Well, the positions for the infield are pretty much a lock. Chase Utley is signed through 2013 and Jimmy Rollins through 2011. Ryan Howard is arbitration eligible again this year and will probably fetch somewhere in the 13-15 mil range. Third base will once again be anchored by a platoon of Pedro Feliz and Gregg Dobbs. All is well in these regards.
Catcher is a little trickier. Carlos Ruiz will undoubtedly be the everyday starter in the 2009 season. After having an outstanding post season, "Chooch" has more than earned that role. Furthermore, Ruiz seems to call a good game and defensively, he may well be one of the tops in the league. With Lidge making his money throwing a nasty slider that often finds the dirt, Ruiz is a valuable commodity in late inning situations. The trickiness comes on the depth chart.
The 33 year old rookie, Chris Coste, is getting another year older, and one has to wonder if all of the years spent jumping around the minor leagues has taken a serious toll on him. Kept on the team as a consistent bat in the line-up, his offensive numbers were down this year and his defense leaves very little to be desired. Coste has certainly earned another year in pinstripes, but I can not imagine using him for anything more than another bat coming off of the bench. With Dobbs and Stairs batting from the left side, Coste gives them a nice right handed option for Charlie Manuel to bat against lefties. There are two X-factors, Lou Marson and Jason Jaramillo.
Lou Marson seems to be ready to make the 25 man roster come spring, and Jason Jaramillo appears to be only a year or two away himself. Marson is also a right handed hitter who shows he may have a little pop in his swing. He loses points for lack of experience, but as a back up, that's not a terrible thing. He is too good to keep in the minors and a little big league experience would do the youngster good. Also, if Ruiz has the ability to call a well pitched game, Marson needs to be there to learn that skill for himself. This presents a problem for Coste. Coste has no upside. He is in the twilight of his career and has made the most of the opportunity given to him. He deserves to make the roster come spring but there may be no more room for him. I doubt Coste would accept a minor league assignment again and there may not be any teams willing to take a shot at a career minor leaguer. This could spell the end of the catchers inspiring career. It is a shame. Coste, as he says is taylor made for this city, and the city certainly loves him back. But business is business and the Phillies have to give the rookie a shot. Jason Jaramillo on the other hand is pretty far from making the major league roster and could be a nice cog in any trades the Phillies decide to make over the off season. It should be a nice battle for the back up catcher position this upcoming spring training.
Prediction:
As much as I am pulling for him, I don't think Coste has what it takes to regain the back up position on the roster. Unfortunately, the Phillies will move forward and go with Lou Marson. If Coste does make the team, he will not finish the season with them. With his major league service time piling up, the Phillies just will not want to keep moving in this direction. Although not a sure bet, I do not believe the Phils will keep Coste on strictly as a pinch hitter. If Coste does make the roster, it's only because Marson's inexperience shows it's face too often in spring training. Also, do not look for the Phillies to make any moves for the other infield positions. With Eric" The other guy in the Lidge trade" Brunlett and Tadahito "don't call me So" Iguchi on the bench, the Phillies are more than stacked in the infield barring serious injury to the big three. One more thing, although he is still arbitration eligible, don't be surprised if the Phillies try and sign Howard to a long term deal. On the other side of that coin, don't let it surprise you if Howard turns down an offer and opts to go back to arbitration. If this is the case, it may be a sign of things to come when Howard becomes an unrestricted free agent.
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