Phillies Preview Part Two: The Conclusion of Spring Training

3/31/13

It’s that time of year when the Phillies are finished with spring training and bring that nice weather they have had in Clearwater up north to Philadelphia.

The Phillies finished spring training with a 16-15 record. There were some positives in spring training and there were some negatives that Phillies fans should focus on when the regular season begins. Granted that this is spring training, statistics usually don’t tell the story about whether a guy will have a good or bad season. Spring training is when the players get back into shape and their rhythm gets re-established and back into full swing. The coaches give the players ideas on improving their game if a player is struggling at the moment. Sometimes the advice works, and sometimes you scrap the advice and go back to the old ways.

So how did the new guys do that the Phillies acquired this offseason? Did the team show signs of improvement that were glaring weaknesses last year? What were the positives and negative in spring training this year? Let’s take a look:

Michael Young looks like a guy that they desperately needed last year; a guy that can step up to the plate and be an RBI guy. He also doesn’t strike out much, which is encouraging to hear since most of the lineup is a strikeout waiting to happen. What has been surprising about Michael Young is his defense at third base. There were questions as to whether he could make the transition from being a utility player to playing only one position in the field. He answered those questions by flashing the leather and making some solid plays in the field. Speaking of solid plays in the field, another new guy, Ben Revere, has made plenty of those this spring. He has become a fan favorite with the Phillies fans, and he could overtake the leadoff spot in which Jimmy Rollins has long coveted under Charlie Manuel. John Lannan, the pitcher the Phillies fans once hated for plunking Ryan Howard and Chase Utley six years ago as a member of the Washington Nationals, showed good signs of becoming that fourth or fifth starter. He throws a lot of strikes and makes the hitters hit the ball on the ground. Mike Adams and Chad Durbin both looked like the guys that can make a big improvement to the bullpen that was faulty last year.

Let’s look at the negative stuff first and end with the good stuff:

Negatives – Roy Halladay’s lack of velocity, Darin Ruf’s chance to show he belongs with the Phillies, one of the corner outfield spots not having a solidified starter because Delmon Young will start the season on the DL.

Positives – Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are healthy, Cole Hamels looks like an ace, the emergence of Domonic Brown, Cody Asche and Tommy Joseph, the battle for the final roster spot and the battle for utility infield spots.

Halladay’s lack of velocity is concerning to everyone in baseball. Once a pitcher that threw 92-93 miles per hour is now throwing at best 88-90 miles per hour. The speculation has been whether he’s nursing an injury or the fact that age has taken a toll on the once best pitcher in baseball. Halladay is going to be 36 years old this season and he now has to learn to pitch finesse (or in other terms, pitch like Jamie Moyer).

Last year, Ruf was a bright spot in the Phillies organization. He broke Ryan Howard’s homerun record in Double-A hitting 38 homeruns. Ruf got the call to the Phillies in September and showed the team what he did while he was in the minors. This spring, he started out very slow, but his bat was getting better as he was getting regular playing time. He got sent to the minors to work on his fielding skills in left field since they were a disaster.

One of my questions in Part One of my preview was who was going to be the starter in left field. Domonic Brown guaranteed his spot in the starting lineup, but in right field. Laynce Nix and John Mayberry Jr. looked unimpressive to start in left field. At the same time, this could be part of a platoon system where Nix plays against right-handed pitchers and Mayberry Jr. plays against left-handed pitchers.

Howard and Utley played in most spring training games. Howard finished spring training with a .338 batting average, hit seven homeruns, and had 16 RBI’s. He hasn’t had that productive of a spring training since 2009. Utley completed spring training with a .273 batting average, mashed five homeruns and drove in 16 runs. This was Utley’s most productive spring training since 2007.

Hamels looked like an ace this spring. He started five games this spring and had a 3-0 win/loss record, threw 19 innings, allowed 11 hits, gave up three runs (two of the three runs were earned runs), walked four batters, struck out 15, and had a microscopic ERA of 0.95.

A lot of pressure was on Brown this spring to make the team or to get traded. He responded to that pressure in a fantastic way. He had a .376 batting average, clubbed seven homeruns, and knocked in 17 runs. His defense will always be suspect, but if he keeps swinging the way he swung this spring training, he will finally get the respect he should have earned a few years ago when he was the top prospect in the Phillies organization.

The fountain of youth is always a good thing to feel intrigued about. Asche and Joseph are potential players that could replace Michael Young and Carlos Ruiz. Both Young and Ruiz are not getting any younger as age is catching up to them. Asche had a solid spring with a .357 batting average and he always puts the ball in play. Joseph was very impressive as he had a .462 batting average and mashed a titanic homerun this spring.

The infield battle was competitive. The battle was between Yuniesky Betancourt, Kevin Frandsen, and Freddy Galvis. While Betancourt had a great spring, he had an opt-out clause in his contract that if he was unable to make the Phillies by March 24, he could ask for his release. Betancourt got released after having a .447 batting average and 14 RBI’s this spring; the Phillies kept Galvis because he plays phenomenal defense and Frandsen has a solid bat as well.

Who will take the final roster spot? Will it be Rule Five draft pick Ender Inciarte or Pete Orr? Pete Orr got sent down to the minors so Ender Inciarte won the final roster spot. Inciarte could be very useful as a defensive replacement and a pinch runner late in games.

Let’s answer the rest of my questions I asked in Part One shall we?

 

The starting rotation looks solidified as Aaron Cook and Rodrigo Lopez were released as John Lannan is the fifth starter. Since Jake Diekman, B.J. Rosenberg, and Justin De Fratus were all sent down to the minors earlier this spring, the final results for the battle for the bullpen spots belong to Raul Valdes, Jeremy Horst, and Phillippe Aumont. Michael Stutes was the odd man out as he was sent to the minors. The backup catcher position when Ruiz has to serve his 25 game suspension is a difficult question to answer. The Phillies went with Humberto Quintero to be the backup catcher to Erik Kratz. Quintero provides the Phillies with experience, and has a solid arm and blocks the plate well. Steven Lerud is only good at calling games.

My prediction for how many wins the Phillies will finish the season with is between 85-88 wins as they will compete for the second wild card spot. Enough with this preview, LET’S PLAY BALL!!!

How many wins do you think the Phillies will finish with this season? Will they make the playoffs? Sound off and enjoy my blogging throughout the regular season. The first game will be April 1 when the Phillies travel to Atlanta to take on the Braves.