Phillies early spring training arrivals already getting to work in Clearwater
By Matt Dargan
The first hint of baseball has arrived as a small but growing group of Philadelphia Phillies pitchers and catchers have arrived for voluntary workouts in Clearwater, Florida. With eight days remaining before the first wave of players are required to officially report, the recent images of bullpen sessions and names of early arrivals are welcome news for Phillies fans ready to turn the page from winter.
According to Phillies Baseball Fan's recent blog post, early arrivals to camp include J.T. Realmuto, Aaron Nola, José Alvarado, Matt Strahm, Jeff Hoffman, Orion Kerkering, Nick Nelson, Rafael Marchán, and non-roster invitees Tyler Phillips and William Simoneit.
New early arrivals as eyeballed by @s_m_potter: Marchan, Hoffman and William Simoneit (non-roster invitee). They join Nola, Tyler Phillips (non-roster invitee), Strahm, Nelson, Kerkering, JT and Alvy, some of whom have been in Clearwooder a few weeks.
— Phillies Lifer (@CallisonGhost) February 5, 2024
The most noteworthy news from camp so far is images of Aaron Nola throwing a bullpen session under the watchful eye of manager Rob Thomson and pitching coach Caleb Cotham. Seeing Nola, fresh off of signing a $172 million, seven-year free agent contract to stay with the Phillies, in camp early to get in work is a welcome sign that team veterans are all business and ready to get started heading into the 2024 season.
When will Phillies spring training officially start?
Pitchers and catchers are required to report to major league camps between Feb. 13 and 15 (except for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, who start earlier). The Phillies will hold their first official workout on Feb .14. Position players have until Feb. 19 to report when full squad workouts will begin. With many core players and non-roster invitees often arriving early, it won't be a surprise to see position players taking batting practice and participating in fielding drills within the next week.
The Phillies will play their first spring training game on Feb. 24 when they face off against the Toronto Blue Jays on the road in Dunedin, Florida. The Phillies will kick off the regular season at home on March 28 when they take on the division rival Atlanta Braves.
Here's the full spring training TV schedule and how to watch the Phillies' home Grapefruit League games.
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