Philadelphia Phillies: 3 players who have earned a postseason roster spot
By Tim Boyle
The Philadelphia Phillies have a couple of players who have spent a good part of the season on the roster in some role but shouldn’t be with them in the postseason.
Then there are those other guys. These are the ones who have earned a postseason roster spot despite some odds against them.
Able to work a variety of roles or fill different needs for the Phillies in this year’s postseason, these three Phillies belong in the playoffs.
1) The Philadelphia Phillies’ postseason roster needs Nick Maton on it
Nick Maton isn’t an ideal starter for the Phillies right now but boy can he be an asset. Able to play all over the field, Maton is a left-handed utility man the Phillies can get very flexible with.
We saw Maton briefly in 2021 put up some decent numbers. This year, in far fewer at-bats, he has already shown off much more power. This isn’t something we should expect from him going forward. He has never hit for a lot of power at any minor league level but he can do a lot of other things amazingly well.
Specifically, Maton’s ability to reach base is something the Fightins could really use. He draws walks and hits for a decent batting average. Maton is a hitter who aims to make contact. More often than he has in the past, the ball is traveling a long way.
Maton is a really good defensive backup at a variety of places. He could be a good pinch runner in place of Kyle Schwarber late and finish off a game in left field. In case of an injury, he’d be a solid starter to take over, too. He has left little doubt. Maton needs to be on the Phillies’ roster for however long they stay alive.