Phillies Announce First Three Spring Training Starters
By John Town
The Phillies announced who will start the first three games of spring training, but there are no standout names among the three.
The Phillies will open their spring training schedule Thursday in an exhibition game against the University of Tampa’s baseball team, followed by two games against the Yankees. The team announced who will start those three games, but the three aren’t particularly exciting.
Farmhand Mark Leiter Jr. will start the game against the University of Tampa. Alec Asher will start Friday against New York while Adam Morgan will take the ball Saturday.
You likely won’t see one of the team’s five projected major-league starters until Sunday when the team takes on the Blue Jays in Dunedin. Pitching coach Bob McClure said it would likely be Jeremy Hellickson.
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Leiter will lead a squad Thursday that isn’t expected to have very many regulars in it, unlike in 2016 when Odubel Herrera, Peter Bourjos, Aaron Nola, and Hellickson all made appearances in the Tampa game.
Philadelphia actually lost to the college squad in 2015, so manager Pete Mackanin did not want to repeat that mark of futility again in 2016. This year, though, he is more concerned about taking it easy on his players.
Mackanin told Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer:
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"“I might get someone in there for an at-bat, but I don’t want to take any chances against a college team. It’s too early. We have so many games and so much time left. There’s no rush for that. And it’s only seven innings. Let some of the pitchers get their work in. Get it going a little bit.”"
Asher and Morgan are both vying for a spot on the big-league team, but it will likely have to come through the bullpen because the rotation is more or less set. Morgan has the better shot as the team has just one lefty, Joely Rodriguez, projected to be in the bullpen as of now.
Asher was effective in five starts for Philadelphia last year with a 2.28 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. He missed a large part of the season due to an 80-game PED suspension.
Morgan did not perform as well, as he carried a 6.04 ERA and 2-11 record in 113.1 innings. He earned our “Cy Yuk” award as the team’s worst pitcher in 2016.
Next: Mackanin Leaning Towards Hellickson for Opener
Leiter, Philadelphia’s 22nd round pick in 2013, spent 2016 with Double-A Reading. He posted a 3.39 ERA in 23 appearances with the Fightin’ Phils to go along with a 8.16 K/9 and 2.60 BB/9.