We are very close to the start of Spring Training and while most fans might be excited for baseball despite the Phillies offseason moves, or lack therof, the next month or so in Clearwater will likely introduce us to the harsh reality of this rebuild in year one.
The Phils dealt two offensive contributors in Jimmy Rollins and Marlon Byrd, leaving holes in the lineup for an already offensively challenged team. Though they received some nice pitching prospects in return, creating runs will be difficult unless the veterans on the team develop consistency and young players become more comfortable in their roles. With Rollins gone, Freddy Galvis steps in as the shortstop and we all know his issues at the plate. Byrd struck out just as much as Howard, but created power from the right side. Now, a platoon of Darin Ruf, Grady Sizemore and perhaps even Jeff Franceour will be manning left field, the spot Domonic Brown previously occupied. Brown will return to his natural position in right and it still seems like it is his job to lose, despite his tremendous regression from 2013 to 2014. Center field belongs to Ben Revere and third base is all Cody Asche at this point. Though Maikel Franco may be ready to step in, the Phillies will more than likely put him in Lehigh Valley to start the year in order to push his free agency from 2020 to 2021. Second base and first base are spoken for with Utley and Howard, but if Ryan struggles to begin the year, expect Darin Ruf to get significant time until Franco is called up. Carlos Ruiz will be behind the plate yet again though his backup is yet to be determined with the Phillies lack of depth at the catcher position. If the season begun today, here's what the lineup would look like for the Phils:
- Ben Revere CF
- Grady Sizemore LF
- Chase Utley 2B
- Ryan Howard 1B
- Carlos Ruiz C
- Domonic Brown RF
- Cody Asche 3B
- Freddy Galvis SS
- Cole Hamels P
The bench will be a combination of guys like Jeff Franceour, Jordan Danks, Odubel Herrera, Darin Ruf, Cesar Hernandez and others.
Now, onto the rotation.Unless the Red Sox decide to part with Blake Swihart or Mookie Betts before Opening Day, Cole Hamels will be the guy when the Phillies open the 2015 campaign. Cliff Lee, barring any setbacks in Spring Training, will slot into the number two spot in the rotation. Behind Lee and Hamels, there will be a combo of Aaron Harang, Chad Billingsley, Jerome Williams and David Buchanan. Though it has been talked about regarding a starting spot for Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, I expect the team to give him starts in the minors before they put him in the big league rotation. The team signed Chad Billingsley to a low-risk deal, which could create competition at the bottom of the rotation. Jonathan Pettibone needs to prove he's healthy and he may be able to compete for a spot as well, but as of right now, the rotation could look like this:
- Cole Hamels
- Cliff Lee
- Aaron Harang
- Chad Billingsley
- David Buchanan
The bullpen will look similar to last year, with the exception of a few new faces, but unless the Phillies find a way to deal Papelbon, not much will change. Papelbon will close for the most part, unless Giles gets a spot close from time to time. Jake Diekman and Giles will setup. Before them will be a combination of guys including Mario Hollands, Justin DeFratus and Luis Garcia. If David Buchanan doesn't impress in Spring Training moreso than the other starting candidates, he could fall into a long relief role in the bullpen. That also is the same situation for Jerome Williams and Jonathan Pettibone. Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez could also find himself in the bullpen if the team decides not to have him in a starting role.The Phillies gave Elvis Araujo a Major League contract, so unless they cut him, he will be in the mix as well.
There are still plenty of moving pieces as the season continues to inch closer and despite the return of some older veterans, Spring Training could provide for some very interesting competition for guys to make the big league roster.
