Phillies sign 10 players to minor league deals with ST invite

Phillies management has signed several young players to minor league deals

Phillies spring training in Clearwater, Florida is fast approaching and the team has taken a major step towards filling out the rosters.

While several minor league deals with invitations to spring training were rumored, the club made 10 deals official on Twitter.

Pedro Beato, Pedro Florimon, Logan Moore, and Mitch Walding will return to the organization, while six more players enter the fray.

"RHP: Pedro Beato, Steve GeltzINF: Pedro Florimón, Heiker Meneses, Will Middlebrooks, Mitch WaldingC: Eric Fyer, Logan MooreC/1B/OF: Matt McBrideOF: Danny Ortiz"

Beato and Florimon each spent the majority of last season with the IronPigs but eventually made it up to Philadelphia. With utility man Andres Blanco still unsigned it appears Florimon has the inside track for the bench role.

His biggest challenger will be Will Middlebrooks, a former top prospect in the Boston Red Sox organization. Middlebrook’s signing was first reported Tuesday evening by Chris Costillo along with Geltz’s.

Moore and Walding also spend last year with Lehigh Valley, although they never joined Beato and Florimon in the majors. The Phillies drafted Moore and Walding in 2011, and each figure to start 2017 with the IronPigs. Walding hit 25 home runs last year for Lehigh Valley, but has never made the major leagues.

Heiker Meneses was signed out of Venezuela by the Red Sox as a teenager, but now 26-years-old the infielder has never reached the major leagues. With Jesmuel Valentin recovering from shoulder surgery it’s likely Meneses competes for a job in Lehigh Valley.

Next: Top five managers in Phillies history

Fyer and McBride project to be backups in Lehigh Valley, although McBride does have major league experience over parts of four seasons with Colorado and Oakland.

Playing in Lehigh Valley would be somewhat of a homecoming for McBride, who is from Bethlehem, PA.