Philadelphia Phillies: How to follow the spring training opener

The Philadelphia Phillies will take to the field for the first time since Sep. 27, 2020, when they open their spring training schedule Sunday afternoon against the Detroit Tigers.

Starting the game for Philadelphia will be righty Ivan Nova, who signed a minor league deal over the winter and is competing for a starting rotation job on the big league club.

The 34-year-old starter made four starts with Detroit in 2020 with an 8.53 ERA and a -0.5 WAR.

Former Phillies catcher Wilson Ramos will also play in Sunday’s game for Detroit as the DH.

Here’s the first lineup of the Philadelphia Phillies spring training schedule

1. Adam Haseley, CF
2. Scott Kingery, 2B
3. Alec Bohm, 3B
4. Jeff Mathis, C
5. Travis Jankowski, RF
6. C.J. Chatham, SS
7. Mickey Moniak, LF
8. Rafael Marchan, DH
9. Darick Hall, 1B

Aside from Alec Bohm, Philadelphia’s lineup has an array of players competing for either big league jobs or the opportunity to prove that they belong on the team in the near future.

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Haseley and Kingery are likely to compete for the center field job this year along with Roman Quinn and Odubel Herrera. Mathis and Jankowski, the two veterans in the lineup, are competing for big league jobs not just in Philadelphia, but across the league if they’re released later this month.

Moniak, Marchan, Chatham, and Hall are all unlikely to make the big league team out of spring training, but they’re among the franchise’s top prospects. Moniak and Marchan are in MLB Pipeline‘s top-12 prospects in the Phillies system, while Hall has hit at least 20 home runs in his last three minor league seasons.

Chatham, a 26-year-old infield prospect, was acquired by team president Dave Dombrowski over the winter. In 2019 he hit .298 between Double and Triple-A for Boston, but has yet to appear in the big leagues.

Grapefruit League opener: Detroit Tigers vs. Philadelphia Phillies

• When: 1:05 p.m.
• Where: Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland, Florida.
• TV: None.
• Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1; other radio affiliates)

Phillies fans might not be able to listen or watch Sunday’s spring training opener, but writers will certainly be providing updates on Twitter and social media throughout the game.

Select Phillies spring training games will be broadcasted on NBC Sports Philadelphia and MLB Network. Streamed games will also be available on NBC Sports Philadelphia+ and other streaming services.