Philadelphia Phillies
2015 Win/Loss Record:
63-99, 5th in National League East
Last Postseason
Appearance: 2011
Last World Series
Championship: 2008
Key Arrivals: Jeremy
Hellickson (P), Charlie Morton (P), David Hernandez (P)
Key Departures: Cliff
Lee (P), Jeff Francoeur (OF), Aaron Harang (P)
Manager: Pete
Mackanin, 2nd Year, W/L 37-51
(90-104 in 3 years with Pirates, Reds and Phillies)
(90-104 in 3 years with Pirates, Reds and Phillies)
Overall Review: The Philadelphia
Phillies are proof that the window of opportunity for success can slam shut
pretty quickly. After winning five straight division titles from 2007-11
(including two NL Pennants and one World Championship) the Phillies have fallen
fast and hard. They narrowly missed 100 losses last season by one, it doesn’t
look like there will be much improvement in 2016.
Players like Jimmy Rollins and
Chase Utley are gone from those playoff contenders, leaving only Ryan Howard
and Carlos Ruiz from the championship team of 2008. Some free agent pitchers
acquired in the off season will hopefully help keep the Phillies away from
triple digit losses, but may not be enough to get them out of the basement.
Offense: Even though first baseman
Howard and catcher Ruiz are still on the club, they are no longer the players
they used to be due to age, injuries and wear and tear. Howard hit a dreadful
.229 last year and hit only 23 home runs and 77 RBIs, pretty meagre totals from
someone who used to consistently average more than 40 and 130 per season. And
Ruiz only managed a .211 average in 86 games last year and hit two home
runs and had 22 RBIs. I would like to say they will be looking for a comeback
this year, but chances of that happening are very slim.
On the positive side, third
baseman Maikel Franco could be a future superstar. He has power to all fields
and considering Citizen’s Bank Ballpark is a homer-friendly facility, he could
hit as many as 35, should he play all year. In 80 games in 2015,
Franco batted .280 with 14 homers and 50 RBIs. Centre-fielder Odubel Herrera is
great defensively, with the ability to fill the gaps quickly and he has a
strong arm. At the plate last year, he hit. 297, and managed to hit eight home
runs, add 41 RBIs and steal 16 bases. If both Franco and Herrera continue to
develop, the Phillies have two building blocks for the future.
Pitching: The rotation was so horrible
last year, that any improvement brought in by the three starters will be
welcome for the Phillies’ fans. Jeremy Hellickson comes over from Arizona,
where he was 9-12 for the D-Backs last year, with a 4.62 ERA and 121
strikeouts. His nine wins would have led the Phillies in 2015. Also new to
the rotation is Charlie Morton, who was 9-9, had a 4.81 and 96 strikeouts in 23
games with the Pirates, and Brett Oberholtzer, who was pitched in eight games
with the Astros and was 2-2, with a 4.46 ERA and 27 strike outs. The ace of the
staff may be 22-year old Aaron Nola. In his first season in the Bigs, Nola had a 6-2 record in 13 starts. His ERA was 3.59 and he struck out 68.
The bullpen will be anchored by
former D-Back David Hernandez, who will fill the closer’s role. Over his career
he has pitched six seasons split between Baltimore and Arizona. He has 19 saves
in 284 relief appearances and basically gets the closer role as
no one else on the roster is capable of fulfilling it.
 |
| Philadelphia slugger, Ryan Howard |
Prediction: The Phillies may have
improved enough to get out of the basement in the NL East. They definitely
won’t lose 100 games and with the Braves being so horrible, the Phillies should
finish in fourth. But they are a long way from catching the other three teams
in the division. Fourth will be the best they could accomplish in 2016.
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