Phillies news and rumors 2/28: Cristian Pache a way-too-early Spring Training standout

There are not many spots up for grabs on the Phillies’ Opening Day roster, so if we’re going to overanalyze anyone’s Spring Training — especially anyone’s Spring Training through exactly two games — let it be someone fighting for one of the few.

Cristian Pache, battling for the last spot on the Phillies’ bench, is giving us some early reasons to do so. It’s an odd proclamation to make a day after Pache went 0-for-3 in his second Spring Training game, but sometimes, all you have is all you have.

Pache has had five plate appearances so far this spring, and despite varying results — a homer, a single, a lineout and two groundouts — the common theme has been hard contact. Statcast defines a “hard-hit ball” as anything 95 mph or greater off the bat, and in that regard, Pache is batting .800.

If we’re hellbent on stretching this further into a storyline already, all of Pache’s plate appearances (and all the hard contact) has come against righties. He struggled mightily against right-handed pitching last season, hitting .121 with a .449 OPS compared to .314 and .924 against southpaws.

It’s not anything to write home about (even if we are, indeed, writing about it). The non-hard-hit ball had a launch angle of 1 degree, the fringe-hard-hit one negative 16. He’s 2-for-5. In the grand scheme of things, it isn’t much.

But frankly, in that last bench role, or in whoever’s complementing Brandon Marsh/Johan Rojas if either is down on a given day, the Phillies aren’t expecting much. They’re expecting passable and hoping for average. Pache is providing early — way, way early — glimpses that perhaps he can provide it.

Must-read Phillies content

• Phillies Nation’s Destiny Lugardo dropped her first Opening Day lineup projection, which includes predictions for the (moderately) intriguing roster competitions still outstanding.
• Our Ty Daubert wrote about the great story of Nick Podkul’s return to action following a serious injury last July that cut short a breakout year.
• Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia featured Darick Hall’s attempt to regain prominence in the Phillies’ roster plans.
• Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote about Rojas’ “win-a-job” mentality
  in camp, plus some notes on Merrifield and Mick Abel.
• The Athletic’s Matt Gelb wrote about Paco Ball, which is taking over Phillies camp.
• David Buchanan apologized to Bryce Harper. Why? Todd Zolecki explains at MLB.com.

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