Things are starting to come in to focus a bit down in Clearwater, and you can start to see the outline of what the IronPigs roster might look like when it gets announced, probably next weekend or slightly thereafter as the Phillies get set to open things up in Washington on Thursday afternoon, March 27. That’s just 10 days from today! The IronPigs will kick things off the next day, Friday, March 28, at home versus Scranton to start a weekend series. The Friday game will be a 6:05PM start, then first pitch at 4:05PM on Saturday followed by the normal 1:35PM start on Sunday. The earlier start times will allow for a little more sunlight and perhaps slightly warmer temperatures. It will also give the series a bit of a big-league feel to kick off the season.
Other 2025 IronPigs Resources:
Roster Projection 2.0: HERE
Full Promotional Schedule, day by day: HERE
Introduction: The IronPigs will roll with a Triple-A standard 28-man roster, but will have injured list spots as well as development list spots available for extras. Scroll to the bottom for an accounting of players you are curious about.
Starting Pitchers (5):
RHP Mick Abel
RHP Seth Johnson
RHP Tyler Phillips^^
RHP Kyle Tyler
RHP Alan Rangel
Relief Pitchers (10)
RHP Michael Mercado
RHP Devin Sweet
RHP Koyo Aoyagi
RHP Jose Cuas
RHP Joel Kuhnel
RHP John McMillon
LHP Nick Vespi
RHP Guillo Zuniga
RHP Max Lazar
RHP Jonah DiPoto
Catchers (3)
Garrett Stubbs
Josh Breaux
Payton Henry
Infielders (6)
Carson Taylor
Rodolfo Castro
Rafael Lantigua
Kody Clemens^^
Buddy Kennedy^^
Otto Kemp
Outfielders (4)
Matt Kroon
Gabriel Rincones Jr
Cal Stevenson
Oscar Mercado
Discussion:
In this scenario, Christian Arroyo makes the Phillies as their 26th man awaiting the return of the injured Weston Wilson. Clemens and Kennedy both pass through waivers, as does pitcher Tyler Phillips. Reliever Nabil Crismatt makes the Phillies in place of the injured Matt Strahm.
There’s been a lot of talk about the catcher position and the fact that Rafael Marchan is out of options (really this time) and Stubbs has an option available. This time of the season, I think maintaining depth can be very important, so you wait out injury or ineffectiveness and get Stubbs back up there at some point.
^^ If we follow that logic, then maybe exposing Phillips, Clemens and Kennedy to waivers isn’t so smart. The Phillies may also make an addition–from other teams cuts–to their bullpen or outfield room, which could trickle some things down to the IronPigs.
Another issue to monitor is the arm of OF Johan Rojas. He still has not played in the field this spring due to a shoulder issue. They are being very careful, but he has been in the lineup as the DH a fair few times. He has options and they could send him down to continue to get regular at-bats while he works on a throwing program. Or, they could IL him and leave him in Florida for that, working with the rehab staff there. It probably just depends on how his recovery is going.
Also missing from the last list: McGarry stays in extended Spring, he hasn’t looked great. RHP Nicholas Padilla and RHP Austin Schulffer head to Reading along with veteran AA guys Noah Skirrow and Matt Osterberg. Prospects Moises Chace and Jean Cabrera will join them to open the season, as will their fellow prospects INF Aidan Miller and OF Justin Crawford.
RHP Andrew Painter. I’ve got him starting in extended spring before he comes north to pitch in real baseball games. A lot can happen, but if I’m taking wild guesses, here’s what it might look like:
Friday 4/25: Pitches two innings for Clearwater, at home versus Fort Myers
Friday 5/2: Pitches three innings for Reading, at home versus Harrisburg
Friday 5/9: Pitches 3-4 innings on a pitch count, for IronPigs, at home versus Worcester.
What To Watch
This might be my final IronPigs column until the official opening roster is announced–which still might change prior to the opening game. So watch for these things over the next 10 days:
- Watch for who you think has the inside track on that 26th man. I’ve assumed Clemens but their usage of Arroyo and his baseball history suggest he has a shot. Same with Buddy Kennedy who bats from the right side.
- Watch to see if Rojas plays in the field.
- Watch for I—-. Not speaking that into the world. Knocking on the wooden desk frantically.
- Watch for Claims and Trades impacting the Phillies roster or filling out the IronPigs roster.
Up Next Around Here
Stay tuned for pre-game coverage of home Phantoms games when we can. Once the conflicts with baseball begin, we’ll mostly be there pending weather, of course. There will be some playoff coverage for the Phantoms. We’ll try to get the podcast started again as the season begins. One last thing, gonna try to get folks to make the trip to Reading for the 75th anniversary of their stadium, so look for some extra enticing coverage from Baseballtown.
See you at the park or the arena,
@Kram207