DUNEDIN, Fla. — In 2022, the Phillies opened the season with a young center fielder. So, coach Paco Figueroa got Matt Vierling together for a meeting with the veterans on either side of him.
“I hit Nick [Castellanos] in the chest, and I’m like, ‘You’re the leader of him,’” Figueroa recalled telling Vierling. “I hit [Kyle] Schwarber in the chest. ‘You’re the leader of him.’ I told him, ‘Whatever happens to Nick, it’s your fault, and whatever happens to Schwarber.’
“You’re teaching him to think like, ‘I’m in control.’”
Four years later, Figueroa, the team’s first base, outfield, and base running coach has had a variation of that talk with Justin Crawford. Because the Phillies are committing to a 22-year-old rookie in center field, and they want to make sure everyone knows who’s in charge.
It was fitting, then, that Crawford led off the Grapefruit League season for the Phillies on Saturday. Six pitches into his first at-bat, he hit an elevated two-strike cutter from a major-league lefty (Toronto’s Eric Lauer) that one-hopped the wall in left-center field for a double.
As first impressions go, it was pitch perfect.
“That definitely feels good, getting the first one, first at-bat like that,” Crawford said, beaming after playing five innings of the Phillies’ 3-0 loss to the Blue Jays. “Yeah, it’s kind of nice to be able to get that and then just try to hopefully build off that.”
Justin Crawford doubles in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in a spring training game in Dunedin, Fla., on Saturday.
OK, some perspective: It was an auspicious start, nothing more. Crawford was always going to play a lot this spring, but he figures to see even more at-bats than usual once camp empties out of teammates who are playing in the World Baseball Classic next month.
There’s time, then, for Crawford to keep refining a swing that produced a .322 average in the minors but also a high rate of ground balls. Near the end of last season, he moved his hands up, closer to his ear, to get his bat to the ball more quickly. He’s sticking with that for now. There will be additional tweaks.
But spring training will also be a time for Crawford to show he can handle center field. He played exclusively center in the minors until the second half of last season in triple A, when he made 30 starts in left.
And opinions were split, even among Phillies officials, over which outfield spot is his best right up until they decided to give him the keys to center.
“He can play,” said Figueroa, who has coached the Phillies’ outfielders since 2018. “Like any young guy, he’s going to get to the big leagues and you’ve got to be patient with him. But one thing that I see is his makeup. He just knows how important the X’s and O’s of the game is, the mental, the physical, the preparation. He’s great with that.”
It’s in Crawford’s blood. His dad, Carl, was a four-time All-Star outfielder. His godfather, Junior Spivey, played five seasons in the majors. His personal hitting coach, Mike Easler, had a 15-year career and won a World Series with the “We Are Family” Pirates in 1979.
Crawford focused in the offseason on a more efficient first step in the outfield. His track-star speed enables him to compensate for taking indirect routes to the ball. But he also knows he can be more precise.
Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford walks back to the clubhouse following Saturday’s spring training game against Toronto.
“It kind of started with my set-up and that kind of helped clean up my angles,” Crawford said. “Then I did different types of drills that kind of helped clean up my angles as well. And just in my training, first-step drills, fast-twitch [movements], things like that.”
Figueroa said the Phillies’ player-development staff didn’t highlight a particular skill that needs refinement. “It’s a little bit of everything,” according to Figueroa, who believes it all begins with the pre-pitch preparation.
The biggest test in the Grapefruit League opener came in the fourth inning. Crawford got a good jump on Addison Barger’s sinking liner and made a sliding catch.
“At this level, I think his speed is game-changing,” left fielder Otto Kemp said. “It’s game-changing on the base paths and even in the outfield. I’m excited to see him kind of take control in center field in Philly and just show everybody what he can do.”
To Figueroa, one of the best moments of camp came a few days ago. The Phillies were doing a drill — known as “pop-up priority” — that emphasizes communication within a hierarchy of defensive positions.
“We had all the guys out there, and it was like a high fly ball almost to where the shortstop could get it,” Figueroa said. “But he ran in there yelling. And look, he’s at the top of that pyramid. That’s him. So, that was a good to me of him taking charge.”
Surely, Saturday was another good step.
“The work that I do every day, especially with Paco and everybody we have here, it really helps me have more confidence,“ Crawford said. ”I truly feel like I could play that position and stick there.”
DUNEDIN, Fla. — Before Otto Kemp started at left field on Saturday, Rob Thomson warned him about his nickname there at Toronto’s TD Ballpark: “Satan’s Corner.”
The Phillies manager has seen many misplays in that part of the outfield, because of a combination of the wind, the sun, and the typically cloudless sky above Dunedin.
“I didn’t want to ask right before I started about why he called it that,” Kemp said. “But I felt pretty comfortable out there.”
Kemp didn’t get a ton of action in the spring opener — a 3-0 Phillies loss to the Blue Jays on Saturday — and caught the only fly ball hit his way in the first inning. But his outfield education this spring will continue to be put to the test, as Kemp gets more innings in left field during Grapefruit League games.
The 26-year-old learned left field on the fly last season in the majors, after being an infielder throughout the minor leagues. The Phillies believe that Kemp could be a platoon bat in left field for Brandon Marsh and want him to get as many reps as possible.
Throughout camp, Kemp has been juggling keeping his infield skills sharp with a lot of additional work on his outfield fundamentals, particularly his footwork. He works with infield coach Bobby Dickerson in the morning, and then works with outfield coach Paco Figueroa for most of the day after that.
“Seeing the ball off the bat and just trying to power shag as much as I can,” Kemp said. “Getting my reads down and getting my first step right. … I feel like I’ve worked a lot already, and it’s been great work so far. So I’m starting to feel really comfortable out there.”
Justin Crawford walks into the dugout for the spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.
On Saturday, Kemp also shared the outfield with Justin Crawford, who started in center and had a 2-for-3 day at the plate.
“He’s a dynamic player, and he covers a lot of ground, so it’s fun to just be out there,” Kemp said. “And I feel closer to him now being in the outfield, because I’ve been in the infield pretty much the entire time throughout our minor league career. So it’s fun to kind of work a little bit more side-by-side with him, and even learn from him. He’s a great outfielder. He tracks balls down better than I’ve seen a lot of people do.”
Who stood out: Crawford led off the game with a double to center field off Toronto lefty Eric Lauer, after hitting a laser down the right field line that just stayed foul earlier in the plate appearance. He also singled in the fifth inning and made several solid defensive plays.
“Definitely feels good getting the first one in the first at-bat like that,” Crawford said. “So it’s kind of nice to be able to get that early and then just trying to hopefully build off of that.”
Keaton Anthony made a diving stop at first base, and was a part of three double plays turned by the Phillies infield.
Bryse Wilson allowed three hits, a walk, and zero runs in two innings of work on Saturday.
On the mound: Bryse Wilson pitched two innings for the Phillies, allowing three hits, a walk, and zero runs.
Zach McCambley, a Rule 5 pick this offseason who is in competition for the final two bullpen spots, sidestepped a walk to Ernie Clement for a scoreless inning. He induced a groundout from Andrés Giménez and a lineout from Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
“He’s got a good arm,” Thomson said of McCambley. “He’s working on cutter today, so it got away from him a little bit. But the slider, he can spin it, the fastball is really good and it plays. I like the kid.”
CLEARWATER, Fla. — From his third-floor office overlooking the Phillies’ spring-training ballpark, John Middleton can see clear sky for miles.
Never mind the creeping storm clouds.
“We’re way too far away from it,” Middleton said Friday. “I don’t know when in the next nine months, or whenever the heck it is, we’ll have a clearer sense of the landscape. But we sure as heck don’t have it now.”
So, why worry? Yes, baseball is barreling toward a labor battle that is expected to get nasty. The particulars: Many owners want a salary cap, similar to the NFL, NBA, and NHL; players have historically opposed all limits on wages. The collective bargaining agreement will expire Dec. 1, and a lockout seems inevitable, with the possibility that it could eat into next season.
But that’s 283 days away. There are 162 regular-season games from here to there, with an All-Star Game to host in July. And it will be another expensive season for Middleton and his ownership partners.
Last year, the Phillies’ luxury-tax payroll totaled $314.3 million, fourth-highest in the sport after the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees. The Phillies paid a club-record $56.1 million in taxes and are bracing for a similar bill at the end of this year.
“Higher,” Middleton said.
Indeed, the projected payroll is $317 million. It will be the fifth consecutive season that the Phillies have gone into luxury-tax territory and the second year in a row they cleared the highest threshold ($304 million for 2026), which carries a 110% tax rate. Middleton said they’ve also budgeted $80 million in local revenue (tickets, concessions, media deals, etc.) for revenue sharing.
John Middleton and the Phillies missed out on signing Bo Bichette this offseason.
“Do the math,” he said. “You’re pushing $140 million in spending essentially [for] being taxed. If I had $140 million back, could I have a higher payroll? Yes. But that’s not happening, so I don’t think about that fantasy. But it’s a lot of money. It really is.”
It’s also life among the big spenders in baseball’s current economic system. Middleton doesn’t sit on the owners’ labor policy committee, which is headed by the Rockies’ Dick Monfort and includes the Yankees’ Hal Steinbrenner, and said he’s restricted by the National Labor Relations Act from speaking publicly about negotiations with the players’ union that are set to begin in late March.
But in a wide-ranging conversation with The Inquirer, Middleton said the Phillies’ offseason spending wasn’t impacted by the looming labor uncertainty. If anything, it was business as usual.
They re-signed Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto and added reliever Brad Keller and right fielder Adolis García. They were ready to make a seven-year, $200 million offer to free-agent infielder Bo Bichette, who signed a short-term (three years), higher-annual-salary ($42 million per year) deal with the Mets.
In all, the Phillies spent $227 million on free agents, then paid $19.2 million for Nick Castellanos to play elsewhere.
“Any time you get to the end of a collective bargaining agreement, you just never know what the next one’s going to look like,” Middleton said. “And the rules have changed [over the years]. So, you could make decisions in the year or two preceding a new CBA that you look back and you say, ‘Hmm, had I known this was going to be the new CBA with this new rule, I maybe would’ve done something different.’
“I just think the problem, if you give that too much weight, you don’t do things that you should be doing in today’s world with today’s sets of rules to win today. So, I would say we were aware of it, we talked about it, but it didn’t change any of the decisions that we made.”
Because Middleton is chasing that (dang) World Series trophy. It’s been 18 years since the Phillies won it. They went on an unexpected ride to Game 6 of the World Series in 2022 but haven’t won a postseason series since ‘23. They’re 2-8 in their last 10 postseason games.
Owner John Middleton wasn’t angry about the Phillies’ exit in the NLDS last season against the Dodgers.
Middleton, 70, has the sensibilities of a lifelong fan who grew up watching Dick Allen in the 1960s and the competitiveness of a former collegiate wrestler. He was disappointed after last year’s exit in the divisional round. But unlike the previous October, he wasn’t angry.
The Phillies went toe-to-toe with the vaunted Dodgers, holding them to 13 runs and a .199 batting average in four games. Their three losses came by a total of four runs. And don’t even get Middleton started on umpire Mark Wegner’s missed strike call on a 2-2 pitch to the Dodgers’ Alex Call with one out in the seventh inning of Game 4. Call walked on the next pitch and scored the tying run. Wegner later admitted that he got it wrong.
“Assuming he made the correct call, all of a sudden that’s a strike, [Call is] out, [the run] never scores, we win the game, we go to Game 5 two days later in Philadelphia,” Middleton said. “I’m not telling you we would have beaten the Dodgers because they beat us twice at home. But the Dodgers didn’t want to play us in Game 5 in Philadelphia. There’s not a chance in the world that they were looking forward to that prospect.”
Middleton acknowledges that the Dodgers, owned by Guggenheim Partners, have inherent financial advantages that only Steve Cohen, the billionaire hedge-fund manager who owns the Mets, can match.
The Phillies have won more regular-season games in each of the last four seasons. Attendance to Citizens Bank Park has risen from 2.23 million fans in 2022 to 3 million in 2023, 3.36 million in ‘24, and 3.37 million last season.
But in 2024, Middleton also added three new investors to the Phillies’ ownership group. At the time, he said it would “allow us to pursue our strategic growth opportunities and long-term goals.”
“Look, when Hal Steinbrenner publicly says the Yankees can’t do what the Dodgers are doing — and the Yankees for decades have been the team that can do pretty much whatever it wants — that’s telling,“ Middleton said. ”[The Dodgers] are smart, competent people, which makes them fierce competitors. And the fact that they’ve got some financial clout, particularly clout that other teams can’t match, it makes them even tougher competitors.
“But the division series that we lost was the first time in three years, I think, that we lost a series to them. We were 5-1 against the Dodgers in series prior to that. So, it’s not like we haven’t beaten the Dodgers consistently.”
Middleton touched on other subjects, with answers lightly edited for brevity and clarity:
Phillies owner John Middleton (right) says president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski (left) and Bryce Harper hashed out their differences recently.
Q: What was your perspective on Dave Dombrowski’s comments about whether Bryce Harper is still elite and the baseless rumors that followed about possibly trading him?
A: I just kind of chuckled to myself like, ‘Well, I guess they know something that I don’t know.’ The good news is Dave and Rob [Thomson] and Bryce talked it through after the last set of comments that Bryce made down here, and they’ve agreed that everything’s fine. I’m happy that they’ve reached that point, and I’m comfortable, confident that everything’s behind us now.
Q: You have a close relationship with Bryce. Did you personally call him to make sure everything was OK?
A: Nah. I’ve talked to Bryce over the years about other issues. But in Dave, you’re talking about one of the truly historically great GMs in the history of baseball. People in my position should not undermine their GMs and their head coaches, their managers. And when you have the background and the track record that Dave does, it’s particularly important that you understand your limitations [as an owner].
There have been times when Dave and I are talking about something, and he’ll look at me and say, ‘I’d like you to talk to the player.’ If he thought I needed to talk to Bryce, he would have been the first person to raise his hand and say, ‘John, it would be helpful if you talked to Bryce.’ He didn’t do it. Because Dave asked me to do it, I spent most of a day in Kyle Schwarber’s living room, at his kitchen table, because Dave said it would be helpful. And I talked to J.T. I’ll do whatever I need to do to be helpful, but I’m not going to force myself into a situation where I’m not needed.
Q: What’s your reaction to the narrative that the Phillies are “running it back” again with the same core that keeps falling short in October?
A: I understand the frustration. I will also tell you I do talk to a lot of fans, and there are clearly fans who voice the issue that you did. But I would tell you most of the fans understand. They look at it and they say, ‘OK, I get it. You were a missed call away from probably winning Game 4 and going on to Game 5.’ Not everybody’s going to acknowledge that. But it’s also not like we didn’t try. First of all, we re-signed Kyle. We could have let him go like the Mets, let [Edwin] Díaz go or [Pete] Alonso go. We re-signed J.T. We tried to sign Bichette. We actually thought we had a deal. At 11 o’clock that night, we had a deal, in our opinion. Not finalized. And the Mets did nothing that we wouldn’t have done and haven’t done, so I don’t blame the Mets. But you went to bed at 11 o’clock thinking we had a deal, and I woke up at 8 o’clock worried we didn’t have a deal, and two hours later, I knew we didn’t have a deal. So, it’s not like we didn’t try. We did try to tweak the team.
But go back to that [Phillies] team in ’76, ’77, ’78, they missed the World Series three years running. They go out and sign Pete Rose after the ’78 season. They promptly finish fourth in ’79 with theoretically a better team, and they ran it back in ’80. Now, that doesn’t mean we’re going to win the World Series in ’26 because the ’80 Phillies won the World Series after four tries. But you certainly don’t blow up teams. And it’s hard with a team that was good as that team was and our job is to improve it. You can look at certain places and say, ‘Well, you can improve it here or you can improve it there,’ but that means you have to go out and find the better player and bring that player in. Look, we tried to do that with Bichette. So, I get the frustration. I’m frustrated. I mean, Dave’s frustrated. Rob’s frustrated. A lot of the players are frustrated.
Going back to the Dodgers series, our players executed. You look at ’23 and ’24, even ’22 frankly a little bit, I think there were execution problems in those three years. I don’t feel that way about ’25.
Q: The Phillies have had a top-five payroll now for five years. Could you have ever envisioned a $317 million payroll?
A: So, the answer is yes. And I’d say yes because I think we have such a spectacular fan base. I trust the fan base. I have confidence in the fan base that, if we put the right team on the field, they’ll respond. And that doesn’t always happen. There’s plenty of examples in not just baseball, but other professional sports where there’s a team that’s really, really good and the fans yawn. And I knew that was never going to happen in Philadelphia. New York’s clearly a bigger market than Philadelphia, and they have higher prices than Philadelphia, so their seats sell for more, their hot dogs sell for more, their suites sell for more. But I always thought we could get reasonably close to them from a revenue standpoint, and then hopefully outcompete them. And look, I still feel that way.
Q: What has the ramp-up for the All-Star Game been like? How hectic are the next few months going to be?
A: I think we and MLB are better organized that I wouldn’t say it’s hectic. But there are a lot of details you have to get from the planning stage and the early conversation stage to a final decision and getting that decision implemented. And we’re kind of down that path so that we’ve kind of made final decisions on most everything. But now we’ve got to implement them, and that’s a whole other set of challenges. So, yeah, it’s nerve-wracking. I’m excited. I’m looking forward to it. I think of it like my daughter’s wedding. I’m excited, I’m looking forward to it, and I know I’ll be really happy the day after when I wake up and it’s done.
Under the boardwalk, down by the sea. That’s where Bryce Harper wants to be, apparently.
Harper’s newest cleats — the Under Armour Harper 10 “Mad House” — pay homage to the Jersey Shore, and unlike his previous colorful, locally-inspired cleats, these are not player exclusives (PE), meaning anyone can buy the $130 cleats.
With a hyper violet base and slime-green studs that resemble a boardwalk funhouse, the cleats are “inspired by Bryce’s love for spending time at the Jersey Shore during the offseason early on in his career,” Under Armour said.
On Thursday, Harper posted a short promotional video for the new kicks. Inside the funhouse’s skull entrance, the Harper 10s are displayed in the middle of a spiraling, mirror maze — akin to one that can be found on the Wildwood boardwalk.
The latest edition of Bryce Harper 10s, “Mad House,” are a nod to boardwalk funhouses.
Harper has not gone on the record to claim one shore town in particular. In July 2022, while rehabbing his broken thumb, he spent time in Stone Harbor, taking photos with fans in a Wawa. That same month, he posed with restaurant workers at Uncle Bill’s Pancake House in Ocean City.
The release of the “Mad House” cleats comes after Harper and Under Armour reached a contract extension on Jan. 13. Under Armour initially signed Harper in 2011. In 2016, they awarded him with what was then the largest endorsement deal in MLB history.
Previously, Harper has made his love for the Phanatic known through apparel. Last year, Harper and Under Armour released a pair of green, fuzzy Harper 3s inspired by the Phillies mascot, equipped with insoles displaying caricatures of Harper and the Phanatic. But that was hardly the first time Harper’s cleats have paid tribute to the Phanatic — he also wore custom Phanatic cleats during his first game as a Phillie in 2019, and again during the team’s home opener in 2020, this time featuring Swarovski crystals.
Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper’s Wawa themed spikes against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, June 21, 2024 in Philadelphia.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — After Cristopher Sánchez finished his bullpen session on Friday, Phillies manager Rob Thomson walked off from where he’d been observing behind the mound.
As he passed by Mark Kolozsvary, the catcher who had been behind the plate, Thomson leaned over.
“He any good?” he joked. “Make the team?”
Sánchez, who looked very sharp in his session, is preparing to represent the Dominican Republic at the World Baseball Classic next month. He will make at least one start in a Grapefruit League game before he joins his federation for pool play in Miami.
“I just want to box him up and send him up north,” Thomson said. “He’s been great.”
Thomson said the Phillies expect Sánchez to pitch in the Dominican Republic’s first game of the tournament, which is against Nicaragua on March 6, but they don’t know the plan after that.
He was one of several pitchers who impressed Thomson on Friday, the final workout day before the Phillies’ Grapefruit League slate opens on Saturday with a game against the Blue Jays. Also turning some heads was prospect Alex McFarlane, a 24-year-old right-hander who was added to the Phillies’ 40-man roster in December ahead of the Rule 5 deadline.
Phillies pitcher José Alvarado throws in the bullpen during a workout on Friday in Clearwater, Fla.
McFarlane had been somewhat “erratic” in a previous live batting practice session on Tuesday, but showed better command Friday.
“Fastball, heavy sink, 97 [mph] or whatever it was,” Thomson said. “Slider for strikes. That’s what you’re going to see. I think a lot of times, first time out you see hitters, [pitchers] can be a little bit erratic, but he was more in the zone today. He was really good. … Very mature kid, too.”
Another standout was José Alvarado, who struck out Adolis García and Bryce Harper in his live batting practice session. Thomson said Alvarado looked like he did last year around this time. The lefty had a strong 2025 spring, hitting 100 mph on the radar gun with his sinker multiple times and not allowing a run in nine Grapefruit League appearances.
That hot start cooled off quickly, though, when Alvarado was suspended 80 games for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
“He’s in a good spot, and I think we’re behind all that stuff,” Thomson said.
Justin Crawford will start in center field in the Phillies’ spring opener on Saturday against the Blue Jays.
‘Satan’s corner’
Justin Crawford is scheduled to play center field in Saturday’s Grapefruit League opener against Toronto. He will be sharing the outfield with García in right and Otto Kemp, who will play left.
It will be a tough first test for Kemp, who has been getting more outfield work this spring as the Phillies believe he could be a platoon for Brandon Marsh. Rob Thomson has nicknamed the left field in TD Ballpark, the Blue Jays’ spring training home in Dunedin, ‘Satan’s Corner,’ because it is a particularly difficult place to play.
“The wind swirls down there. The sun, it seems like every time we go over there, there’s not a cloud in the sky,” Thomson said. “I’ve seen a lot of mistakes out there.”
The biggest thing Thomson is looking for from Crawford this spring is to take the lead in the outfield as the center fielder.
“Reads and routes, and taking charge,” Thomson said. “Florida for an outfielder, it’s brutal in spring training. High sky, wind, sun. I’ve seen gold glovers make a lot of mistakes out there. But that’s really what I’m looking for is just proper reads and routes and taking charge.”
Extra bases
Harper homered off Tanner Banks in a live batting practice session Friday. … Bryse Wilson is scheduled to start for the Phillies on Saturday against the Blue Jays (1:07 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia and 94.1 WIP).
A year ago, Brad Keller was trying to win a job with the Cubs as a nonroster invitee to spring training. Now, he’s a key member of the Phillies’ bullpen on a two-year contract. And in a few days, he will join the most talented U.S. team ever assembled for the World Baseball Classic. Keller sat down with “Phillies Extra,” The Inquirer’s baseball podcast, to discuss how much has changed in a year, what led him to Philadelphia, why he believes he can duplicate his success in 2025, and more. Watch here:
After a cold, snow-filled winter in Philadelphia, the city is finally getting its first glimpse at spring, thanks to the Phillies.
The Phillies’ 2026 spring training schedule kicks off Saturday afternoon against the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla., followed by their Clearwater debut Sunday at BayCare Ballpark, their Sunshine State home since 2004.
Fans will be able to tune in to more spring training games than ever. Between NBC Sports Philadelphia, the MLB Network, 94.1 WIP, and the Phillies themselves, there will be a broadcast for all but three games of this year’s 30-game Grapefruit League schedule.
There’s also Aidan Miller, the No. 23 prospect in baseball. The 22-year-old shortstop is expected to start the season in Triple-A, but will get some playing time at third base during spring training, according to my colleague Scott Lauber. That would set up Miller for an early promotion if Alex Bohm gets off to a slow start.
As far as new faces, the most prominent is outfielder Adolis García, who is replacing Nick Castellanos and is just two seasons removed from hitting 39 home runs for the Texas Rangers.
Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream Phillies spring training games:
What channel are Phillies spring training games on?
Phillies broadcasters Tom McCarthy (left) and John Kruk will be back again for NBC Sports Philadelphia.
The bulk of the Phillies’ televised spring training games will air on NBC Sports Philadelphia, which plans to broadcast 17 games — nine on the main channel and eight on NBC Sports Philadelphia+. That’s a big jump from last year, when it aired 12 games.
The schedule includes an exhibition game against Team Canada on March 4 serving as a warm-up for this year’s World Baseball Classic. The multicountry tournament begins on March 5 in Tokyo, and the Phillies will be well-represented — 11 players, including Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, will leave spring training early to participate.
Returning for his 19th season as the TV voice of the Phillies is play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy, who will be joined in the booth by a familiar cast of analysts that includes Rubén Amaro Jr., Ben Davis, and John Kruk.
MLB Network will broadcast six Phillies spring training games (though just two will be available in the Philly TV market due to blackout rules). ESPN won’t be airing any — the network is broadcasting just four spring training games on their main channel, and six more on its ESPN Unlimited subscription service.
Radio listeners can tune into 94.1 WIP to hear 10 weekend games. Play-by-play announcer Scott Franzke is back for his 21st season calling the Phillies, joined once again by a rotation featuring veteran analyst Larry Anderson and Kevin Stocker.
Cole Hamels will be back, but not Taryn Hatcher
Former Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels (right) called nine games last season for NBC Sports Philadelphia.
A little bit of Hollywood will be back in the Phillies booth this season.
2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels will call a few spring training games for the second straight season, beginning in the middle of March. Hamels was something of a natural in the booth last season, calling the nine regular-season games he worked a “crash course” in broadcasting.
“I tried to tell myself, ‘Don’t overtalk. Don’t be long-winded. Don’t just talk to talk,’” Hamels told The Inquirer in September. “I start watching the game and enjoying it, and I forget sometimes I have to talk.”
Taryn Hatcher, seen here during a 2019 media softball game.
One NBC Sports personality who won’t be back is Taryn Hatcher, who joined the network in 2018 and spent the past few seasons covering the game as an in-stadium reporter.
Hatcher’s contract wasn’t renewed at the end of the year and NBC Sports Philadelphia eliminated the position, according to sources.
You can also stream NBC Sports Philadelphia on Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV, which will soon roll out a skinny sports bundle. And NBC Sports Philadelphia will stream its games on the NBC Sports app, but a subscription to a cable service is required.
One streaming service where you won’t find the network is Fubo, which hasn’t broadcast any NBC channels since November due to a carriage dispute. NBC Sports Philadelphia is also not available on Sling TV or DirecTV Stream.
For the third straight season, the Phillies will also exclusively stream a handful of spring training games from BayCare Ballpark for free on the team’s website.
The team will also provide an audio-only feed for a few midweek road games that aren’t airing on WIP.
Are there any new MLB rules in spring training?
Umpires will have their balls and strikes face challenges this season.
There aren’t any new rules in play during spring training, but MLB is fully rolling out its automatic ball-strike (ABS) challenge system ahead of its launch in the regular season. The Phillies plan on giving it a healthy test drive.
The rules are pretty straightforward. Pitchers, catchers, or batters can challenge a ball or strike by taping their head immediately after the umpire’s call.
Each team starts the game with two challenges, which they only lose when a challenge is unsuccessful. If a team has no challenges remaining and the game goes into extra innings, they’re awarded one per inning until the game is over.
Phillies news and spring training updates
Trea Turner fields a ground ball during spring training Wednesday.
Trea Turner was still the fastest man in the league at 32. Here’s his secret.
The Phillies will open the season against the Texas Rangers at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies are scheduled to open the 2026 season on March 26 against the Texas Rangers at Citizens Bank Park, where the team will hang its 2025 NL East pennant.
Each Friday, Inquirer photo editors pick the best Philly sports images from the last seven days. This week, there’s nowhere better to start than on the hardwood with the boys’ and girls’ high school basketball playoffs in full swing. There’s plenty from the college game and Phillies spring training as well.
The Archbishop Wood student section cheers before the start of the Vikings’ Catholic League semifinal against Father Judge at the Palestra on Wednesday. Villanova’s Jasmine Bascoe (left) knocks the ball away from UConn’s KK Arnold on Wednesday at the Finneran Pavilion. No. 1 UConn prevailed, 83-69.Neumann Goretti’s Marquis Newson dunks during the final minutes of its win against Bonner Prendergast in the Catholic League semifinals.
Archbishop Wood’s Jaydn Jenkins reaches for a rebound against several Father Judge players in their Catholic League semifinal game. Judge came out the winner.Cole Franklin of North Texas hits Temple’s Masiah Gilyard as he reaches for the ball Sunday at the Liacouras Center. The Owls fell, 65-62.Members of the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams at Westtown School rejoice after wining their Friends Schools League championships at La Salle University last Friday.
Drexel’s Laine McGurk hits the deck as she fights for a loose ball against Elon last Friday. Drexel won, 68-59. Cardinal O’ Hara’s Megan Rullo (center) is fouled driving to the basket against Neumann Goretti’s Kamora Berry (left) and Reginna Baker during their Catholic League semifinal at Villanova. Rullo scored 22 points in a 51-33 victory. Friends’ Central School’s Zya Small (11) fights for the basketball with Westtown School’s Ishana Sundararajan during the Friends Schools League title game. Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (center) is silhouetted along with some of his teammates as they wait during a drill at spring training in Clearwater, Fla.
Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs plays around for his portrait on photo day at spring training. Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter poses for a portrait during photo day in Clearwater, Fla. Veteran right-hander Aaron Nola warms up in the outfield at spring training on Wednesday. Justin Crawford, a rookie outfielder known for his speed, runs the bases during a drill at Phillies spring training on Tuesday. Hoping for a bounce-back season, pitcher Aaron Nola (center) talks with his Phillies teammates in Clearwater, Fla. Phillies shortstop Trea Turner takes part in a drill that involved bouncing a tennis ball off a mask during spring training.
First baseman Bryce Harper (right) interacts with new Phillies bench coach Don Mattingly during the first full-squad workout on Monday. Phillies reliever Jose Alvarado goes through a workout on Saturday. Pitcher Taijuan Walker looks on during a spring training workout on Sunday. Hot feet: Closer Jhoan Duran walks off the mound after a bullpen session during spring training on Sunday.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — On the eve of spring training games, an annual reminder: They don’t count.
Not really. Stats are kept, but mostly as a formality. Hits don’t carry over into the season. Strikeouts are little more than a sugar rush for a pitcher. Win some, lose some, even tie some, and everyone’s record resets on March 25.
What do you do, then, if you’re Dylan Moore? A veteran of seven major league seasons, the 33-year-old utility man must have a good camp to make the Phillies’ opening-day roster after signing a minor-league contract 17 days ago.
Try telling him Grapefruit League games aren’t really real.
“To make an impression, you’ve got to be able to take it seriously and play it like it’s a game that’s meaningful,” Moore said Thursday after facing pitchers in live batting practice. “Because it is, you know? You want to see where you’re at, which is why you never want to go less than [full effort] just because it doesn’t matter. But yeah, it’s a balancing act.”
The Phillies will play 30 spring training games, including a March 4 exhibition against Canada’s entry in the World Baseball Classic. That’s a lot of faux innings for a team that has few jobs up for grabs.
Here, then, is an attempt to answer a few roster questions entering Saturday’s opener against the Blue Jays in neighboring Dunedin, based on reporting from the first eight days of camp:
Andrew Painter is a leading candidate to occupy a spot in the Phillies’ season-opening starting rotation.
Who will take the fifth (starter spot)?
Zack Wheeler played catch from 120 feet the other day and is scheduled to do so again Friday while incorporating more spin on the ball. The Phillies haven’t said when he will progress to a mound.
But nothing has changed. Five months after having a rib removed to relieve pressure on a vein that was compressed between his collarbone and rib cage, Wheeler won’t be ready to start the season on time, which creates a vacancy in the starting rotation.
Upon returning from the World Baseball Classic, Cristopher Sánchez (Dominican Republic), Aaron Nola (Italy), and Taijuan Walker (Mexico) will join Jesús Luzardo in the starting rotation. Nobody will say it, but the last spot is Andrew Painter’s to lose.
Painter didn’t pitch in 2023 or ’24 because of a torn elbow ligament that necessitated Tommy John surgery. But after a healthy, 118-inning season in the minors, most of which came in triple A, he’s unburdened by usage restrictions this spring.
Ideally, the Phillies want Painter to not only earn his spot but also to keep it once Wheeler returns. Either way, it’s time for the 22-year-old (turning 23 in April) to step forward.
“Obviously Painter had a tough year in triple A,” Bryce Harper said, referring to a 5.40 ERA in 22 starts. “That first year coming back from Tommy John is really tough. I’m hoping he bounces back this year. We need him to.”
Lefty reliever Kyle Backhus has a chance to win a spot in the bullpen after coming over in a trade with the Diamondbacks.
How does the bullpen shape up?
Get to know this name: Kyle Backhus.
The Phillies acquired Backhus from the Diamondbacks for a minor-league outfielder on the same day in December that they sent Matt Strahm to the Royals for reliever Jonathan Bowlan. Backhus has minor league options, but Thomson mentioned him last month as a bullpen candidate.
And the hitters, including Trea Turner, who faced Backhus in live batting practice Thursday were impressed with the sidearming lefty, who had a 4.62 ERA in 32 games last season for Arizona.
“They said he was tough to pick up,” Thomson said. “He starts from the third base side. He’s a crossfire guy. It’s a really low slot, so you don’t see that. It’s tough, really tough to pick up.”
The Phillies haven’t had a lefty reliever with such a low arm slot in years. Thomson would like a third lefty in the bullpen, although he said it isn’t a necessity. Backhus would fit in behind José Alvarado and Tanner Banks.
Orion Kerkering has been slowed in camp by a hamstring injury. But health permitting, closer Jhoan Duran, Brad Keller, Alvarado, Kerkering, Banks, and Bowlan have seats in the bullpen.
That leaves two spots for a pool of candidates, including Rule 5 pick Zach McCambley and out-of-options righty Zach Pop. Veteran lefty Tim Mayza and righty Lou Trivino are also in camp as nonroster invitees.
But Backhus might have the early inside track.
“Backhus is a completely different look for people,“ Thomson said. ”You want good stuff, you want strikes, but when you have different looks like that, it makes it a lot better.”
Johan Rojas could make the Phillies’ roster as a reserve outfielder.
Who gets the last bench spot?
All the health-related caveats apply, but the opening-day lineup appears set: J.T. Realmuto (catcher), Harper (first base), Bryson Stott (second base), Turner (shortstop), Alec Bohm (third base), Brandon Marsh (left field), rookie Justin Crawford (center field), Adolis García (right field), and Kyle Schwarber (designated hitter).
Edmundo Sosa and Otto Kemp are expected to claim seats on the bench, with another going to incumbent backup catcher Rafael Marchán or veteran Garrett Stubbs.
Johan Rojas would provide speed on the bases and elite outfield defense, although the latter is less important without Nick Castellanos in right field. Marsh, Crawford, and García are all solid defenders. Also, Rojas has minor-league options and might benefit from everyday at-bats in triple A.
Veteran outfielder Bryan De La Cruz has 58 career major league homers, seven of which came against the Phillies. De La Cruz and Pedro Leon are intriguing right-handed bats, but Sosa and Kemp bat from the right side. And as outfielders, De La Cruz and Leon lack positional versatility.
And then there’s Moore, who has played everywhere except catcher and won a Gold Glove as a utility man for the Mariners in 2023. He said he signed with the Phillies to work with hitting coach Kevin Long. But he also recognized an opportunity.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson (left), with Charlie Manuel during batting practice on Thursday, has one spot to fill for a bench player.
“In past experience, having two utility guys — one who’s more depth to infield and one who’s more depth to outfield — is huge,“ Moore said. ”A guy that can do both is great. Sosa plays an awesome infield everywhere you put him, so maybe I could be more of the outfield guy.
“This has been my career in a nutshell — play some, play not so much, and just stay ready. I feel like I’ve gotten pretty good at it, and I still have more in me.”
With Harper, Schwarber, Sosa, and Rojas away at the WBC next month, there will be ample opportunity for Moore to prove it.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Most pitchers are creatures of habit and rely heavily on their routines. But every four years, some of those routines change for major league pitchers participating in the World Baseball Classic.
The Phillies will send three members of their expected 2026 starting rotation to the tournament that starts on March 5: Cristopher Sánchez (Dominican Republic), Taijuan Walker (Mexico), and Aaron Nola (Italy).
Next month, instead of the relaxed atmosphere of Grapefruit League games, they could be pitching in situations with higher stakes.
“It’s just a different feeling,” said Walker, who also pitched for Mexico in 2023. “The pride for you playing for your country, and the crowd is just different. The atmosphere is different because you get both crowds, both countries’ fans, and they got the instruments going. It’s loud. They never sit down. It’s just constantly going.”
Mexico finished third in 2023 after being eliminated in the semifinals by Japan, which later defeated the U.S. in the championship game.
Walker said he didn’t adjust his offseason training too much in preparation for the WBC. He completed the same weighted ball program that helped him add a tick to his fastball last offseason.
Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker (center) will pitch for Mexico in the WBC. He also helped Mexico to a third place finish in 2023.
The WBC’s limits on pitch counts for each round allow him to continue to ramp up at a fairly normal pace. Pitchers are limited to 65 pitches in the first round, 80 in the quarterfinal, and 95 in the championship rounds, though they can exceed that to finish a plate appearance.
“You’re already maybe two or three spring training games into it when WBC games start,” Walker said. “The only [different] thing is intensity-wise.”
The high-stakes atmosphere of WBC games can make it difficult for pitchers to experiment in ways they might in a typical spring training, such as through introducing a new pitch. In bullpen sessions so far in camp, Walker has been working on his slider. But when he pitches for Mexico, he’ll be relying more on his best weapons, his splitter and cutter.
“If I’m working on a slider, I get to go throw 20 sliders and work on it. WBC games, we got to get outs,” he said.
Mexico and Italy are in Pool B, alongside the U.S., Great Britain, and Brazil. Their round-robin games will take place in Houston. The Dominican Republic is in Pool D with Venezuela, Netherlands, Israel, and Nicaragua, and will play in Miami.
Nola will be pitching in his first WBC next month, representing the country his great-grandparents are from. He started his offseason work in mid-November, about a month earlier than normal for him, to ease into his training.
“Just to kind of get the arm moving,” Nola said. “I know how fast spring training games come when you get here, we don’t have as much time as we used to, so it’s actually been kind of nice to kind of be a little bit more ready, bodywise over here.”
Nola also did long toss, which is not typically part of his offseason regimen.
He said he likely would have done that anyway, even if he wasn’t already committed to Italy. Nola was limited to 94⅓ innings in 2025 due to an ankle sprain and rib fracture, the fewest innings he’s thrown since the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season.
He decided toward the end of last season that he would commit to Italy, hoping to play with his brother. Nola pitched against Austin, a former professional catcher, who was with the Padres during the 2022 National League Championship Series against the Phillies.
Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola will represent Italy for the first time in the WBC.
Although Austin had to withdraw after accepting a role as bullpen coach for the Mariners, Aaron still wanted to play. He has never been to Italy, but is looking forward to teaming up with former Phillie Michael Lorenzen and current prospect Dante Nori, as well as the other new faces who play in the Italian Baseball League.
“I wanted to experience it before I was done with baseball,” he said. “And every guy in here that has played in the past has loved it, said it’s a great experience. It’s gonna be fun to represent for Italy.”
Of course, injuries are always a concern for any player. But the Phillies are optimistic that participating in the Classic could give Nola a head start on what they hope is a bounceback season.
“Nola, I think, is going to benefit from playing the WBC, just to get the blood flowing a little bit earlier,” said manager Rob Thomson. “Nola’s always going to be ready; always going to work. But I think getting some competition is going to help him.”
The Phillies unveiled a new video board at Baycare Ballpark on Thursday. Its display of 3,200 square feet makes it the largest at any spring training ballpark. … Zack Wheeler (thoracic outlet decompression surgery) is scheduled to throw out to a distance of 120 feet again on Friday and will start spinning the ball. “We don’t have a date for bullpen yet, but he’s doing very well,” Thomson said.
