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Phillies: Prospects other than Bohm, Howard to watch in spring training

By George Stockburger

TAMPA, FL - JUNE 03: Mickey Moniak (2) of the Threshers goes down the line high fiving teammates who are giving him the silent treatment upon returning to the dugout after hitting a home run during the Florida State League game between the Florida Fire Frogs and the Clearwater Threshers on June 03, 2018, at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - JUNE 03: Mickey Moniak (2) of the Threshers goes down the line high fiving teammates who are giving him the silent treatment upon returning to the dugout after hitting a home run during the Florida State League game between the Florida Fire Frogs and the Clearwater Threshers on June 03, 2018, at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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CLEARWATER, FL – OCTOBER 10: Mauricio Llovera of the FIL Phillies delivers a pitch to the plate during the Florida Instructional League (FIL) game between the FIL Blue Jays and the FIL Phillies on October 10, 2016 at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CLEARWATER, FL – OCTOBER 10: Mauricio Llovera of the FIL Phillies delivers a pitch to the plate during the Florida Instructional League (FIL) game between the FIL Blue Jays and the FIL Phillies on October 10, 2016 at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

There are more than just the two main names to watch for in Phillies spring training.

Phillies prospects Alec Bohm and Spencer Howard have been anointed as the Phillies next saviors, the same way Dom Brown, Maikel Franco, and J.P. Crawford were when they were rising through the ranks.

While the hope for Bohm and Howard are at an all-time high and they have roster spots set aside for later in the season, the Phillies can’t rest all of their hope on these two players.

While Bohm and Howard are important and they’ll be closely watched during spring training, the Phillies have more than 60 players reporting to camp, mostly young prospects and non-roster invitees.

Here are some of the prospects with less name recognition Phillies fans need to watch during spring training.

Mauricio Llovera

Ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Phillies 15th best prospect, Mauricio Llovera could find a spot in the big league bullpen with a strong start in either Reading or Lehigh Valley. He’s been used as a starter and reliever since joining the organization’s rookie ball team in 2015, but projects more as a reliever.

In 89 career appearances Llovera has a 3.45 ERA, but had a career-worst 4.55 ERA last season in Reading. He pitched in about half the innings he had the year before, but his walks were still relatively high.

While undersized, Llovera has a good fastball/slider combination and has some other pitches he’s continuing to develop.

MLB Pipeline actually compared Llovera’s potential role to Bud Norris, who is in Phillies camp as a non-roster invitee fighting for a bullpen job. Fans should, at the very least, keep an eye on Llovera in spring training with the likely chance he makes his big league debut at some point in 2020.

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