Five Phillies players to watch in spring training this year
By John Town
Tommy Joseph
After a promising rookie campaign, Tommy Joseph’s 2017 was not nearly as strong. He went from an .813 OPS, 112 wRC+, and 0.8 fWAR in 2016 to a .721 OPS, 85 wRC+, and -1.1 fWAR. With the emergence of Rhys Hoskins and the signing of Carlos Santana, Joseph looks like the odd man out this year.
General manager Matt Klentak maintains that Joseph will be able to come in and compete for the job just like everyone else. A job for Joseph is hard to imagine considering he would be a third first baseman on a team that will require versatility from all of its bench players. The odds are high that Joseph could be optioned back to Triple-A once everyone heads back up north.
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Joseph will likely need an amazing spring training to crack Philadelphia’s roster. On the other hand, a strong spring could be what piques another club’s interest to want to trade for him. Whether you want Joseph around or to be traded, a strong spring would help accomplish that.