Odds of Top Philadelphia Phillies Prospects Making 2014 Opening Day Roster
January 10, 2014 by Alec Snyder
Filed under Fan News
With spring training just around the corner as pitchers and catchers report by Feb. 13, baseball’s offseason talk moves from transactions and the Hall of Fame to the new season ahead.
Along with that transition comes the discussion of who will make teams’ rosters out of spring training, and while that sometimes can be almost set before a baseball is thrown, it’s rarely the case.
For the Philadelphia Phillies, that possibility is probably more true than false, although there are still some openings to be determined. The bullpen is still shaky, the rotation’s fourth member has yet to be officially named and third base remains a tossup.
While there are incumbents at each of those positions who could handle the starting duties, surprise runs of dominance in spring training could change each incumbent’s status.
On Jan. 8, Matt Gelb of Philly.com reported that Phillies top prospects Maikel Franco and Jesse Biddle would be invited to big league camp, which is generally a sign that those players will surface in the majors at some point in 2014. The only question is when that will happen during the season. If they play their cards right, like some of the Phillies’ other top prospects, they stand a better chance at defying the odds and cracking the Opening Day roster.
However, this slideshow only covers those prospects who have a legitimate shot at making the Phillies’ roster to start the season. Prospects at levels such as Single-A will not be considered. In addition, in includes those prospects who have yet to make their major league debuts, meaning that players such as Ethan Martin and Cesar Hernandez will be excluded.
Here are the Phillies’ top prospects’ odds of doing just that.
*All prospect rankings courtesy of Baseball America’s 2014 Top 10 Phillies Prospects list.