Phillies Mailbag: Roster Makeup, 2008 Comparison, Camargo’s Play

We are back once again with the 97.3 ESPN Phillies Mailbag.  We take your questions and talk about them on the Sports Bash with Mike Gill on Tuesdays at 2:40 p.m.  Tune in to hear your questions answered on the air.

Who are the 27th and 28th players on the Phillies roster? When do they go to a 26 man roster?
~John

Well, the Phillies did not need to designate particular players as the 27th and 28th players; they simply needed to just keep the roster at 28.   The Phillies have as many teams are doing, added two extra relievers.

Sam Coonrod's placement on the injured list meant that he could not make the team.  So really that left three extra spots that the Phillies had to fill on the bullpen side.  The top four relievers were going to make the team: Corey Knebel, Brad Hand, Jeurys Famliia, and Seranthony Dominguez.  Also Jose Alvarado and Connor Brogdon, along with Bailey Falter, who was not needed in the starting rotation.

Therefore there was space for Nick Nelson, who earned a spot with his strong Spring play, Cristopher Sanchez, who also might have started if there was a need, and Damon Jones from the left side.

So take your pick as to who counts as 27 and 28.

The rosters will go back to 26 on May 1.  Teams will be limited to 13 pitchers, so the Phillies will have to subtract two relievers.  Jones and Sanchez have minor league options and might be the first ones optioned.

However, there is word of a pending Phillies roster move that could involve South Jersey native Jeff Singer, so it is a reminder that we will need to see what the roster looks like when the moment comes..

Is this Phillies lineup better than 2008?
~Dan

I tend to prefer 2008's lineup as of right now.  To me, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard were generational talents.   I might put Bryce Harper in that category today.   But, even though I like Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber a great deal, it's hard to give 2022 the nod.

One complication in comparing the two is that the current Phillies lineup also has a designated hitter.  If the Phillies had the designated hitter back in 2008, I would think the lineup would feature Jim Thome and Howard.  Thome hit 34 home runs in 2008 while putting up an .865 OPS.

I do think that this lineup has more question marks than the 2008 bunch.  Right now center field has no clear occupant.  Both Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott have a lot to prove in the major leagues.  And let us not forget that Didi Gregorius is coming off of an injury that hurt his performance last year.

I have a hard time finding a weak spot in the 2008 Phillies lineup.  With Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz hitting seventh and eighth, respectively, who produced throughout the season, I think it's hard to give the 2022 group the not now.  However, this lineup will score a lot of runs.

With Johan Camargo's solid play and Bryson Stott's upside, who are the Phillies looking to for a trade, and what is Bohm's value?
~Van

I do not think the Phillies are looking to unload anyone at all.  Johan Camargo has already shown he's a valuable piece.  The Phillies started him at third base on ground ball-inducing Zach Eflin for some extra defense.  He also made some late-inning appearances already to shore up a lead.

While I realize the three errors and comments by Alec Bohm on Monday night have rattled some fans, it's important that the Phillies try to work their way to Bohm's upside.  Even should Bryson Stott take hold of an infield position, the Phillies will still have to staff two more positions in 2023.

It would be wonderful if Bohm can work out his defensive issues and take one of those spots.

Meanwhile, Camargo is a nice bench piece, who fills the role that Freddy Galvis finished the 2021 season in.  While he had ample opportunity to be a starter in Atlanta, he was unable to show he fit in that role there.  So I do not think the Phillies would hand a starting job to Camargo.

They might like to keep him around, though.