Photo: Philliedelphia/Lindsey Crew
The Phillies core of Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard has been together since 2005. Looking for "leadership" on the Phillies fans tend to think of Chase Utley as quiet, Ryan Howard as laid back, but Jimmy Rollins as the team leader. Jonathan Papelbon would tend to disagree.
On Wednesday, Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon told Mandy Housenick of the Allentown Morning Call that leadership is lacking:
"Since I've been here I haven't seen any leadership."
That comes off as a rather harsh statement that one might think has implications towards the assumed leader Rollins. In fairness to Rollins, he was not typically in his usual comfort zone in 2012. Batting third often in the absence of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, Rollins hit just .216 in 74 at bats with no home runs and just three RBI. Rollins is not a three-hole hitter and probably did not exude the same type of gusto that he normally does at the top of the lineup (that's a discussion for a different day).
Probably because people were jumping to conclusions about who it was that was lacking, Papelbon was pressed about the issue later by Ryan Lawrence of the Daily News but declined to pick out any person in particular.
“No, no, no, no. No, not at all,” Papelbon said. “It was just a clubhouse that didn’t have an identity. And a clubhouse that didn’t have leadership, I felt like. And that’s not to put the blame on any one person or any one coach. That’s just the way it was.
Papelbon pointed some blame at himself in the original Morning Call piece:
"I felt like I could have been a little bit better leader than what I was, and I held back at some times," he said. "Hindsight's 20-20"
Generally, however, the leadership must come from a position player in the lineup every day. Maybe a Rollins who is back in his comfortable role is that guy. But two to watch are third baseman Michael Young and centerfielder Ben Revere.
Young is a proven winner who will bring a new veteran presence and respect. Revere is a young energetic player whose energy may prove to be contagious. In assembling the 2013 roster, maybe the lack of leadership was evident to general manager Ruben Amaro, too. Young and Revere may be a good start.
