Phillies invite four additional players to Spring Training

December 18, 2013

The Phillies have invited four additional players to major league spring training as non-roster invitees, the club announced today.

Tony Gwynn Jr., OF - Gwynn played in 107 games with triple-A Albuquerque last season, batting .300 with a .393 on-base percentage, 12 doubles, five triples and 27 RBI in 333 at-bats. The seven-year major league veteran has a .244 career average in 605 games between the Milwaukee Brewers (2006-08), San Diego Padres (2009-10) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2011-12). Since 2010, Gwynn has posted a combined .996 fielding percentage in the majors between all three outfield positions, committing just two errors in 470 total chances (316 games). He is the son of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn and nephew of former major league outfielder Chris Gwynn. The 31-year-old was originally selected by the Brewers in the second round of the June 2003 draft.
Lou Marson, C - In 2013, Marson appeared in just 12 combined games between the Cleveland Indians, triple-A Columbus and double-A Akron due to injury. The 27-year-old has compiled a .219 career batting average in parts of six seasons in the majors with the Philadelphia Phillies (2008-09) and Cleveland Indians (2009-13). He has thrown out 27.6 percent of potential base stealers while posting a .993 fielding percentage in 259 career games behind the plate. Marson was originally selected by the Phillies in the fourth round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft and was a 2008 Paul Owens Award winner, which recognizes the best pitcher and position player in the Phillies minor league system. In July of 2009, he was traded to the Indians, along with pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Jason Knapp and infielder Jason Donald, for left-hander Cliff Lee.
Sean O'Sullivan, RHP - O'Sullivan, 26, spent the majority of last season with triple-A Tucson, going 8-5 with a 3.83 ERA in 20 starts. He also appeared in seven games with the San Diego Padres, including three starts, where he went 0-2 with a 3.96 ERA in 25.0 innings. The San Diego, Calif., native has pitched in 50 career major league games (37 starts) between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2009-10), Kansas City Royals (2010-11) and Padres (2013), going 10-16 with a 5.89 ERA in 218.2 innings. Additionally, in 164 career minor league games (148 starts), O'Sullivan is 72-40 with a 3.91 ERA in 892.2 innings. He was originally selected by the Angels in the third round of the June 2005 draft and is the brother of current Phillies minor leaguer, Ryan O'Sullivan.
Dave Sappelt, OF - The 26-year-old Sappelt split the 2013 season between the Chicago Cubs and triple-A Iowa. He batted .240 in 31 games with Chicago and .252 in 90 games with Iowa while playing all three outfield positions for each team. Through 95 career major league games between the Cincinnati Reds (2011) and Cubs (2012-13), Sappelt has a .251 average, including a .295 average against left-handed pitchers, while posting a .992 fielding percentage. In 2010, Sappelt was named the Reds Minor League Hitter of the Year and the Southern League's Most Valuable Player, as he combined to hit .342 with 32 doubles, 11 triples, 10 homers, 74 RBI and 25 stolen bases between three minor league levels. Cincinnati selected Sappelt in the ninth round of the June 2008 draft out of Coastal Carolina University.

To date, the Phillies have invited a total of 11 players to major league spring training in 2014 as non-roster invitees:

Pitchers (4): Shawn Camp, Cesar Jimenez, Jeff Manship, Sean O'Sullivan
Catchers (1): Lou Marson
Infielders (2): Reid Brignac, Andres Blanco
Outfielders (4): Leandro Castro, Tony Gwynn Jr., Dave Sappelt, Clete Thomas