The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the most recognizable rosters in baseball, loaded with big names like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Trea Turner. However, the players on the margins sometimes make the difference come October, as unexpected contributors can take the team over the hump.
Those players will now be even more important given Philadelphia’s quiet offseason, as their biggest moves were signing outfielder Max Kepler and reliever Jordan Romano to one-year deals. With that in mind, what are the most intriguing Phillies camp battles coming up?
Rafael Marchan vs. Garrett Stubbs
While J.T. Realmuto is the unquestioned starting catcher, the backup spot is up for grabs. Garrett Stubbs has played that role for the last three seasons, but Rafael Marchan has a chance to snatch it from him. The 25-year-old hit .294 with three homers, six RBI, and a .894 OPS across 51 at-bats last season and has no options left in his contract, meaning that another team could claim him if Philadelphia cuts him at the end of camp.
Meanwhile, Stubbs has one option left, so the club can still send him down to the minors without letting him pass through waivers. This gives Marchan an advantage, as the Phillies have more to lose by not keeping him on the Opening Day roster.
Additionally, Stubbs sports an unimpressive slash line of .222/.305/.324 with seven homers and 39 RBI across 141 games with the team. Marchan’s biggest hurdle has been his health, but he insists that he’s ready to go now, via NBC Sports’ Corey Seidman.
“My body’s in good shape,” the Venezuelan international said. “I tried in the offseason to fix everything, working out really well. Just tried to maintain my body. I go through the season, my shoulders and my back, I had a problem with my back last year. I tried to be on top of that and right now, I’m in good position.”
Marchan also had a fractured hamate bone that put him on the 60-day IL in 2023. With those injuries now behind him and a good stretch of at-bats from last season to build on, the switch-hitter simply needs to take advantage of the opportunity in front of him,
Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson also likes Marchan’s defense.
“He throws as well as anyone, catches the ball great, he can block, moves around, he’s aggressive with back-picks,” the 2009 World Series champion said. “He’s done a lot of work with J.T. and Stubby and Caleb (Cotham), our pitching group. He’s done a lot of homework, and now he calls a really good game.”
“Intelligent kid,” he continued. “He’s not a kid anymore, really intelligent person. I have full confidence in him.”
Thomson’s comments don’t guarantee anything, but it’s a good sign when the manager gushes about a player who has limited MLB experience.
Weston Wilson vs. Kody Clemens vs. Buddy Kennedy
While Kepler will undoubtedly get playing time in left field, Wilson is another high-upside option to platoon him with. The latter outfielder hit .341 with a 1.026 OPS against left-handed pitchers last season, while Kepler hit .273 with a .741 OPS. These numbers make sense, as Kepler is left-handed while Wilson is right-handed, and it’s always more beneficial for the hitter to face a pitcher with the opposite dominant hand.
Although Wilson is 30, he’s only scratched the surface of his potential with 49 big-league games under his belt thus far. The utility man is slashing .288/.375/.490 with four homers and 12 RBI over that span, which shows promise amid a small sample size.
However, Wilson must outperform Kody Clemens and Buddy Kennedy in camp to grab the team’s final bench spot. Neither of the latter has hit as well as Wilson, as Clemens sports a .200 career batting average over 370 at-bats, while Kennedy is hitting .203 over 128. Still, the 2016 No. 501 overall pick must maintain his momentum.
Luckily for Wilson, he has the organization on his side, as general manager Dave Dombrowski thinks highly of him, via Phillies Nation’s Nathan Ackerman.
“We think Wes Wilson gets sorta swept on the side,” he said. “He’s done a nice job for us when we’ve given him the opportunity, and he can play infield and outfield. One of the things that I’ve talked to Topper [Thomson] over the winter time — ideally, he would like a club with two extra infielders on it.”
The main thing working against Wilson is his contract, as he still has a minor-league option while the other two don’t. If the Clemson alum has a pristine camp, though, it may be worth letting Clemons and Kennedy go through waivers.
While these positional battles won’t occupy the main headlines, Philadelphia fans shouldn’t sleep on any high-upside backups that could help the team elevate in a competitive NL landscape.
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