Update: Non-Rostered Invitees – Pitchers
Posted by Ian Riccaboni, Sat, March 17, 2012 10:12 AM Comments: 4
Can Scott Elarton complete his comeback by winning a Major League roster spot? Photo: AP
As Spring Training’s third calendar week comes to a close, the Phils have fourteen non-rostered invitees still in camp. On Wednesday, the Phils reassigned four (Dave Bush, Austin Hyatt, Pat Misch, and BJ Rosenberg) of the original ten pitching invitees to Minor League camp. We’ll take a look at the six remaining pitchers and reassess their chances of cracking the big league club. Our original preview can be found here. The remaining six pitchers are listed alphabetically for your convenience.
What I originally wrote:
Elarton comes with an impressive pedigree: former first-round pick out of high school. But, that was in 1994, turns 36 next Wednesday, and Elarton has not played affiliated ball in the US since he posted an 8.24 ERA in 19.2 innings for Triple-A Charlotte in 2010. I also have a sneaking suspicion either he or a family friend routinely edits his Wikipedia page based on all of the superlatives currently on it.
Projected Role: Likely released out of camp
Chances of Making Phils out of Spring Training: None
Chances of Seeing Time with Phils in 2012: Zero
What has changed?
Elarton had, by far, one of the most entertaining Wikipedia pages of all time. Perhaps at the end of the year, his comeback story may be something else to put on there. While by no means a lock to make the roster, Elarton has played his way into at least a spot at Lehigh Valley if not more with his Spring performance. His 8 IP rank 5th on the Phils out of 30 and his 0.75 WHIP is second on the Phils among starters, only behind Kendrick’s more astounding 0.48. Opponents are hitting just .185 against him. Elarton has gone from one-in-a-million to one-in-a-thousand; I would love to eat my words on what could be the Rocky Balboa out of camp. Take caution: there is a still a long way to go and plenty of righties ahead of him. Updated grades: D+ and C-.
