MLB Preview 2015: Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies 2014 Record: 73-89
Team Overview:
The 2015 Philadelphia Phillies do not appear to be in win now mode. GM Ruben Amaro finally waved the white flag and began shipping off the core of the 2008 World Series team with the Jimmy Rollins trade. The team still holds on to Chase Utley and Ryan Howard from that team and sadly they are still slotted into the prime hitting spots of 3 and 4 in the lineup. Utley is 36 and Ryan Howard is 35 and both have experience and something to bring but both are a few years in to their decline and neither has the juice to carry a lineup. The problem is the Phillies just don’t have anyone on the roster to replace the production they want from those two. Dominic Brown was once a top prospect but at age 27 he now is what he is and that is an average at best MLB outfielder. Ben Revere might be the most talented outfielder, and that is not saying much. He doesn’t hold down the defense at all and while he is one of the better base stealers in the league, his two home runs last season were the first two of his five-year career. He is clearly a leadoff hitter with little power to move him around. Grady Sizemore will platoon with Jeff Franceour to round an outfield that I would have told you was amazing in 2008. Yes that was 7 years ago when the Phillies were the champs and all these players had promise and upside. That is gone from this entire lineup and it seems like they are just slowly sinking with the ship.
The pitching took a big blow this off-season with Cliff Lee being sidelined for the season. Lee is 36 and also saw his best days around 08 but honestly a desperate team would have given up a good sized haul to acquire him to complete their rotation had he been healthy this season. Now the team relies on Cole Hamels and the others. Jerome Williams, Aaron Harang, and Chad Billingsley will compete to round out a rotation, and those are some more old names that weren’t even that great back in 08. They do have some young options and honestly they need to use them to see what they have. They actually do have a good bullpen backed by a breakout reliever Ken Giles, and the old vet Jonathan Papelbon. The pen may be working a lot as a few unpolished pitchers will get starts and I would expect that by August they are calling up whomever they can to make spot starts to see what they have.
What To Watch For?
I realistically see no chance the Phillies compete this year. I think they know that and although they stubbornly haven’t sold the house yet I think they have to soon. It is nice when a player retires with a team they came up with, but Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, and even Jonathan Papelbon are wasting away in Philadelphia and could add depth, while giving the Phillies a fresh look at a new chapter. They won’t get the return they want but there comes a time to swallow your pride and think about the future. It started with Jimmy Rollins this winter and should continue in July.
While those three are a few years older and have clearly hit their peak and are in the decline, Cole Hamels may still be in his prime. Hamels was on that World Series team but was the young piece to the core team that put them over the top. He is now at 31 and in is in the prime of his career. He could certainly be viewed as an ace pitcher as long as he stays healthy and productive in 2015. Pitching is the biggest need in baseball now days and teams with strong lineups and World Series contention will see what it will take to acquire Hamels. Hamels had mentioned to the team he wants to play for a winner whether it be Philly or elsewhere, and lets be honest in 2015 it has to be elsewhere. Pitchers like Jonathan Pettibone, and Adam Morgan and even Jesse Biddle can come up from the minors and get experience starts to replace Hamels and the team can acquire a core to build around. Trading away these pieces is the only chance the Phillies have to be competitive any time soon so watch for a lot of rumors and eventual selling, hopefully including the big name Hamels.
Where Do They Rank?
I had previously mentioned the Braves are going through a down rebuilding stage in their post. That is nothing compared to where the Phillies are right now. The Phillies roster isn’t pretty as of today and it was an easy decision to rank this team 5th in their division as it is hard to make an argument against them being the worst team in the MLB in 2015.
