The deadline for Major League Baseball teams to release their 60-man player pools was supposed to be Sunday at 4 PM. Apparently, the Phillies didn’t get that message as they were about 6 hours late with their roster.
There, naturally, were a few surprises.
The first and foremost being that the Phillies elected to only put 53 players on the roster. That decision makes absolutely no sense. The 60-man player pool as designates in which players can be traded. Seven out of the Phillies’ top-10 prospects, according to MLB.com, were not put on the roster.
In fact, those 7 prospects would’ve filled the Phillies 60-man player pool. Trading could be difficult for the Phillies in 2020.
The best surprise came in the form of an omission from the pool.
Odubel Herrera will not play for the Phillies in 2020…most likely. The Phillies can still add players to the pool and add and drop players. The fact that he wasn’t initially listed shows what the Phillies think of him.
Outfielders Kyle Garlick, Mikie Mahtook, and Nick Martini were selected over him. Hopefully, the Phillies realized that they don’t need a domestic abuser to succeed.
Another surprise is that the Phillies only selected 3 catchers; J.T. Realmuto, Andrew Knapp, and Deivy Grullon. Grullon will no doubt be a permanent part of the Phillies Taxi Squad. The Phillies #7 prospect, Rafael Marchan would’ve been a perfect option to add to the pool. He impressed Joe Girardi in Spring Training and had 3 hits in 6 at-bats.
One disappointing surprise is the exclusion of Mickey Moniak. The former #1 overall pick seemed to find some power last year. He hit 28 doubles, 13 triples, and 11 home runs at AA Reading. While he can still be added, his exclusion speaks volumes.
There aren’t really any other surprises. The pool includes a lot of minor league free agents that we saw in Spring Training a la Reggie McClain, Logan Forsythe, Phil Gosselin, etc.
Those 7 open spots are sure to be filled and other changes will surely occur. Let’s see if this is the roster that finally gets the Phillies back to the playoffs.
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
