3 Phillies players who have no business being on the 2023 playoff roster
The Phillies are better off without these three players being on their postseason roster.
The Philadelphia Phillies have punched their ticket to the 2023 postseason and have a date with the Marlins in the Wild Card round at Citizens Bank Park. Miami dealing with the injuries they're dealing with while having nowhere near the talent Philadelphia has when healthy makes the Phillies a heavy favorite heading into the series.
While the Phillies should be able to take care of business against that division rival, the rest of the National League bracket is a tough one to navigate. Teams like the Braves, Dodgers, and Brewers all finished with better records than the Phillies and would have home field.
We've seen the Phillies make an unlikely run before, and could easily see them do it again. Most of the postseason roster is likely set at this point, but there are three players who are currently on the active roster who should not be on the postseason roster. Nick Nelson is another one, but he's rather obvious.
Phillies player who has no business being on the postseason roster: Cristian Pache
Cristian Pache was at one point in time, a top prospect in the Braves system who was the headliner in the deal that brought the Braves Matt Olson prior to the 2022 season. His stock depleted so much to the point where the A's opted to DFA the young outfielder after Spring Training. Yes, the 50-112 Athletics had no room for Cristian Pache.
The Phillies claimed Pache and he started to show flashes of why he was so highly touted. He played excellent defense (as he always has) but shined with the bat as well. He had a .957 OPS in his first 49 at-bats with the Phillies, primarily serving as a lefty killer. He missed the entire month of May during that span due to injury, but had seemingly played his way into a very real role as a starter against lefties and a defensive replacement late in games.
Pache unfortunately landed on the IL once again in July and didn't return until September. We all know about the emergence of Johan Rojas in the months between, so Pache is without a real role now. He's gotten to play a bit down the stretch with the Phillies having locked up postseason positioning early, but he has just four hits in 35 at-bats since returning.
Weston Wilson hasn't played much, but he's more formidable of a hitter and the Phillies really don't need Pache's defense or speed with Rojas and Brandon Marsh in the outfield. Pache is worth holding onto past this season and could be a fine replacement option in the event of an injury, but he shouldn't have a spot on the initial roster.
Phillies player who has no business being on the postseason roster: Michael Lorenzen
Hot take? Maybe. The Phillies gave up a highly-touted prospect of their own to land Michael Lorenzen at the trade deadline from the Tigers, but the deal hasn't worked out the way Dave Dombrowski envisioned it might have.
Lorenzen's Phillies tenure got off to an auspicious beginning with a dominant start in Miami and he followed that up with a no-hitter in his home debut. Things took a huge turn downhill from there, to the point where the right-hander was moved to the bullpen.
Outside of his first outing in relief Lorenzen has been fine in the bullpen, but when exactly would he be used? Cristopher Sanchez has pitched so well to the point where he has to be the primary long reliever. Craig Kimbrel, Jeff Hoffman, Seranthony Dominguez, and even Orion Kerkering are all right-handers who I'd assume would have a larger role than Lorenzen.
There's a very good chance Lorenzen finds his way on the postseason roster. He was an all-star with Detroit this season and has the track record of being a solid pitcher. I just don't believe he's earned it, or that he'll be much of a factor in the postseason.
Phillies player who has no business being on the postseason roster: Jake Cave
Jake Cave, like Lorenzen, is a player who likely will make the postseason roster. He's spent a large portion of the season on the team and has been on the roster the entire second half. Still, carving a role for him to play at all is challenging.
The 30-year-old had just a .620 OPS in 184 MLB at-bats this season. To make matters worse, he had just six hits in his final 46 at-bats to wrap up the season from September 1 on. That is, of course, not great.
Cave does provide a left-handed bat off the bench that the Phillies lack, but who exactly is he pinch hitting for? I'd trust Johan Rojas against any righty over Cave at this point. He also provides some defensive flexibility with the ability to play all three outfield positions and first base. I just don't see when he'd be needed in the field.
The team won't do this, and I don't blame them because of how awful he looked in his MLB at-bats this season, but Darick Hall has an .866 OPS for AAA Leigh-High Valley this season and has a .939 OPS since he was sent back down in July. With how hot he's been, I absolutely believe he's a more formidible bench bat than Cave.
Neither player would be used often so it isn't a big deal, but Cave hasn't come close to earning the spot he will likely have on the 2023 Phillies postseason roster.