Spring training’s final week always presents more pain than pleasure.
Orion Kerkering, Dylan Covey, Michael Rucker and Taijuan Walker start the Phillies season on the 15-day injured list. Andrew Bellatti and Jose Ruiz were the last pitching cuts to the 26-man roster, providing at least temporary joy and relief to Luis Ortiz, Yunior Marte, Connor Brogdon and Spencer Turnbull.
Kody Clemens was the last cut, period. He, David Dahl and Darick Hall are left-handed hitting insurance who will start the 2024 season in Triple-A.
But there will be no sulking when the Lehigh Valley IronPigs’ season begins Friday at Coca-Cola Park against the Worcester Red Sox. First pitch is at 6:05 p.m.
“Get it over it,” manager Anthony Contreras said during Wednesday’s team meeting. “We’re here. It’s time to get to work. Hopefully, you guys play well enough to prove that you belong up in the big leagues.”
Contreras’ club includes 16 players who appeared in a 2023 game for the IronPigs. Plus, RHP David Buchanan (2013-’16) returns to Allentown after spending the last seven years overseas. There also are 11 players who appeared in the majors last season.
Two others — Griff McGarry, Simon Muzziotti — are on the Phillies’ top-30 prospect list.
Mick Abel, the organization’s top healthy prospect, is not on the IronPigs’ season-opening roster but is expected to make a start with the club soon.
“Mick is still down in Florida trying to get his innings up to where we want them,” Contreras said. “He is not going to pitch this weekend for us, but he will be soon.”
Pitchers Kolby Allard, Michael Mercado and Nick Nelson are at Triple-A as 40-man roster options should more injuries or ineffectiveness occur at the major-league level.
Tyler Phillips is Friday’s Opening Night starter for Lehigh Valley. Allard starts Saturday and Buchanan goes on Sunday as the first three of a six-man rotation.
McGarry will be a reliever, likely expanding from short work to a piggyback/long reliever situation as he progresses.
“That’s what we’ve seen that makes him more valuable right now,” Contreras said. “Him making the changes last year and into the offseason and then into spring training, coming out as a one-, maybe a two-inning guy to start and see how that progresses from there.
“I think there definitely were some mechanical adjustments. There was a delivery adjustment he had to make and shortening up his arm stroke. Getting to move down the hill a little more efficiently. Just what I saw from him in live BPs and in the bullpen, it was like it was a different pitcher. You see his confidence raised.”
Switch-hitting Rodolfo Castro, Weston Wilson, Clemens and Hall are the IronPigs position players on the Phils’ 40-man roster. Catcher Rafael Marchan, who also is on the 40-man, was put on the Phillies’ 10-day IL with a lower back injury.
Jim Haley, who spent all of last season with the IronPigs, remains in spring training after re-signing late with the organization.
Here’s a look at the team that will take the field at Coca-Cola Park for the 17th season of the IronPigs:
2024 IronPigs
Manager: Anthony Contreras, 3rd year
Pitching coach: Ryan Buchter, 1st year
Assistant pitching coach: Tyler Higgins, 1st year
Hitting coach: Joe Thurston, 3rd year
Bench coach: Chris Adamson, 1st year
PITCHERS (13)
LHP Kolby Allard: The 26-year-old was the Braves’ first-round pick in 2015 and has spent parts of the last six seasons with the Braves and Rangers as both a starter and reliever. He started two of three games he appeared in this spring with the Phillies with a 3.18 ERA.
RHP Andrew Bellatti: Split time last season between Triple-A and Philadelphia with 27 appearances each, all in relief. He had a 5.87 ERA in nine spring games.
RHP Austin Brice: Pitched 114 games in seven seasons with four teams, most recently the Pirates in 2022. The 31-year-old spent last season in the Twins and Diamondbacks organizations. He had a 9.45 ERA in seven spring games with the Phillies.
RHP David Buchanan: The 34-year-old spent parts of 2013-16 with the IronPigs, then was in Japan for three years and Korea for four before returning to the states.
RHP Ryan Burr: The 29-year-old spent parts of four seasons with the White Sox, including a 2.45 ERA in 34 games in 2021. He had a 7.36 ERA in four spring games this year with the Phillies.
RHP Zac Houston: The 29-year-old split time last season between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the Yankees system. He was a 2016 11th-round pick of the Tigers. He was dealt March 24 from the Rays for cash.
LHP Taylor Lehman: The 28-year-old Pittsburgh native pitched in 50 games last season in the Phillies system, 37 with the IronPigs. He had a 2.08 ERA in seven games this spring with the Phils.
RHP Griff McGarry: The 24-year-old missed half of last season with an injury, then appeared in 13 games for Double-A Reading before struggling in three starts in Lehigh Valley.
RHP Tyler McKay: The 26-year-old was a 16th-round pick of the Phillies in 2018. He had a 2.60 ERA and eight saves in a combined 48 games between the Fightins and IronPigs.
RHP Michael Mercado: The 24-year-old was the Rays’ second-round pick in 2017. He is on the Phillies’ 40-man roster after splitting time last season in Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham in the Rays’ system.
RHP Nick Nelson: The 28-year-old spent most of last season in Triple-A, making only one appearance with Philadelphia. He was 7-3 with a 4.35 ERA in 20 starts for the IronPigs.
RHP Tyler Phillips: The 26-year-old New Jersey native returned last year after Tommy John surgery to post a 1.52 WHIP and 4.92 ERA between Reading and Lehigh Valley. He had a 6.23 ERA in five spring games with the Phils.
RHP Jose Ruiz: The 29-year-old free-agent signee was one of the last spring training cuts after posting a 0.90 ERA in nine games. He had a 4.43 ERA in 34 games last year with the Diamondbacks.
CATCHERS (2)
Aramis Garcia: He had an .818 OPS with 25 extra-base hits in 53 games last season with the IronPigs, the first since COVID in which he did not play in the majors.
Cody Roberts: The Orioles’ 11th-round pick in 2018 batted .214 in 72 games last season with Reading, his first out of Baltimore’s organization.
INFIELDERS (7)
Rodolfo Castro: The 24-year-old had 32 plate appearances in 14 games last season with the Phillies after coming over from the Pirates in the Bailey Falter trade.
Kody Clemens: He hit .230 in 49 games last season with the Phillies and .256 with 18 homers in 62 games with the IronPigs. He went down this spring on March 24.
Darick Hall: The first baseman posted a .941 OPS in 74 games last year with the IronPigs after returning from thumb surgery, which took away his chance to play extensively for the Phillies when Rhys Hoskins got hurt.
Scott Kingery: He’s in the last year of his contract with the Phillies. He had a .325 on-base percentage with 34 extra-base hits and 24 stolen bases in 25 tries last year in Triple-A.
Nick Podkul: The 2018 seventh-round pick of the Blue Jays was having a solid season in his first in the Phillies organization before he was hit in the face by a pitch in the second game of a July 28 doubleheader against Syracuse. He suffered multiple facial fractures and missed the rest of the season. He had a .991 OPS in 53 combined games with Reading and Lehigh Valley.
Esteban Quiroz: The 32-year-old hit .231 with 59 RBIs in 96 games last year for the IronPigs.
Weston Wilson: The 29-year-old homered in his first major-league at-bat Aug. 9. He also had a stellar season with the IronPigs, including 31 home runs, 90 runs, 86 RBIs and 75 walks.
OUTFIELDERS (5)
David Dahl: The 29-year-old who was a 2012 first-round pick of the Rockies signed a free-agent contract Feb. 19 with the Phillies. He spent parts of six seasons in the majors with Colorado, Texas and last season with San Diego. He was a 2019 All-Star with the Rockies.
Matt Kroon: The 27-year-old had a breakthrough season in 2023, hitting .381 with 13 RBIs in 15 games with the IronPigs after batting .319 with 24 doubles, 22 stolen bases and 44 RBIs in 79 games with the Fightins.
Jordan Luplow: The 30-year-old third-round pick of the Pirates in 2014 signed with the Phillies as a free agent on March 16. He spent parts of seven seasons in the majors with six teams, including 32 games last year with the Twins.
Símon Muzziotti: The 25-year-old slashed .296/.358/.404 in 124 games last year with Lehigh Valley but faded after a stellar start.
Cal Stevenson: The 27-year-old had a stellar .437 on-base percentage with 39 runs and 14 stolen bases in 56 games last year with the IronPigs.
***60-day IL: RHP Nick Snyder
Morning Call reporter Tom Housenick can be reached at 610-820-6651 or at thousenick@mcall.com
