Roster spots are thin on the Phillies and more prospects are being moved
While all predictable moves, the impact of moving prospects out of the major league camp to the minor league complex is greater than a simple swoop of the pen.
After reassigning Scott Kingery, Rhys Hoskins, and Dylan Cozens among others over the course of the past couple of days the Phillies announced more roster moves to get closer to 25-men on the major league roster.
Pitching prospects Mark Appel, Nick Pivetta, and Ricardo Pinto were each reassigned to minor league camp on Tuesday.
Neither came into spring training with a legitimate shot of making the club out of spring training, but we learned a lot about these three pitchers during their time at Spectrum Field.
#Phillies have optioned RHP’s Mark Appel, Ricardo Pinto & Nick Pivetta to minor league camp.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 14, 2017
Pinto appeared in three games for the Phillies in Spring Training, allowing zero runs and striking out three.
Appel, a former first-overall pick, who was acquired in the Ken Giles trade with Houston, appeared in four games. Through nine innings Appel struck out 10 opponents while showing good life on his pitches. Control still appears to be an issue for the 25-year-old allowing five runs and four walks in his nine innings of work.
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Pivetta, currently pitching for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic, showed a lot of promise in three appearances, one of them being a start. The former Nationals prospect finished his three outings with a 2.25 ERA and seven strikeouts through eight innings.
With pitching depth being an emphasis within the organization it’s good to know Pivetta is on the right track, and Appel is improving after a rocky start to his career.