CLEARWATER, Fla. – If Cameron Rupp were a politician, he’d be considered an incumbent with little chance of winning the upcoming election. Some might even argue that the veteran catcher was voted out of office at the end of last season when top prospect Jorge Alfaro came to the big leagues in early August and started 29 of the Phillies’ final 59 games. Rupp started 23 games in that same span and he knows the score as he begins his seventh big-league camp.
“I feel like I’ve always come in with the mind-set of competing for a job,” Rupp said before Thursday’s workout at the Carpenter Complex.