Predicting the Phillies Opening Day Roster

Club management with the Philadelphia Phillies, itself the object of much change, has spent the past couple of years shaping the organizational talent for the future.

Some of that young talent has already reached the big leagues. This is most especially true on the pitching staff.

In the everyday lineup, the very best prospects in the Phillies system are nearly ready for their first full-time shot. The 25-man roster that opens the 2017 regular season in just over two weeks is going to look very different by the end of the season.

But let’s not get that far ahead of ourselves. This will be a look not at the Phillies of July or September, but the club that will travel to Cincinnati for that 2017 Opening Day.

The players who begin the season in a Phillies uniform include a number who are on borrowed time. That is because the club has intentionally signed a few players specifically with the knowledge that they will likely (hopefully?) step aside later in the year as the prospects become fully ready.

One major caveat here is that the players listed remain healthy. A minor injury at the start could delay a player who would normally make it. This would provide an opportunity, even if temporary, to someone else. But injuries aside, this is how I see things breaking with Pete Mackanin‘s club at this point.

Phillies 2017: Who Leads in the Clubhouse?

It’s a question that, for a few years now, has had no legitimate answer: who is the Philadelphia Phillies clubhouse leader? Or which players comprise the leadership group?

Past generations would have answered that question with names such as Pete Rose, Larry Bowa, Darren Daulton, and Jimmy Rollins. Players who excelled on the field. Players who were willing to stand up in the locker room to help motivate their peers when difficult challenges loomed.

For me, a truly legitimate clubhouse leader needs to embody two major characteristics.

First, they need to be someone who is performing at a standout level in Major League Baseball terms.

Second, they need to be someone who is foundational. They need to be someone who is going to be around for at least the next few years.

There is a third characteristic that becomes vital, assuming the player can meet those first two basics. That would be that the individual needs to have the respect of, and preferably the affection and admiration of, his fellow players.