BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Matt Klentak’s biggest challenge since taking over as Phillies general manager has been learning about his players.
From the big-league level to the lowest rung of the minor leagues, the Phillies have over 200 players in their organization, so he faces a task that is daunting and time-consuming.
Sure, Klentak knows about Maikel Franco’s potential, Ken Giles’ dominance at the back end of the bullpen and Ryan Howard’s rise and decline as a player. He was previously a front office man in Anaheim and Baltimore and front office men make it their business to know other teams’ big-league rosters. He knows quite a bit about Aaron Nola because the Angels had gathered intelligence on the LSU right-hander before the 2014 draft. The Phillies selected Nola seventh overall, eight spots ahead of the Angels’ pick.
It’s the next wave of players, the minor leaguers, especially those at the upper levels of the system, that Klentak must familiarize himself with. The process has already begun. He spoke with scouts, minor-league managers and instructors during the team’s organization meetings two weeks ago in Clearwater. (The staff went over every player in the organization.) He has read scouting reports and watched video.
But there’s no better way to get to know a player than watching him in person.
That’s why Klentak looks forward to mid-February when he can get to Clearwater and see the scouting reports and videos come to life, when he can see J.P. Crawford glide across the bag while turning two, when he can see Nick Williams pepper the gap with line drives and Jake Thompson fill the strike zone with fastballs.
“There's nothing like actually getting down behind the cage and watching them take swings or watching them pick up ground balls,” Klentak said on Day 2 of the general managers meetings Tuesday. “I’m absolutely looking forward to that.”
MLB
Crawford, Williams and Thompson are the Phillies’ top three prospects, according to Baseball America. The Phillies do not have to protect any of the three on their 40-man roster this offseason so it's not a sure-thing they will be in big-league camp in February. But extending them invites might make some sense. All three shined at the Double A level in 2015 and line up to get to Triple A at some point in 2016, possibly in April.
In addition, the Phillies could extend invites to big-league camp to pitcher Zach Eflin and catcher Andrew Knapp, who won the Paul Owens Award as the organization’s top minor-league player in 2015. The Phils do not have to protect Eflin or Knapp, either, but a trip to big-league camp can provide valuable experience to a prospect while giving the big-league staff and front office a chance to see them up-close.
Klentak said he has not yet had conversations with manager Pete Mackanin about which prospects will be invited to camp, but he did acknowledge the value in bringing highly-regarded, upper-level prospects in for a look-see.
“I think as a general rule, if there is a player that has a reasonable chance to impact your major league club in the upcoming season, having that player around the big league club, around the big league staff in spring training tends to be good,” Klentak said. “That doesn’t mean you’ll do it every time. Sometimes you might have a good reason to not invite a guy to camp. But I think as a general rule, if you’re that close, and there’s a reasonable expectation of being in the big leagues, that’s probably someone you should at least consider bringing to camp.”
Last winter, Phillies management knew Nola would probably get to the majors sometime in 2015, as he did. Yet, team officials decided against inviting him to big-league camp because they wanted him to go through his first minor-league camp. He did make a cameo appearance against the Yankees in big-league camp.
Every one of the aforementioned prospects has been through their first minor-league spring training camps, Williams and Thompson with the Rangers; Crawford, Eflin and Knapp with the Phillies. Williams and Thompson joined the Phillies in the Cole Hamels trade. Catcher Jorge Alfaro was also in that trade. He will be in big-league camp because he’s already on the 40-man roster.
Crawford, who doesn’t turn 21 until January, hit .265 with five homers, 34 RBIs and a .354 on-base percentage in 86 games at Double A Reading in 2015. He walked 49 times and struck out just 45. He went on to hit .379 (11 for 29) with seven walks in eight games in the Eastern League playoffs. He was knocked out of the Arizona Fall League after just five games by a thumb injury but will be ready to go for spring training.
If all goes well, Crawford should spent significant time at Triple A in 2016 and could be ready to take over at shortstop on a young Phillies team in 2017. It would be surprising if the Phils did not bring Crawford to big-league camp in February, just for a look-see.
Freddy Galvis is the incumbent at shortstop. Knowing that Crawford is coming, the Phillies have always kept open the possibility of moving Galvis to second. He played there when Chase Utley was out in 2012 and got a couple of looks there in September. It’s possible that Galvis could get a few innings at second in spring training if the Phils choose to get a look at Crawford.
“Players adding additional versatility, I don't think that's ever a bad thing,” Klentak said. “And particularly when you have athletic middle infielders that profile to be able to do that. I'm never opposed to trying that.
"In due time, this offseason, as we see how our roster is settling out a little bit, I think we'll have some more conversations about what we want to do in spring training, how we want to groom some players, where we want to expose them to other positions. I'm certain there will be some of that. I don't know if it will be Freddy specifically. But I think adding versatility to a roster is really critical to allowing the manager the flexibility to navigate a 162-game schedule."