LVII Phillies nuggets for the Super Bowl: Harper’s elbow, a former star’s comeback, and more

While we wait for the big game, here are updates on all things Phillies with spring training looming.

Bryce Harper isn't expected to swing a bat until March, but the Phillies will report next week for spring training in Clearwater, Fla.Read moreJose F. Moreno/ Staff Photographer

Published Feb. 10, 2023, 5:00 a.m. ET

E-A-G- ... wait, what? Pitchers and catchers report next week?

True. Once the Eagles and Chiefs settle Super Bowl LVII, mitts will begin poppin’ across Florida and Arizona. Until then, LVII Phillies/baseball notes:

I. Bryce Harper is in the strengthening phase of rehabbing from elbow surgery 11 weeks ago. He’s targeting mid-March to swing a bat. The Phillies are maintaining a “by the All-Star break” timetable for his return, initially as a DH.

II. Shohei Ohtani went 218 days from the operating table to DHing for the Angels in 2018 after Tommy John surgery. If Harper takes exactly 218 days, he would return June 29. Knowing Harper, bet the under.

III. Even if Harper is out until the break, he could play in half of the 26 games vs. the Mets and Braves. Only seven of the Phillies’ first 56 games — and 13 of 78 — are against their chief NL East rivals.

IV. The schedule is different, with a series against every team and 24 fewer games in the division. The Phillies won’t miss the extra clashes with the Mets and Braves, but also can’t bully the Nationals as often.

V. Schedule quirks: (a) 20 of the Phillies’ first 37 games are against AL teams; (b) three of the first 49 are against NL East clubs.

VI. Cole Hamels is “reviewing offers,” a source said this week, after a showcase last month. The erstwhile Phillies ace, who hasn’t pitched since 2020, is attempting a comeback at age 39.

VII. The NL East last season was the fourth division since 1995 with two 100-win teams (Braves, Mets) — and the first ever with a third team (Phillies) that won the pennant.

VIII. Maybe that explains why the Phillies’ over-under win total is 86.5, according to Vegas Insider, even though they added Trea Turner to an 87-win team.

IX. Turner’s sprint speed as a rookie in 2016: 30.2 feet/second; last season: 30.3. Talk about not losing a step.

X. Heard the Phillies have contacted newly elected Hall of Famer Scott Rolen about honoring him this summer. It’s unclear which hat he will wear into Cooperstown — Phillies, Cardinals, or no logo, a la Greg Maddux.

XI. The Phillies haven’t decided how to salute Rolen. Here’s an idea: Rhys Hoskins pulls off No. 17 and returns it to Rolen, as Boston Bruins great Ray Bourque famously did with No. 7 for Phil Esposito. YouTube it, kids.

XII. Nice touch by the Phillies to give away Dick Allen bobbleheads on June 9. They should send a few to the Hall of Fame committee that takes up the late Allen’s case in 2024.

XIII. Despite the deep playoff run, the Phillies didn’t change much about their pitchers’ offseason programs. “We actually encouraged them to start throwing even a little earlier than they normally do,” pitching coach Caleb Cotham said, “but just ramp the intensity way slower.”

XIV. Pitcher A: 3.38 ERA, 1.139 WHIP, 23.2% K rate in 1,295 innings.

XV. Pitcher B: 3.60 ERA, 1.125 WHIP, 27.5% K rate in 1,228⅓ innings.

XVI. Hamels (Pitcher A) when he got a six-year, $144 million contract extension from the Phillies at age 28.

XVII. Aaron Nola (Pitcher B) entering his age-30 season. GM Sam Fuld said there’s been “loose dialogue” with Nola about an extension. Talks could accelerate in spring training. Nola is eligible for free agency after the season.

XVIII. Mariners ace Luis Castillo sidestepped free agency with a five-year, $108 million extension last year. But the market boomed this winter. Nola’s value may be more in line with Carlos Rodón’s six-year, $162 million Yankees deal.

XIX. Among Cotham’s goals for new No. 4 starter Taijuan Walker: to be “stronger at the end than the beginning.” Last year, Walker had a 2.55 ERA before the All-Star break, 4.80 after; in 2021: 2.66 before, 7.13 after.

XX. Innings pitched and ERA since 2020: Walker, 369⅔, 3.80; Zach Eflin, 240⅓, 4.08. The Phillies gave Walker a four-year, $72 million contract after Eflin took three years, $40 million from Tampa Bay.

XXI. Eflin and outgoing Kyle Gibson, Corey Knebel, Brad Hand, Noah Syndergaard, Jeurys Familia, and David Robertson totaled 445 innings last year. Walker and incoming Craig Kimbrel, Gregory Soto, and Matt Strahm combined for 322⅓. The difference underscores the opportunity for Andrew Painter, Bailey Falter, Griff McGarry, etc.

XXII. If Painter makes the opening-day rotation, as some team officials expect, and pitches before his birthday (April 10), he will be the first teenager to start for the Phillies since Mark Davis in 1980.

XXIII. The last 19-year-old to start in the majors was the Dodgers’ Julio Urías in 2016. Urías, Madison Bumgarner, Félix Hernández, and Edwin Jackson are the only pitchers since 2000 to start at 19.

XXIV. Rick Porcello made 31 starts in his age-20 season for Dave Dombrowski’s 2009 Tigers. Jeremy Bonderman made 28 starts at age 20 for Detroit in 2003.

XXV. Porcello’s advice for Painter: “Your age and time is on your side. You don’t have to feel the same pressure as a guy that’s been banging around the minors and is on the verge of making a team or getting cut. Take a deep breath and take it all in stride.”

XXVI. Quiz: Who played for the last two repeat NL pennant winners — 2017-18 Dodgers and 2008-09 Phillies (answer below).

XXVII. Eight Phillies major leaguers will play in the World Baseball Classic next month: J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, and Turner (U.S.); Soto (Dominican Republic); José Alvarado and Ranger Suárez (Venezuela); Walker (Mexico); Garrett Stubbs (Israel).

XXVIII. Teams weren’t supposed to influence players’ decisions about going to the WBC. But the Yankees asked Dominican pitcher Luis Severino to abstain because of his injury history, general manager Brian Cashman said.

XXIX. They won’t say it out loud, but the Phillies must be thrilled Seranthony Domínguez decided against pitching for the Dominican Republic. He missed a month last season with triceps tendinitis.

XXX. From the “stuff that doesn’t make sense” file: As MLB implements several seismic changes, including the pitch timer and a ban on infield shifts, the new rules won’t take effect in the WBC.

XXXI. Schwarber faced a shift 91% of the time last season and stands to gain 12 hits this year, according to Statcast. Twelve additional hits last year would’ve hiked his average from .218 to .239.

XXXII. The shift restrictions don’t encompass outfield alignment. Which team will be first to move the left fielder to short right field and dare a lefty-hitting slugger to go the other way? Our guess: the Rays.

XXXIII. Of the new rules, the pitch timer worries Rob Thomson most. To get pitchers and hitters to break lollygagging habits, many teams, including the Phillies, will use stopwatches and buzzers in spring-training bullpen sessions and batting practice.

XXXIV. The Phillies paid $2,882,657 in luxury tax last year on a $244,413,284 payroll, according to the Associated Press’ accounting. They’re nearing the second-tier threshold ($253 million), which would add a 12% surcharge to the base-level rate hike from 20% to 30%.

XXXV. Quiz answer: Chase Utley.

XXXVI. It sounds like Turner will lead off, at least while Harper is out. Thomson: “His on-base skill is something that we didn’t have last year. It’s always nice to have a high on-base guy in front of those [power] guys.”

XXXVII. Turner’s OPS by batting order position: 1st — .841 (2,176 plate appearances); 2nd — .852 (1,065 PAs); 3rd — .877 (388 PAs).

XXXVIII. Left-hander Kyle Hart signed a minor-league deal with the Phillies this week. He grew up playing summer ball with Schwarber and was his roommate in college at Indiana.

XXXIX. Phillies non-roster invitees with local ties: infielder Jim Haley (Bonner-Prendergast, Penn State); reliever Billy Sullivan (St. Mark’s High in Wilmington, University of Delaware).

XL. Josh Ockimey, a Neumann Goretti product, took a scouting job with the Red Sox. He retired with 113 minor league homers, including 17 last season in the Phillies system.

XLI. The Phillies hired Sarah Edwards to coach hitting in the rookie-level Florida Complex League. A former softball player at Hofstra and overseas in Italy and New Zealand, she will be the first female coach in club history.

XLII. Player A: 2,461 hits; 377 HR; 123 OPS+; five-time All-Star second baseman; 1 MVP; 0 World Series titles; 55.4 WAR.

XLIII. Player B: 1,885 hits; 259 HR; 117 OPS+; six-time All-Star second baseman; 0 MVPs; 1 World Series title; 64.5 WAR.

XLIV. Jeff Kent (Player A) maxed out at 46.5% of the vote in his 10th and final year on the Hall of Fame ballot.

XLV. Utley (Player B) will be on next year’s ballot.

XLVI. Barring injuries, the Phillies have two roster openings for Dalton Guthrie and lefty-hitting Darick Hall, Kody Clemens, and Jake Cave.

XLVII. Hall should have an inside track after slugging .522 with nine homers in 136 at-bats last season. But the DH/first baseman’s lack of versatility may hurt him.

XLVIII. Nobody will confuse Clemens, an infielder acquired last month from Detroit, with his famous father, Roger. But he made seven appearances as a pitcher last year and struck out Ohtani.

XLIX. Phillies third-base coach Dusty Wathan’s dad, John, was the Royals’ catcher in 1980, the last time Kansas City and Philadelphia met for a championship.

L. Technically, Expos/Nationals catcher Tom Brady was the last player from the 1995 draft class to retire. The last to retire from baseball: Carlos Beltrán in 2017.

LI. ‘Tis the season for prospect rankings. Painter and Mick Abel are No. 5 and 40, respectively, on Baseball America’s top 100. MLB.com has them at Nos. 6 and 48, Baseball Prospectus at Nos. 12 and 36.

LII. The only other Phillies prospect on a top-100 ranking is McGarry, No. 51 on Prospectus’ list.

LIII. Former Phillies prospects Curtis Mead and Logan O’Hoppe, traded for Cristopher Sánchez and Brandon Marsh, respectively, are ranked Nos. 36 and 42 by Baseball America.

LIV. Nick Castellanos will be a massive Phillies storyline. “He’s hit for a lot of years in a row. It just doesn’t go away overnight,” Thomson said. “I’m expecting a bigger year out of him.”

LV. Castellanos’ average exit velocity slipped to 87.5 mph last season. His career average is 89.1 mph.

LVI. The Phillies will receive their NL championship rings on Easter Sunday, April 9.

LVII. Eagles 28, Chiefs 24. Enjoy the game.