CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Regardless of whom the Phillies bring in the rest of this winter -- and there's still plenty of work to do in the outfield, the bullpen and possibly at the back end of the rotation -- Preston Mattingly will stand as one of the organization's most important additions this offseason.
The team's new director of player development inherited a very clear mandate from president of baseball ops Dave Dombrowski when he was hired in late September:
Unite a staff that was "not on the same page" in terms of philosophy and instruction methods -- traditional vs. contemporary -- and "do a better job producing good players from within the system."
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Mattingly's work cannot be judged in one offseason, and the work of his mates in amateur and international scouting will surely factor into his and his staff's performance. From coaches to managers, he has made a host of staff changes. Staffers new and old are getting their first chance to see players in action this week as the club holds a minicamp for minor-leaguers while the big-leaguers remain idled in a labor dispute with management.
The 34-year-old Mattingly, still in playing shape a decade after his time as a Dodgers prospect and later as a college basketball player at Lamar University, spent the last five months learning about the Phillies system through video, data study and personal communication. Now, he's getting a chance to see firsthand what he has. He bounces around from field to field at Carpenter Complex, watching batting practice, bullpen sessions and infield drills.
He likes what he sees more than others.
"I think the (system) is deeper than people think," he said.
MLB
For several years now, the Phillies have ranked near the bottom of minor-league system rankings produced by several media outlets.
It ticks Mattingly off.
"Yeah, of course," he said. "You're competitive. So you see the rankings and I'm here with these guys and I think these guys are better than that. There is a competitive aspect. I'm a really competitive person. So you see something and you're ranked toward the bottom -- well, I want to get that to the top.
"I've had the pleasure of seeing a bunch of other teams' top guys and I think the guys in our system stack up with those guys. They don't get the recognition that others do. When you talk about the top of our prospect list, (Mick) Abel and (Andrew) Painter, those guys are as good as anybody's two pitchers. You throw in a (pitcher) Griff McGarry and Johan Rojas and Logan O'Hoppe. I've gotten to see a bunch of catchers. Logan stacks up with anybody. Johan Rojas, if there's a better defensive center fielder in the minor leagues, I haven't seen him.
"Time will tell. We'll see who shows up in the big leagues. I don't know where they rank us -- toward the bottom -- but the goal is to get toward the top."
Abel and Painter are the foundation of the farm system, a pair of tall, strong-bodied right-handed starters picked in the first-round of the 2020 and 2021 drafts, respectively. Abel is 6-5 and 20 years old. Painter is 6-7. He will turn 19 in April. With Covid impacting the last two minor-league seasons, they are really just beginning their professional journeys. They both have sky's-the-limit potential.
"I think they have a chance to be top of the rotation starters," Mattingly said. "Obviously, they have the stuff. Everything's there. So it's on our staff, and it's on our organization, everything. It's mental performance, it's strength and conditioning, it's medical, it's everybody together. It's on us to groom them and move in the right direction."
Abel pitched just 44⅔ innings in Low A ball last season. He was slowed by a bout of shoulder tendinitis. Mattingly said the pitcher is now 100 percent healthy with no limitations.
Painter made his pro debut in the low minors last summer. He pitched just six innings, walked none and struck out 12. That's eye-catching at any level.
The goal for Abel and Painter -- and other young starters -- is to build workload. Mattingly did not sound like a fan of "piggybacking" starters in the same game as a way to manage workload.
"I don't know how frequently they did it last year, but I don't think we plan to piggyback as much with our starting pitchers," he said. "Our starting pitchers are going to start.
"It's a fine line. I think with the technology we have from the assessments we do on these guys when they first get here, we have a good baseline so we can track them throughout the whole season. So we can see when the data starts trending in certain ways to keep an eye on that. We probably don't have an innings limit, but it's more just like tracking their bodies, tracking their data, their stuff."
Abel and Painter ran sprints together at Carpenter Complex on Wednesday. Two classic pitcher's bodies, two power arms. It was as if they were beginning their journey to Citizens Bank Park, 1,110 miles to the north.
Mattingly acknowledged that it would be nice if the tandem moved together and got to the big leagues around the same time. But, as we all know, even with all the new science in it these days, player development remains an inexact science and the pupil, ultimately, will control his own advancement with his performance.
"It's all a team effort," Mattingly said. "The players, the staff, it's a two-way street. We've got to work together. It's their career. We're trying to help them in any way possible."