5 Phillies players who are proving their Spring Training stats were a fluke
Spring Training records and statistics mean close to nothing. Let's get that out of the way. It's always fun to watch young prospects play and it's fun to watch Philadelphia Phillies games after going months without them, but the games themselves are completely meaningless.
Despite that, Spring Training can serve as a tiebreaker of sorts when determining the last bench spot or the final bullpen spot or two. Most roster spots are decided in the offseason, but a red-hot or ice-cold spring can indicate whether a player on the cusp makes the roster or not.
These five Phillies players had completely different preseason performances than they did when the games started to count. Good and bad, these Phillies have reminded everyone how meaningless the stat logs are when the games don’t matter.
1) Phillies outfielder Jake Cave proved his hot spring was a fluke
Jake Cave is a prime example of a player who showed just how meaningless Spring Training actually is. He was claimed off of waivers this past offseason and did not have a guaranteed roster spot, but an awesome Spring Training and some injuries won him a roster spot.
Cave slashed .462/.500/.827 with three home runs and 14 RBI in 52 spring at-bats. He tacked on four doubles and three triples while putting up an OPS of 1.327. He wasn't only the best hitter on the Phillies this past spring, he was one of the best hitters in baseball.
With no Bryce Harper, the 30-year-old was the primary left fielder through the month of April with Kyle Schwarber serving as the DH. Cave did not take advantage of that opportunity as he slashed .222/.286/.333 with one home run and nine RBI in 63 at-bats. Cave had ten more hits in Spring Training than he did in his stint with the Phillies in 11 fewer at-bats.
With the monster numbers he's putting up in the minors (1.146 OPS in 54 games), there's a good chance we see him again in some capacity this season, but his Spring Training stats proved that he's nothing more than the guy he's always been, a fringe major leaguer.
2) Phillies infielder Bryson Stott proved his cold spring was a fluke
Where would the Phillies be without Bryson Stott? On a team littered with all-star talent, especially offensively, that's not something I expected to say, but Stott's consistency has been key for a very inconsistent Phillies team.
The consistency was hard to see in Spring Training, as Stott slashed .211/.237/.368 with two home runs and four RBI. For a guy who's turned out to be a hit machine ever since Opening Day came along, seeing those spring stats is certainly surprising.
Stott has been a consistent presence in the lineup, playing in all but six games this season, and hitting at an elite clip.
Stott has had at least one hit in 65 of the 83 games he's played, including a hit in each of the first 17 games of the season. That set a Phillies record to begin a season.
Bryson Stott has a 17-game hitting streak 👏 @NBCSPhilly
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) April 18, 2023
That's a new Phillies record for longest hitting streak to start a season pic.twitter.com/Xi79xfbGnM
Overall, he's slashing .301/.338/.422 with seven home runs and 33 RBI. He's tacked on 16 stolen bases in 17 tries and has a 108 OPS+. He's been everything Phillies fans could've possibly hoped for and more.
Stott ranks sixth in the National League with 100 hits and is tied (with Nick Castellanos) for fifth in the league in batting. Watching the former first-round pick blossom right in front of our eyes has been an awesome sight.
3) Phillies pitcher Andrew Bellatti proved his hot spring was a fluke
The Phillies saw their closer Craig Kimbrel have an awesome spring, and that's translated over to the regular season for the 2023 all-star. A reliever who also had an awesome spring but has failed to see it translate to the regular season is Andrew Bellatti.
Bellatti was a key piece of the Phillies bullpen last season, posting a 3.31 ERA in 59 appearances, and after a really good spring training, it felt like he'd be right in the thick of things again.
Bellatti threw 9.2 scoreless innings this spring with 12 strikeouts and only three hits allowed. Despite six walks, he was one of the more impressive arms the Phillies used in Spring Training.
The right-hander kept the momentum going into the regular season as in his first six appearances he did not allow a run and gave up just two hits with two walks and six strikeouts. He looked like he was going to be an effective middle reliever once again for the Phillies, but some struggles that followed his hot start ended that.
Bellatti allowed six runs in 3.1 innings across his next four appearances before landing on the IL with a right triceps injury. He came back in mid-May for five outings before being sent down to AAA.
Overall, a 5.68 ERA in 15 appearances isn't going to cut it. Bellatti is back now, but as a reliever with options, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him go back and forth between Philadelphia and Leigh High Valley for the rest of the year. After being a useful arm last season and a really good Spring Training, he hasn't been the same in 2023.
4) Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker is proving his cold spring was a fluke
For a while, it looked like Taijuan Walker's spring training was going to carry over to the regular season in what's his first as a Philadelphia Phillie.
In his three spring starts, Walker allowed eight runs in 9.1 innings pitched. He allowed three home runs and walked five, looking like a shell of the pitcher who was solid for a couple of years as a Met.
That rough start carried into the regular season, as through his first six starts his ERA sat at 6.97. In his last 12 starts, he has a 2.79 ERA in 12 starts. The Phillies have gone 10-2 in those starts, and Walker has lowered his ERA to 4.02 on the season.
It hasn't been smooth sailing, but a 4.02 ERA with an upward trajectory heading into the break is solid, and with the Phillies going 13-5 in his starts, he's been a worthwhile addition. After getting crucified by Phillies fans for his poor start, Walker has earned an apology from his doubters.
This rotation has some questions, particularly at the back end, but Walker proving he wasn't a huge bust after a horrific spring has been a much-needed development for the Phillies.
5) Phillies first baseman Kody Clemens is proving his hot spring was a fluke
Despite an outstanding Spring Training, Kody Clemens did not open the season on the MLB roster. Darick Hall's injury opened a spot for him, and his hot spring made Clemens the obvious replacement.
In 19 games, Clemens slashed .319/.385/.617 with three home runs and 10 RBI. He smacked five doubles as well, and put up some gaudy numbers in just 47 at-bats.
Lacking a better option thanks to the Rhys Hoskins and Hall injuries, Clemens was starting at first base regularly against right-handed pitching. The results, despite a hot start, weren't great. He did have an .812 OPS through the month of May, but after that, Clemens showed signs of being the player he was last season with Detroit when he had a .505 OPS.
A .194 average with no home runs and a .471 OPS along with the return of Darick Hall off of the IL spelled the end of the line for Clemens who outside of a hot streak in late-May, hadn't shown he belonged at this level.
Overall, he slashed .230/.277/.367 with four home runs and 13 RBI this season. A .644 OPS especially from a first baseman is simply not good enough, and Clemens was sent down because of that. If Hall doesn't heat up in a hurry, you'd have to think first base is a spot they look to upgrade at the deadline.
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