Around the League: March 27-31 - philliesfan136's Dynasty

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Around the League: March 27-31

Posted on June 19, 2011 at 09:31 PM.

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With the season set to start, the Phils picked up a few veterans to shore up their AAA roster and to have good depth when the time comes. Here's an update on the Phillies signings over the past week:

The team signed C Bengie Molina to a minor league contract.
When asked what role Molina would serve, GM Nick Puleo said he expects it to be determined by how Molina bats in the minors. "We know he's (Molina) a good catcher on the defensive side, but we need to see if he has anything left on the batting side."
If Molina bats well, he could be the backup to Carlos Ruiz this year over Brian Schneider, though the Phillies will probably look towards getting a backup catcher through the draft or wait until free agency after the season.

Infield additions include 1B/3B Troy Glaus and 3B/1B Hank Blalock, who also signed on to minor league deals. Puleo commented on the two saying this: "Troy (Glaus) and Hank (Blalock) are two experienced veterans that we see as good hitters who have some power, and if they have something left in the tank, you could see them off the bench at some point this year."

The team also re-signed OF Cory Sullivan, who was released earlier in the spring.The AAA Ironpigs have plenty of outfield depth, so unless the Phillies are planning on sending him to AA Reading, he probably won't get enough playing time for them to see if he can reach the majors again. He's probably just in AAA to fill the roster for now, but he is fairly young, so it's not surprising that they took a flier on him.

The last slew of additions include righties Tyler Walker, Thomas Diamond, and Fernando Nieve.
Walker pitched for the Phils in 2009 and we could see him this year, but he is 34 and likely won't be a difference-maker. Diamond pitched for the Cubs AAA affiliate last year. He hasn't been too successful in his career although he's only 27, and still has potential. Nieve pitched for the Mets' AAA affiliate last year and was released by the Astros' and Pirates' AAA teams earlier this year. He is 28 and has pitched with the Mets and Astros over the past 4 years. He will be in AAA for insurance, but we probably won't see him in he big leagues this year.

That wraps up the first edition of Around the League. The next edition will be for April 1st to the 9th.

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