CLEARWATER, Fla — Jake Cave has no idea where he’s going to be in a month. That’s just an occupational hazard of being a professional ballplayer, one that’s playing out in real time for the 31-year-old.
Seemingly, Cave is competing with Cristian Pache and non-roster invitee David Dahl for the final spot on the Philadelphia Phillies bench. Unless the Phillies option Johan Rojas to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to open the season, there’s a very real chance that just one of that trio will still be in the organization in a few weeks.
Cave and Pache are both out of minor-league options, and each would likely be claimed on waivers if designated for assignment. Dahl has had some impressive moments this spring, which the former All-Star may be able to parlay into an opportunity with another team if the Phillies don’t ultimately find a way to add him to their Opening Day roster.
The uncertainty of his future with the Phillies is something that Cave has chosen not to focus on.
“It’s one of those things [where] it’s completely out of my control,” Cave said in a conversation with Phillies Nation Friday morning. “If I go out there and show that I can do what I can, show that I can swing the bat and play a bunch of different positions.
“You know, obviously I’d love to be Opening Day with the Phillies,” Cave continued. “But if it’s with somebody else, then it’s with somebody else. It’s just kinda one of those things that I can’t control. I’d love to be a Phillie, I love being here. But if they don’t value me on the roster and somebody else does, that’s what it is.”
There’s not only a stability aspect at stake for Cave — who appeared in 65 games for the Phillies a season ago — but a financial component. According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, only $500,000 of Cave’s $1 million salary for 2024 is guaranteed.
With so much at stake personally, does Cave hang on every at-bat that Pache and Dahl have, knowing their results will directly impact his future?
“No, I don’t think about that at all,” Cave said. “Because, I mean, I’ve been in every situation you can think of. I’ve come into Spring Training knowing that I’ve got a spot. I’ve come into Spring Training with options, knowing that I probably don’t have a spot. I’ve come into Spring Training not on the [40-man] roster. I’ve done it all.
“So that kind of thing, I don’t think about that at all, especially when it comes to competing with your own teammates. You know what I mean? Those guys, I cheer for them. They cheer for me. That’s just kind of how shit goes.”
Of course, Cave was unconscious at Triple-A Lehigh Valley a year ago, homering 16 times and driving in 49 runs in just 237 at-bats for the IronPigs. MVP-caliber production in the International League didn’t necessarily carry over to the majors, though. While Cave had five home runs and 21 RBIs, he hit just .212 with a .620 OPS in 65 games with the Phillies. It’s difficult to know how much to make of Spring Training results, but Cave has four hits in his first 14 at-bats of Grapefruit League play this year, despite an 0-for-3 Friday against the Houston Astros.
If the Phillies want a left-handed hitter on their bench, beyond backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, that would seemingly give Cave an edge over Pache, an 80-grade fielder who is a right-handed hitter without much of a track record of success hitting MLB pitching. But Dahl is also left-handed, and has two home runs on his resume this spring. If the No. 1 priority in the final bench spot is getting a left-handed hitter that can make an impact off the bench, Dahl might be the best bet.
Cave’s best case is going to be his positional versatility. He’s not Pache defensively, few are. But Cave can play all three outfield positions, and added first base to his repertoire in 2023. He posted three defensive runs saved a year ago between the two corner outfield spots.
“I don’t like to play GM or anything like that, but I’ve been working a lot at first base,” Cave said. “If Bryce [Harper] ever needs a break over there, I feel comfortable over there. I’ve been, especially this spring, left, center and right, I’ve played all three positions in the outfield. I’m playing center field today. If that’s my role, to be a guy that gives guys breaks, then I love it. I’m completely fine with that. And if something happens and I get more playing time, then that’s even better.
“So that’s just the way I look at it,” Cave continued. “Just show value … show that there’s multiple positions that I can play … show there’s some spark in my bat. Just show those kind of things, and you can’t play GM.”
If Cave can show a few flashes at the plate the remainder of the spring, his positional versatility could carry him to a roster spot on a World Series contender. If the Phillies elect to keep Pache or Dahl over him, Cave will likely be somewhere else in the country on another team in a couple of weeks. Such is life when you’re vying for one of the final spots on an MLB roster.
The Nuggets
- Taijuan Walker (right knee soreness) feels good and will start Saturday vs. the Toronto Blue Jays. The plan is for the 31-year-old to throw two innings.
- Orion Kerkering hasn’t pitched in a week, but that’s because he caught the bug that has been going around the locker room. The Phillies didn’t have any new players show symptoms today, and are hopeful the worst is behind them. Kerkering was back at the complex today, and the Phillies are hopeful to make a plan for when he returns to game action tomorrow.
- J.T. Realmuto had the best stretch of his career in the second half of the 2022 season, hitting .307 with a .949 OPS.
What happened right before the 2022 All-Star Break? He wasn’t eligible to play in a two-game series in Toronto because of his vaccination status. The Phillies then had an off day Thursday, and Realmuto returned for a three-game sweep of the Miami Marlins on the weekend of July 15-17. And then the Phillies had four more days off because of the All-Star Break. Realmuto had already started to heat up before a period with quite a bit of rest, but he returned from the All-Star Break and put together the best half of baseball in his career.
But Realmuto pushed back on the theory that more rest in 2024 could help him in his age-33 season.
“No, it had nothing to do with that. It had everything to do with my swing,” Realmuto said of his second half surge in 2022.
Fair enough.
- Reliever Gregory Soto had an uneven first season with the Phillies, but looked dominant in Friday’s Grapefruit League game against the Astros, striking out the side in an inning of work.
Soto seems primed for a big second season with the Phillies. The reality is that his first season was probably better than it was given credit for.
His 4.62 ERA would lead you to believe he struggled. But 23 of the 31 earned runs he gave up last season came across eight multi-run outings. Those outings were bad, no question. But Soto was often excellent in his 61 other appearances in 2023. Left-handed batters hit just .127 off of the southpaw.
The 29-year-old believes he has a plan for limiting the big innings that weighed down an otherwise impressive campaign a season ago.
“I’m being more focused now,” Soto said through a team interpreter. “As you mentioned, there were only a few appearances, five or six, in which I did wrong. So this focus that I have right now is whenever I go to pitch and we get that second out, just try and end it. And be focused whenever we have runners on base, so we can end those performances on a good note.”
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