Ruben Amaro Jr. wasted no time this offseason bolstering the bench with 3 players that fit the exact mold of what the Phillies needed. Juan Castro was first aboard as the utility infielder, then followed Brian Schneider at backup catcher, and now rounding out the final open reserve role will be 1st baseman/corner outfielder Ross Gload. The bench now consists of the three players named above with Greg Dobbs and Ben Francisco.Gload, who will turn 34 close to Opening Day, is a veteran of 8 MLB seasons playing for the Cubs, Rockies, White Sox, Royals, and most recently the Marlins. The left-handed batter has a career line of- .283/.736 with 176 r, 77 2b, 28 hr, and 192 rbi in 608 games. I know this once again makes the Phils bench lean to the left (Schneider and Dobbs also LH), but Gloads has a better career average against lefties (.298) than righties (.279). His addition to the squad makes sense because he's a proven role player and has done a decent job of it during his care...
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