As with a couple of my early articles here, this is adapted from a post on Pro Sports Daily. Since a lot of my followers at this young stage of the blog are probably PSD users, this is nothing new for you.  We will be following the position battles in camp (such that there are) and providing updates as we see fit.

The Phillies enter camp this year with an unusual amount of knowns.  All the starting position players are sorted out.  Even the bench is squared away.  Brian Schneider is our back up catcher.  Greg Dobbs and Ross Gload will accompany him as left handed PH threats.  Ben Francisco is the primary outfield reserve and RH PH and Juan Castro rounds out the bench as the utility infielder.  The pitching staff is similarly well settled.  Halladay, Hamels, Blanton, and Happ are set to be handed starting jobs.  Even the 5th starter, Jamie Moyer, has been named, although that position is undoubtedly less secure.  In the pen, Lidge and Romero look as though they will be getting late starts to spring training, potentially opening a week of time for some youngsters or retreads to wield their craft at the ML level. Accompanying those two in the pen will be Jose Contreras, Ryan Madson, Danys Baez, and Chad Durbin.  Count up all the names I just dropped and the number we get is 24.  There are 24 guys with high job security on the current roster.

This is not to say there are no position battles at camp this year.  Indeed there are many battles that will shape decision making as the season goes on, particularly with the pitching staff.  On the position side, 6th OF has yet to be determined.  Here are the looming position battles as I see them.

6th OF: The battle to be the first guy called up figures to be pretty well matched.  On the prospect front there is Domonic Brown who could start putting pressure on decision makers with a big start to the season.  John Mayberry Jr, Quintin Berry, and a number of non-roster invites headed by DeWayne Wise, Chris Duffy, and recent addition Brad Wilkerson figure to get some looks.  My early money is on Mayberry Jr.  The bench is missing a RH power bat as it is and if a 6th OF is necessary, that probably means that Francisco will be shifted into an everyday gig.  Injuries to a pair of starting outfielders could force Brown into the picture, but otherwise the very earliest I expect to see him is mid ‘11.

Utility INF: Juan Castro is currently in a roster battle with himself.  An unremarkable spring should be enough to seal up that spot given his primary competition appears to be Brian Bocock.   If he’s particularly awful, the Phillies should easily be able to find better chum on the waiver wire as cuts are made.  The decision to commit to Castro as a backup so early in the offseason baffles me.

5th/6th/7th/etc Starter: 5th starter is Jamie Moyer’s job to lose, but given his injuries this offseason and his performance last year, he’s going to find an awful lot of competition hanging around on the back of the 40 man roster.  Kyle Kendrick, Drew Carpenter, Jose Contreras, and Antonio Bastardo are all top candidates for the next in line positions should Moyer falter or one of the top 4 go down injured.  Contreras and Bastardo appear destined for the pen but could factor in down the road if injuries pile up.

7th reliever: The Phillies have 6 reliever spots doled out and figure to carry 7.  The Phils have some excellent candidates for that spot in Bastardo, Carpenter, Kendrick, Sergio Escalona, and Scott Mathieson.  Other names figure to get some looks including some NRI candidates, but the five options I named look like the best to me.  Other options include Oscar Villareal, Mike Zagurski, David Herndon, and Ryan Vogelsong.  If Lidge and Romero aren’t ready to march north with the club, there could be as many as 3 of these guys on the opening day roster.  If both are healthy, the battle may be reduced to Bastardo vs Mathieson or otherwise known as 2nd LOOGY vs potential set up reliever.  Impressive camp showings and early AAA dominance could convince Ruben and Co. to be short tempered with a number of the battered veterans in the pen.  With Mathieson’s injury history (and Romero’s), I’m willing to lightly pencil in Bastardo for this slot.