuela got lit up a little bit by the old Japanese folks.

00:21:16
Speaker 4: Uh, and that was it. I thought that was interesting to watch some of that game.

00:21:20
Speaker 1: He did he did.

00:21:21
Speaker 3: So wait, hold on, now, we gotta say from the WBC through the World Series, to the World Cup, to NASCAR and IndyCar with Fox one, you get it all live. Start your seven day free trial today offers our subject to change. Download Fox one today and stream the World Baseball Classic live through Tuesday night Championship game Tuesday night. Go to foxone dot com for complete terms and conditions. Fox one is streaming now. All right, so now let's now, let's go into the bullpen.

00:21:52
Speaker 5: I'm sorry, I jumped a gun. I know you had that fancy graphic.

00:21:55
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, you know they got we gotta use these, We gotta use these great graphics here, Jims, come on, we've we've dialed it up, all right.

00:22:00
Speaker 1: So we got this.

00:22:01
Speaker 4: There's a lot of things. You can do a lot of things.

00:22:05
Speaker 3: So we got the We get the first six spots in the bullpen are lined up, locked up, and then that leaves two jobs available.

00:22:12
Speaker 1: And I should we go through the six guys that have it.

00:22:14
Speaker 3: I mean, you got Deron Brad Keller, Jose al Varado, Ryan Kirkering, Tanner Banks, Jonathan Bullen, Bowlan's the right hander that they got. And then Matt Strom deal. And the reason why we say he is a lock is because he is out of options. You're not going to trade for guy and then lose him in spring training. You're gonna give him some run. He hasn't had a great spring, but he's gonna make the team. So that has that leaves two jobs available in the bullpen.

00:22:40
Speaker 2: If not one, because I think had a really good spring. Uh, and he brings that funky lefty side arm.

00:22:48
Speaker 5: Look.

00:22:49
Speaker 2: I mean, I think he can really offer something. And you know, with a week to go in camp, I think right now he's kind of earned it. I mean, I've I've seen things change quickly in the final weeks of camp. Nineteen ninety seven, I've mentioned this before, but nineteen ninety seven, Calvin Medora was sent to Triple A in the final week of camp, and then two days before they went north, he was summoned back to big league camp because the Phillies put five pitchers on the d L. Not only was he brought back to camp, he was a nineteen d number two starter. So things can change in the final week of camp. But I kind of liked the way Backus is trending.

00:23:27
Speaker 3: Yeah, Bacus has had a really nice spring throwing strikes. It's gotten the last strikeouts. Hasn't walked a many guys. I don't know if he's might have walked one or two guys all spring, but they and they love him because he's lefty.

00:23:38
Speaker 1: He's got that arm angle.

00:23:39
Speaker 3: He gives hitters a different look that nobody, not very many pitchers in all Major League Baseball are going to give a hitter.

00:23:45
Speaker 1: And as you know, like.

00:23:46
Speaker 3: You know, that's that's that stuff is big. So I'm putting Kyle backis Ruben, you got him on there.

00:23:52
Speaker 4: Kyle's making the team. And my question is is a Ryan Kirkering had enough reps to be ready to go?

00:23:59
Speaker 1: That's that's a great question.

00:24:00
Speaker 3: So Oriyan, as we know, he's been on the he hasn't pitched the spring because he's had that Grade one strained right hamstring. He threw a live right after Wheeler did on Saturday. That was his second live. He is going to pitch in a game on Tuesday. It might not be a great free league game. It could be a minor league game over at the Carpenter Complex. The plan for Kirkering is to pitch three times before camp breaks and then Rob Thompson said today, depending on how he does hellieve it to be on the you know, in the bullpen or not.

00:24:33
Speaker 4: So yeah, either on the IL or in the bullpen.

00:24:35
Speaker 6: I mean, there's there is an argument to say, now Matt Strom probably only pitched what once last spring, and he was on the.

00:24:44
Speaker 4: Major league roster opening day. I believe may see the same sort.

00:24:49
Speaker 6: Of thing out of Ryan Kirkering, just because they know what he can bring to the table. But I mean, if he really struggles in those three outings, they might have to be thinking otherwise. I gotta believe that O'Ryan's going to be on that club, but it's certainly something to take a look at because he does they do have maneuverability with him because they can put him on the al or they can option him for a brief moment because.

00:25:15
Speaker 4: He has options and then bring him back if they want to.

00:25:19
Speaker 3: So just a thought, Yeah, that's and that's a great point. That is definitely something to keep an eye. I say Kirkering is a lock, but he does have to pitch well in those those three games before the camp breaks on March twenty third, so last that last bullpen job. If Kirkering makes it if Bacus makes it. There's a couple guys right now that are in line as Seth Johnson, Chase Shugart who they got Sugart Shugart that they got from the Oriols in the offseason. And then Zach Popp was the he's signed to a big league deal. He is out of options. Zach mccambelieve, Zach mccambley is the Rule five kid. Those are the guys that are on the forty man roster. So you always give those guys and Edges a bunch of guys that aren't on the forty man roster. But Zach Popp this spring five and the third innings, six hits, four runs, two walks, five strikeouts, shut Guart six and two thirds innings, three walks, four strikeouts, three runs, Seth Johnson seven and two thirds innings, two runs, six walks, five strikeouts. And then mcamberley's can't have somebody who's not throwing strikes.

00:26:31
Speaker 4: I'm sorry. Mccambley's numbers, Yeah, man, mccambley's.

00:26:34
Speaker 1: Mccambley's numbers.

00:26:36
Speaker 3: Six and two thirds innings, four hits, one run, five walks, four strikeouts. So he's you know, walked a few guys as well.

00:26:44
Speaker 4: So well, we also have Maxwell Zar who's down right.

00:26:48
Speaker 3: And Max Yeah, he's got an oblique so he is down, so I would expect him Max.

00:26:52
Speaker 4: Z Are probably would have been an inside track on that.

00:26:54
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think so.

00:26:56
Speaker 4: I think he would have been in the sidetrack. But now he's hurt, probably not ready to go.

00:27:00
Speaker 6: So I think unless he's healthy, If he's healthy, then he's my he's my guy.

00:27:06
Speaker 3: Yeah, and Rob basically said he probably will not he will not be ready to start the season, so you can kind of cross him off off the list right now. So of those guys, I guess, I mean, I mean, Ruben, you've been in that spot. Does it really come down to how they pitch in their final two or three appearances in the last week?

00:27:24
Speaker 1: Is it? Is it as simple as that or other factors at play?

00:27:29
Speaker 4: So there's as a combination of those things.

00:27:31
Speaker 6: Yes, they need to throw well, and I always like to assess that those last few spots, you like to assess them in the last week. We've talked about this before, because everybody's pretty close to being ready to go, and uh, you're talking about the big league lineups, especially when the WBC goes away, So great time to assess those last few guys, how nervous they are, how poised they are, whether they're gonna throw enough strikes. The other four point this is keeping as many assets as you possibly can without losing them. That's why Zach Pop may be a guy that will stay on this roster because he doesn't have uh, he does not have options, and you stand a chance to lose him if if you if he does not make the roster. So he's the last guy, he's the thirteenth guy. He's not going to pitch a lot. Maybe you keep that asset just to make sure that you keep as many bodies on the team as possible are.

00:28:34
Speaker 1: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. That makes a lot of sense. So that's our projected opening roster.

00:28:40
Speaker 5: We got it all figured out.

00:28:42
Speaker 3: I mean we really we should be hired as consultants.

00:28:46
Speaker 6: I do want to say one thing about the outfield now, Adolas Garcia has not really performed all that well. I have not seen like the you know, the solid contact that you'd like to see out Adolis Garcia. But let's go back again and talk and talk about Aaron Rowan.

00:29:05
Speaker 4: Aaron Rowan had one of the.

00:29:06
Speaker 6: Worst spring trainings I've ever seen a player have in my lifetime, and came back and really played well during that next season thirty home runs, one hundred RBIs or eighty seven whatever it was before he parlayed then into a long term contract. Sort of hoping that Adolas Garcia gets his act going. I know it's tough sometimes when you're making some adjustments, you have a new hitting coach, you're talking to a lot of different people. At some point, he's going to have to get it going. He's got the ability to do it, there's no question about it. But it's a matter of whether he whether or not he can actually get it going, and I'm sure the Phillies are hope hopefully he will well.

00:29:49
Speaker 1: So and this is just a theory.

00:29:51
Speaker 3: So I talked to him a little bit today and he did really want to dig too deep into his hitting in terms of you know what he's going through right now. But we know that he's chased a crazy amount the last two seasons, and the Phillies have really been trying to hone him in. He has walked six times this spring so far, he's only struck out twice. I wonder I wonder if he's maybe in this little caught between situation where he's just trying to like not chase so much, not to chase so much, you know, because I remember, you know, Nick Cassie's.

00:30:23
Speaker 1: Talked about this a couple times in the past.

00:30:25
Speaker 3: You know, he feels like he was so worried about not chasing, he was just trying to like not chase, not chase, not chase.

00:30:31
Speaker 1: Maybe he's you know, not barrowing the ball up as much.

00:30:35
Speaker 3: Who knows, But I just wanted to mention that he has been getting on base a lot, for whatever it's worth. Maybe there's something to that in terms of him what he's working on this spring.

00:30:43
Speaker 5: Too much thinking is enemy of good hitting.

00:30:49
Speaker 4: I don't disagree that.

00:30:51
Speaker 1: It's a great point, That's right. So guys, that was there. You go.

00:30:54
Speaker 3: So that that was our twenty or twenty six man twenty twenty six opening day roster projection A week to go. Phillies break camp next Monday, March twenty third. Opening day is Thursday, March twenty six. The Rangers, Phillies and the Seagulls are They're circling us. Ruben Hope, I'll get poot.

00:31:19
Speaker 4: On watch out watch watch out there for those worms. Guys. They're dive bomb They're dive bombing for worms.

00:31:27
Speaker 1: We're gonna run out of here, Rubin. That was fun, guys.

00:31:29
Speaker 3: Philly Show will be back later this week, smelling only to Ruben Smelling Jimmy. The Philly Show is brought to you by the Foul Territory Network.

00:31:39
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