Who hits cleanup? Who closes? 4 questions for Philadelphia Phillies before Opening Day
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Opening Day is two weeks away for the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that is preparing for a 162-game grind and looking for their second World Series appearance in three years.
The Phillies are in win-now mode with a roster that's one of the best in baseball.
Even with a loaded roster, there are still some questions the Phillies need to answer in the final weeks of spring training.
Some of these will be settled over the year, but the Phillies are already working on these things as the regular season draws near.
1. Who gets the final bench spot?
This battle is essentially down to Jake Cave and David Dahl, as the Phillies do need a left-handed bat off the bench.
Johan Rojas is on track to be the opening-day center fielder, which clears the path for Cristian Pache to not make the 26-man roster as the Phillies don't need another right-handed-hitting outfielder off the bench with the same skill set as Rojas.
That leaves Cave and Dahl. The Phillies guaranteed Cave $1 million this offseason while Dahl is on a minor-league deal. Neither could make the opening-day roster, as the organization could just seek outside help to find that left-handed bat. This might not be set in stone until Opening Day.
2. Who's the closer?
Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies' president of baseball operations, doesn't like to label things, especially closer. The Phillies typically designate the "hot hand" as the closer, letting that role play out during the season. The closer role is also based on matchups.
José Alvarado is the frontrunner for the role, with Seranthony Dominguez and Jeff Hoffman also in line to get opportunities pending on the matchup.
Gregory Soto was an All-Star closer with the Detroit Tigers and could also get opportunities pending on Alvarado's innings and health (both are left-handers).
Orion Kerkering will be eased along in the bullpen and his role early on, but he might get a save opportunity as he develops.
The Phillies essentially have five relievers that could seize this job in 2024.
3. Who's the cleanup hitter?
The Phillies have teased their Opening Day lineup with the season opener two weeks away, and the first three spots are set in stone. Kyle Schwarber is the leadoff hitter, while Trea Turner will bat second and Bryce Harper third.
There are multiple options to bat cleanup. Nick Castellanos hit fourth 80 times last season and Harper batted cleanup 40 times. Alec Bohm batted cleanup 20 times and J.T. Realmuto had eight games batting fourth.
Based on the lineup on March 13, which was an Opening Day preview of sorts, Realmuto was hitting cleanup. Bohm was sixth and Castellanos was seventh. This is likely the best combination when every player is healthy, but manager Rob Thomson likes to switch things up depending on the starting pitcher.
Realmuto should get the bulk of the at-bats at cleanup, but Bohm was hitting fourth throughout the postseason.
Depending how Castellanos hits, he could seize control of the cleanup spot as well.
4. Who gets the final bullpen spot?
This will be the hardest roster decision for Thomson and the Phillies' front office. Yunior Marte is ahead of Michael Rucker and Connor Brogdon for one of the two open bullpen spots, a battle that is still sorting itself out.
What about a long reliever? Dylan Covey is currently monitoring a shoulder injury, opening an opportunity for José Ruiz, Rucker and Spencer Turnbull.
Ruiz has pitched well this spring and logged 170 innings over the past three seasons. He fits the role of a "mop-up" reliever designed to eat innings when the Phillies have big leads or face large deficits.
Turnbull adds excellent starting rotation depth and can stretch himself out in the minors if he wants to accept that option. The Phillies have been looking for starting pitching depth and Turnbull fits that role to join the rotation if a starter gets injured.
Rucker can still pitch his way into an opening-day roster spot, though he hasn't pitched since March 1 because of numbness in his right middle finger.
There's still plenty of time to decide who gets the final spot on the 26-man roster.