Who will break camp with the Phillies?
- Sabrina Workman
- Mar 16
- 4 min read
It is only the middle of March, so here’s my way-too-early and probably subject to change Opening Day Roster. The Phillies will start the season with a 26 man roster, so let’s start with what we know, shall we…
Our five infield starters:
1- JT Realmuto at Catcher - he is expected to once again be the main catcher. His backup is a continuing storyline that I’ll touch on later.
2- Bryce Harper at 1B - while he is the opening day starter, he has said he is willing to switch positions if needed for a big first baseman bat.
3-Bryson Stott at 2B
4-Trea Turner at SS
5-Alec Bohm at 3B
As far as our outfield, it is a little trickier. It’s unclear if there will be a platoon, or 3 main outfielders with a backup. Let’s assume we’re using 3 everyday players for this:
6- Max Kepler in LF - The new addition to the team is shaping up to be a great bargain. He’s on a 10 million/1 year contract, and if Spring Training is any indication, he’s worth it. In just 25 at bats this spring- his impressive statistics included a .360 batting average, a .484 on-base percentage, and an .800 slugging percentage. He did leave today’s game (3/16) after a collision with the wall.
7- Brandon Marsh in CF - While Marsh was sat often against left-handed-pitching last season, I believe that he will only improve with time at the plate. That’s why I have Marsh as my main CF. Marsh also left today’s game (3/16) after some missed plays in the field and tweaking his ankle and knee.
8- Nick Castellanos in RF - Perhaps the only consistent everyday outfield player for certain. While Castellanos might be streaky at the plate, his defense in the field is pretty good.
And of course, our everyday designated hitter:
9- Kyle Schwarber
So we’ve got our starters, let’s jump into the pitchers. Every year it seems to be the same song and dance. Sign a few relievers, and keep the rotation similar. Let’s see how it looks to pan out.
The starting rotation:
10- Zack Wheeler (2.57 ERA in ’24)
11- Aaron Nola (3.57 ERA in ’24)
12-Jesus Luzardo - Acquired from the Marlins in a trade for LF Emmarion Boyd and SS Starlyn Caba, Luzardo had some injuries last year and had a 5.00 ERA. His career ERA is 4.29
13-Ranger Suarez (3.46 ERA in ’24)
14- Cristopher Sanchez (3.32 ERA in ’24)
And now for our Bullpen, these players are the ones projected to break with the team, and I don't disagree:
15-Jose Alvarado - He’s touching over 100mph on his pitches in March and he has a 0.00 ERA so far. His ERA of 4.09 last year was a little concerning, but he seems to have turned a corner.
16 - Orion Kerkering - The kid had a 2.29 ERA last year and big moments didn’t seem to scare him.
17 -Jordan Romano - While Romano is coming off an injury plagued season last year (6.59) his career ERA is 2.90.
18 - Matt Strahm - A constant piece of the bullpen last year, as long as he is healthy, hopefully his 1.87 ERA from last year can continue!!
19- Tanner Banks (traded from the White Sox last summer, ERA of 3.98 last year)
20- Joe Ross (signed in Free Agency, Last Year’s ERA - 3.77)
21 -Jose Ruiz (3.71 ERA last season)
Now there's one more pitching spot, and unfortunately it seems like its held by:
22 - Taijuan Walker
Walker is owed money for the next two years because of his contract. Walker had a 7.10 ERA in 19 games last year. His spring training ERA through 9.1 innings is 3.86. It seems promising, but is it too good to be true?
And now for our bench:
23- Edmundo Sosa, INF
Sosa is a lock, and the only confirmed one on the bench. He can play all over the infield and they're even testing him out in CF too.
Now there's three more spots left, one is spoken for as the backup catcher spot, but which catcher will come north with the team?
24 - Rafael Marchan - Catcher
As much as I love Garrett Stubbs, it’s gonna be Marchan who breaks camp with the team. Marchan has 0 options left, while Stubbs still has one. In order to keep them both on the team, this seems to be the best option.
Ok, that leaves 2 bench Spots. Being aware of options is the key here.
Johan Rojas has 2 options left.
Cal Stevenson has 1 option left.
Buddy Kennedy & Kody Clemens both have no options left.
Now, if Weston Wilson didn’t get injured, I can almost guarantee he would have broken camp with the team. But since he’s out, I think the Phillies best options are to bring Clemens and Kennedy back to Philadelphia. Neither have options left, Clemens can play the outfield if needed, and Buddy Kennedy has been getting great at-bats this spring.
This allows the Phillies to keep Rojas and Stevenson, and if injuries require them, easily bring them to Philadelphia.
So here's how I'm picturing our 2025 Philadelphia Phillies start the season:
PITCHERS (13)
-Jose Alvarado
-Tanner Banks
-Orion Kerkering
-Jesus Luzardo
-Aaron Nola
-Jordan Romano
-Joe Ross
-Jose Ruiz
-Cristopher Sanchez
-Matt Strahm
-Ranger Suarez
-Taijuan Walker
-Zack Wheeler
POSITION PLAYERS (12)
CATCHERS
-Rafael Marchan
-JT Realmuto
INFIELDERS
-Alec Bohm
-Bryce Harper
-Bryson Stott
-Trea Turner
OUTFIELDERS
-Nick Castellanos
-Max Kepler
-Brandon Marsh
BENCH
-Edmundo Sosa
-Buddy Kennedy
-Kody Clemens
DESIGNATED HITTER (1)
-Kyle Schwarber
And as always, Let’s Go Phillies!
Awesome write up!!