Phillies Looking For Hidden Gems At Spring Training
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There’s always a surprise or two by the time spring training concludes.
You just never know.
The Philadelphia Phillies have invited 21 non-roster invitees to Clearwater to join the competition. Young pitchers like Andrew Painter, Mick Abel and Griff McGarry are expected to perform well with a shot at earning a spot on the Phillies at some point.
Then there are 18 others who will be given a chance. Is it a longshot? Of course.
A left-hander like Ben Bowden, a second-round pick by the Colorado Rockies in the 2016 draft, could be a surprise.
Right-hander Louis Head, who has a 4.10 ERA in 55 career Major League games, could be a contributor.
Infielder Weston Wilson, 28, has been productive at the Triple-A level and hit 16 home runs in 2021. If Wilson gets hot this spring, it could make manager Rob Thomson’s decision making more difficult.
"There's quite a few candidates, really," Thomson recently told reporters about the upcoming competition at spring training. "There's Bailey Falter, (Cristopher) Sánchez, Painter, McGarry -- there's a whole bunch of guys. We just have to see what happens during Spring Training. See how they perform; they've got to stay healthy. We'll figure it out by the end."
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