Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson had a simple message before the National League champions took the field for their first spring training workout for pitchers and catchers. It was to make sure they ramp up appropriately and don't push it to try to impress anybody. Thomson replaced previous manager Joe Girardi on June 23, with the Phillies at 22-29. Under him, Philadelphia went 65-46 before their run ended in a six-game World Series loss to Houston. There already is a sense of excitement at camp, with right-hander Zack Wheeler saying he hungry to get back as quickly as possible.
