CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Grapefruit League schedule is halfway complete, and this is the time of year when the prospects pack their bags and make the 100-yard walk to the crammed Carpenter Complex from the expansive Phillies clubhouse. Watch the Phillies in these meaningless games, and one observation surpasses everything else: There is some real talent that is real close to the majors.
That is how Phillies officials touted this spring training, as a chance to peek at the future. It is a future that is not guaranteed. Prospects fail. It is so hard to develop a reliable, everyday player in the majors.