DOBBS COMMENTS — Ex-Phillie and current Marlin bench player Greg Dobbs is confident in the new Miami Marlins team this season. In fact, he’s so confident that he now has lofty expectations for his team while taking a page out of the 2007 chapter in Jimmy Rollins’ book.
“A lot of things can happen over the course of 162 games,” Dobbs said. “I want us to be the team to beat and there isn’t any reason we cant be that team with the talent, the character and the personality of this clubhouse.”
It appears Dobbs has forgotten the fact the Phils won 102 games last season, bolstered their bench and still has by far the best rotation within the division.
The Marlins will be battling with the Nationals for third place. Neither teams is in the same class as the Atlanta Braves and none of them are in the same class as the Phillies.
HYATT TO START — Baseball-like activities are upon us. And soon, so will the nine innings of baseball fans have anxiously been waiting for since last October.
To start things off, the Phils will play Florida State University in an exhibition game on Wednesday. Austin Hyatt will lead a cast of young arms to pitch in that game.
The 25-year-old played well with Double-A Reading last season. He posted a 3.85 ERA in 28 starts with 171 strikeouts and 49 walks in 154 1/3 innings. It is likely he starts with Triple-A Lehigh this season.
Also pitching in the game will be Jake Diekman, Jeremy Horst, Michael Schwimer, Joe Savery, J.C. Ramirez, B.J. Rosenberg and Phillippe Aumont. Diekman’s name has already popped up on pitching coach Rich Dubee’s radar and many have high expectations for Ramirez, Savery and Schwimer this season.
The Phillies open Grapefruit League play on Saturday against the Yankees in Clearwater. They will then play again on Sunday in Tampa. Both games will be televised live on the MLB Network.
TTB 