The Phillies Crowded Pitching Situation

The Phillies have 37 pitchers in major league camp today. There are five rotation spots and seven relief spots, most likely, on this team. Quite clearly many of the 37 pitchers in camp are not contending for spots. Even if you count AAA Lehigh Valley into this math, there's still many more pitchers than spots.

You can count some guys out at the start. Jake Thompson, Zach Eflin, and Mark Appel are bound for the AA or AAA rotation if all goes well this Spring. Similarly, Edubray Ramos and Jimmy Cordero are ticketed for AA or AAA in back-end bullpen roles. The chances for Alec Asher, David Buchanan, and Severino Gonzalez are fairly slim as well, meaning all three of them are ticketed for the minors (or release). Youngster Nick Fanti is just up for the day, and Greg Burke, Frank Herrmann, Gregory Infante, Bobby LaFromboise, Chris LeRoux, and Reinier Roibal are all competing for minor league jobs. That eliminates 15 pitchers from consideration, taking us down to 22 competing for 15 spots.

Once you've cut down to that, there are five starting jobs, and seven real contenders for them. You can write Aaron Nola, Jeremy Hellickson, Jerad Eickhoff, and Charlie Morton in ink, if they are healthy, to start the season. That leave just three guys competing for one spot. Vincent Velasquez, Brett Oberholtzer, and Adam Morgan. Velasquez seems to be the preferred winner in this fight, but Morgan through decently well last year, and Oberholtzer both threw well last year and is out of options.

Then you get into the crowded bullpen situation. There are roughly 17 pitchers in competition for that. Returnees Luis Garcia, Elvis Araujo, and Jeanmar Gomez are joined by 2014 returnee Mario Hollands, while part-time call-ups Dalier Hinojosa, Hector Neris, and Colton Murray are all back in camp. Velasquez and Oberholtzer are both being considered here as well, as is Rule 5 Pick Daniel Stumpf, new-signee David Hernandez, and Michael Mariot, all from the 40 man roster. James Russell, Yoervis Medina, Edward Mujica, Ernesto Frieri, and Andrew Bailey are in camp as non-roster invitees competing for spots.

My early guess has Nola, Hellickson, Eickhoff, Morton, and Velasquez in the rotation. I have Hernandez, Garcia, Araujo, Gomez, Oberholtzer, Hollands, and Bailey breaking camp in the bullpen, if all are healthy.

So why carry all these guys to camp? For one, you have to fill a AAA squad as well. Secondly, you have to get through the exhibition schedule, and these guys can't be throwing seven innings yet. Couple the exhibition schedule with the chances of failure or injury, and it's smart to carry a lot of arms. Did the Phillies perhaps bring too many to camp? Sure. Even so, that's a lot better than not having enough.