Goeddel hoping for chance in crowded picture
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Tyler Goeddel should be accustomed to the lack of playing time at this point.But he went 1-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs in Tuesday afternoon's 9-0 victory over the Braves in a Grapefruit League game at Spectrum Field. Goeddel has just 20 at-bats this spring, the
CLEARWATER, Fla. --
But he went 1-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs in Tuesday afternoon's 9-0 victory over the Braves in a Grapefruit League game at Spectrum Field. Goeddel has just 20 at-bats this spring, the fewest of any outfielder that has been in camp other than
"We've seen Tyler before," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin explained.
Goeddel made the team last year as a Rule 5 Draft pick, but this year it's hard to know where he fits. He is on the 40-man roster, which makes him a consideration for a bench job. But the Phillies also have non-roster invitees Chris Coghlan and
"I know there are a lot of guys in there fighting for just a couple spots," Goeddel said of the Opening Day roster. "They're going to have some tough decisions to make."
Goeddel hit .192 (41-for-213) with three doubles, three triples, four home runs, 16 RBIs and a .549 OPS in 92 games last season. But in a 24-game stretch from May 4 through June 3, he hit .288 (23-for-80) with two doubles, three triples, three home runs, nine RBIs and an .837 OPS. His strikeout rate dropped to 11.4 percent in May, when he played regularly. He struck out in 27.7 percent of his remaining plate appearances.
To put that into perspective,
"I need to do a better job of cutting down my strikeouts, if I'm not playing a lot," Goeddel said. "I need to work on that, but it's definitely easier to get in a rhythm the more you're out there."
Goeddel showed that rhythm in May, but then he vanished.
Quinn joined the team in September and he started 14 times because he is one of the Phillies' top prospects.
But then Goeddel also sat on the bench in nine games that
"I never dealt with that until last season," Goeddel said about the lack of playing time. "But you learn from everything. To be in the big leagues you have to embrace whatever role you have. If I'm in that role again, I'll do the best I can and continue to work at it."
"Because he's on the 40-man roster he's in the mix," Mackanin said. "We've got so many decisions to make for a couple of spots. It's going to be tough. It's going to take the rest of the spring for us to really zero in on a couple of guys. It's going to be interesting the rest of the way."
Todd Zolecki has covered the Phillies since 2003, and for MLB.com since 2009. Follow him on Twitter and listen to his podcast.