LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - One thing that needs to be stressed: Charlie Manuel does not have final say in personnel decisions. The Phillies, like any organization, take a plethora of opinions into consideration before deciding on the makeup of their Opening Day roster. But after the Phillies' 6-1 victory over the Braves in their penultimate Grapefruit League game yesterday, their manager dropped some interesting hints about his views on the few lingering questions that remain. And despite the various viewpoints that general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. will solicit in meetings this week, Manuel's voice is one of the most influential.
Five lingering questions as Phillies wrap up spring training
The Phillies must decide whether to keep Michael Martinez on their roster.
Among the lingering questions:
1 Are the Phillies confident enough in Michael Martinez' ability to contribute on the major league level that they will keep the Rule 5 pick on the roster over one of either Luis Castillo, Delwyn Young or Pete Orr?
Manuel, for one, sounds confident. Asked if he feels Martinez can help the Phillies right now, he paused for a moment before answering, "Yeah."
"If he plays defense in the big leagues like he has here he won't have any trouble playing," Manuel said of the 28-year-old utility man, pointing to his performance at shortstop in a split-squad game Saturday against Detroit. "He made three or four plays and a couple of them were off the charts. One might have been the best play I've ever seen."
Keep in mind Manuel managed a Hall of Fame-caliber defensive shortstop when he and Omar Vizquel were both in Cleveland.
Martinez, who is hitting .246 this spring, plays shortstop and centerfield, two positions where the Phillies are relatively thin in depth. If he does not make the active roster, the club will have to offer him back to the Nationals, who probably would not be in a charitable mood when it comes to a player their division rival is extremely high on.
After lauding Martinez, Manuel offered a word of caution.
"Spring training is different than the major leagues," he said. "Spring training is a hell of a lot different. Big-time different. A thousand-to-one different. Ten thousand-to-one different."
Still, it sounds like Martinez' ability on defense has made him a leading contender for a spot on the bench.
2 What about Luis Castillo?