Jeremy Hellickson, acquired this off-season in a trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks, will start the Philadelphia Phillies' first Spring Training game, according to manager Pete Mackanin.
Jeremy Hellickson will start for Phillies on Sunday vs U of Tampa, Mackanin said
— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyCSN) February 24, 2016
Does this mean that Hellickson, not Aaron Nola or Charlie Morton, is the favorite to start the team's regular season opener? It could, though it could also mean that the way his throwing schedule is set up, it made more sense for him to start in this game. It's also worth pointing out that there is over a month until the Phillies open their regular season slate against the Cincinnati Reds, so even if Hellickson is the favorite to start the first game of the regular season now, that could change.
The Phillies will square off with the University of Tampa Bay this Sunday at 1:05 p.m. at Bright House Field. The game will not be televised, though it wasn't last season and the Phillies still managed to make national headlines by losing to the Divison II school 6-2.
Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) is the Managing Editor of Philliedelphia.com, focusing on news and features.
