Phillies Spring Training Notes: Early Rotation, Herrera Injured, Lidge, Top Prospects List

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

Even with the Philadelphia Phillies "willing to walk away" from new San Diego Padres 3B Manny Machado, while remaining in the hunt for Bryce Harper, the club has Grapefruit League action to prepare for ahead of the 2019 season. The Opener is set for Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays, and the club has already set their rotation for at least the first five spring training games, some of which could be without their starting center fielder from the 2018 season due to injury.

Early Rotation

On Tuesday, manager Gabe Kapler announced the Phillies' starting pitchers for their first five Grapefruit League games, all starting at 1:05 p.m.:

• Friday at TB: Cole Irvin
• Saturday vs. PIT: Enyel De Los Santos
• Sunday at DET: Drew Anderson
• Monday vs. DET: JoJo Romero
• Tuesday at NY: Ranger Suarez

Herrera Injured

Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera slightly tweaked his left hamstring "a few days before camp started" and again on Wednesday running first to third, according to Philly.com's Scott Lauber and the Athletic's Meghan Montemurro. He left camp on Wednesday with his left leg wrapped. The club has not decided "whether to repeat the MRI that was taken and came back clean after the initial injury," Lauber notes.

Brad Lidge: Phillies Did Not Miss Out on Machado, Good With or Without Harper

World Series champion closer Brad Lidge chimed in on Machado reportedly agreeing to a 10-year, $300 million deal with the Padres on Tuesday. The former Phillies pitcher recently joined CBS Radio, and said:

“Giving Manny Machado 10 years, $300 million – I applaud the Padres, but I don’t think any other team in baseball was valuing (him) at that price. So for the Phillies to not have to go there, I don’t think they’ve missed out on him. I think they made a smart move and didn’t go that crazy for Manny. That was smart. The fans need to understand that.

Lidge later said there are "other ways" for the Phillies to improve if they miss out on Harper:

“They might be able to be just as good. Look at the talent they’ve landed there offensively this offseason. They’ve gotten a lot better already, and they could have a super bullpen next year if they got [Craig] Kimbrel. They’ve already got David Robertson. Obviously [Jean] Segura, [Andrew] McCutchen came over there. So yes, it would be great for them to land Bryce – they certainly could use a great, dangerous left-handed hitter – but there are other ways for the Phillies to get a lot better still, even if they miss out on Bryce. 

Now that being said, I don’t know if the fans are going to see it that way. I think the fans are going to say it’s ‘Bryce-or-bust’ on this offseason. Even if the Phillies get McCutchen, Segura, David Robertson, Dallas Keuchel, Craig Kimbrel – even if they get all five of those guys – I still think the fans are going to be sore that they didn’t land Bryce Harper.”

Bohm Tops Phillies' MLB Pipeline Top 30 Prospects List

A new Phillies Top 30 prospects list has been unveiled by MLB Pipeline. Third baseman Alec Bohm tops the list, followed by RHP Adonis Medina, OF Adam Haseley, SS Luis Garcia, RHP Spencer Howard, RHP Enyel De Los Santos, LHP  JoJo Romero, RHP Francisco Morales, OF Mickey Moniak and LHP Ranger Suarez, and 20 others. The Phillies' list has 29 homegrown players, including 15 international signees, according to MLB Pipeline:

• International: 15, MLB Draft: 14, Trade: 1
• MLB ETA:
  • 2019: 7
  • 2020: 8
  • 2021: 7
  • 2022: 7
  • 2023: 1
• Positions:
  • C: 2
  • 1B: 0
  • 2B: 1
  • 3B: 1
  • SS: 3
  • OF: 5
  • RHP: 10
  • LHP: 8

Former Phillies Update

Former Phillies RHP Wayne Gomes will be inducted into the Norfolk Tides' Tidewater Baseball Shrine at Harbor Park before their game on August 9. The Shrine recognizes "players and executives who have significantly contributed to the game of baseball in the Tidewater area." The Phillies selected Gomes fourth overall in the 1993 amateur draft; Gomes went 27-21 with a 4.42 ERA spanning 288 relief appearances in red pinstripes from 1997 to 2001. Gomes will be honored alongside longtime New York Mets third baseman David Wright, among others. The Hampton, Virginia, native now runs a baseball academy in his hometown, and helps develop and promote youth baseball programs.

Hardly a former Phillie, but a former Phillie nonetheless. The club selected shortstop Drew Jackson in the Rule 5 draft this past December from the Los Angeles Dodgers, but traded him shortly after to the Baltimore Orioles for international slot money. Jackson recently told MASN that it was a "very weird day."

"I saw that I was with the Phillies, and then 20 minutes later Mike Elias called and was like, ‘Oh, you’re actually with the Orioles. We traded for you.’ So, yeah, that was like in the span of an hour or so. Yeah, crazy hour for sure.”"

Southpaw Aaron Loup recently signed a one-year deal with the San Diego Padres worth $1.4 million, along with a $2 million option for 2020 with a $200,000 buyout. Loup can also earn up to an additional $800,000 in incentives based on games pitched, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale. The Phillies acquired Loup on July 31 for minor-league RHP Jacob Waguespack. Loup appeared in just nine games with the Phillies due to injury (4.50 ERA, 1.250 WHIP, 2 SO, BB, 4 IP).

Outfielder Ben Revere recently agreed to a minor-league contract with an invitation to big-league with the Texas Rangers. Revere will compete for a backup job to "complement" Delino DeShields in center field, notes The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. Revere slashed .303/.331/.363 in 335 games with the Phillies, in parts of three seasons from 2013 to 2015.

Retired catcher Lou Marson, once traded to the Cleveland Indians as part of the Phillies' Cliff Lee acquisition, was named Saturday as the Salt Lake Bees' 11th-ever manager. The Bees are the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels.