Formal off-season minor league training for the coming 2025 season began last fall with High Performance Camp One. That was followed by Winter High Performance Camp Two in January which ran into mid February and then the most recent Mini-Camp which just concluded yesterday.
Today the total Phillies contingent of minor leaguers will be in Clearwater or thereabouts with those who haven’t had physicals taken yet going thru that exercise while those who were mini-camp attendees will have the day off. On Monday full scale workouts begin as Minor league Spring Training kicks into gear with 148 participants. Keep in mind that there are also an additional 26 non-roster invitees in major league camp who are working with minor league contracts which brings the official off-season minor league total to 174 players (one shy of the MLB imposed limit).
With 14 spots on the 40 man roster to ultimately also be assigned to the minor leagues once regular season play begins the present actual combined working minor league total is 188 (the 14 don’t count towards the official minor league total till the regular season begins). The 188 represents the present amount that has to be reduced to a maximum of 165 active minor league players for the regular season. So 23 roster spots will have to be dispositioned to either long term injury status that do not count as active spots (60 days or more) or with releases.
The complex has already been a busy place - it’s about to get a whole lot busier! The roster of 148 players is attached. First time stateside campers up from the Dominican Academy include hard throwing nineteen year old RHP Brad Pacheco and upcoming teenage outfielders Jaeden Calderon, Victor Cardoza and Jorge Julio.
There are thirteen teenagers on the roster with four (RHP Alexander De Los Santos, LHP Angel Liranzo, Catcher Eduardo Tait and Outfielder Jorge Julio) being just 18 years of age.
Minor leaguers have already shined in Grapefruit League games with Gabriel Rincones Jr, Carson DeMartini, Matt Kroon and Carson Taylor all going yard in the six games played to date and pitchers like RH Jean Cabrera and Andrew Bechtold turning heads with their performances. Skipper Rob Thomson acknowledged the burgeoning talent level in the minor league system on yesterday’s game broadcast. A successful organization has the ability to develop depth and consistency - in my time as one who has dedicated covering player development the past ten years this group of players has the most potential within it - that wasn’t accomplished by accident, just sayin. That’s good stuff!
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
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