Howard Shines, Marchan & Davis Added to Phillies Player Pool
The Philadelphia Phillies are set to begin the 2020 season on July 24th against the Miami Marlins. Players in the 60-man pool and on the roster are constantly fluctuating due to injury and illness. This week the Phillies announced that prospect Rafael Marchan and former Fightin’ Austin Davis were added.
The Philadelphia Phillies are set to begin the 2020 season on July 24th against the Miami Marlins. Players in the 60-man pool and on the roster are constantly fluctuating due to injury and illness. This week the Phillies announced that prospect Rafael Marchan and former Fightin’ Austin Davis were added. Both were immediately placed on the injured list. Also noteworthy this week was Spencer Howard’s performance on the mound. Howard stood out in his Summer Camp debut and has potential to be on the roster within the first few weeks of the season.
Catcher Rafael Marchan spent time in both Lakewood and Clearwater last summer. In 70 games he incurred eight passed balls, but caught 31 runners stealing. His defense is really what impresses the Phillies coaching staff, especially manager Joe Girardi. Marchan was consistent at the plate, racking up 82 hits with 20 being doubles. The Phillies have a total of six catchers currently available to play.
Left-handed reliever Austin Davis split time between Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia in 2019. Last summer in 14 appearances in the majors, Davis crept up to 6.53 ERA, struggling against lefties. His strikeout rate is promising though, averaging more than one per inning. He initially got called up to the big leagues back in 2018.
On Thursday, Spencer Howard threw three scoreless innings at Citizens Bank Park during a scrimmage. He recorded one hit, two walks, and three strikeouts.
Despite this, Howard will most likely not make the Opening Day roster. Because of service-time consideration if he does not play in the first five days, the Phillies get an extra year of time before he is eligible for free agency. That would mean 2026 for Howard instead of 2025. Furthermore, the Phillies already have rotation, with Vince Velasquez and Nick Pivetta battling it out for that final spot. In the event that Eflin is not ready on time, both would have the opportunity. Howard is next in line, but could make his initial debut out of the bullpen.