Last season was
a rough one for the Philadelphia Phillies. With a record that read
73-89 it did not come as too much of a surprise to find them rooted
to the bottom of the National League East. Whilst that was a bad
year, people are already suggesting that the one to come is going to
be even worse. Bookmakers
Betfair currently have the Phillies at 100/1 to win the World Series.
Together with the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies and the Arizona
Diamondbacks, we have all been written off. So
can our team upset the bookies odds and have a fairly successful
season, or will Citizens Bank Park again be invaded by mediocrity and
disappointment?
The Squad
Phillies at the
Orioles by Keith Allison / flickr
To start with
let’s look at the core, the squad. The biggest talking point is
naturally the departure
of Jimmy Rollins to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Coming in his place
were Tom Windle and Zach Eflin; two young and relatively
inexperienced pitchers. Rollins is very much a double-edged sword. On
the one hand you have a player who has spent all his career with the
Phillies, was the National League MVP in 2007, a three-time All-Star
shortstop, the franchise leader in hits - at-bats and doubles -
whilst his role in the victorious World Series 2008 team can never be
underestimated. On the other hand there is a drastic need to
modernize. Rollins has sentimental value to Philadelphia fans but
does he really have a practical use at 36-years-old? If Rollins had
remained with the team he would have cost them $11 million. That is
money that could be used to bring in hot prospects.
Jimmy Rollins by
Matthew Straubmuller / flickr
With the
decision from management being to trade Rollins it did make you beg
the question about Cole Hamels’ availability, although it has since
been all but confirmed that the 31-year-old is available.
The pitcher is one of the hottest commodities available in the MLB
right now. As a three-time All-Star it is only natural that teams
like the Yankees, Padres and Dodgers are sniffing around. Losing
Rollins was bearable but what sort of shape is the squad going to be
in without Hamels? Not a very good one. Efficiency was missing in so
many Phillies players last season and only a few could truly hold
their head up.
Cole Hamels by
hueytaxi / flickr
One of those few
was Hamels, who, despite how lacklustre the side around him could be
at times, managed to finish sixth in the Cy
Young voting. With their strongest component increasingly looking
likely to jump ship it is imperative that the Phillies replace him
with the right player. Signing Wandy Rodriguez is a gamble and one
that could go either way. He is a pitcher who has proven that he can
cut it in the past. He was a member of the Houston Astros 2005 World
Series team and, although he hasn’t been at his best in recent
years, he does still show glimpses and could be an attacking force.
Unfortunately, all this talk is just theoretical baseball chatter.
Hamels is a World Series-winning pitcher, although he will never do
that again with us, whilst Rodriguez is someone who comes in at
36-years-old with his talent depleting by the innings.
Rodriguez is not
the answer, but there is pitching talent in the younger players of
the Phillies outfit. Granted, they will need to be blooded and
shouldn’t be rushed, but trial by fire can be of extreme advantage.
A lot of attention will be paid to Aaron Nola’s progress. The
21-year-old, who was drafted
No. 7 by Philadelphia, will be expected to blitz through the
minor leagues. It borders on the absurd to be thinking that Nola will
be able to perform to the levels that Hamels achieves, but if the lad
is given a chance in the big leagues then it would certainly speed up
his improvement. Nola has the makings of a great pitcher, it’s just
about making sure that he doesn’t get stuck in the minors for too
long.
All in all, when
it comes to the squad it is undeniably weaker. There are positives to
be found, the club are looking towards younger players and expect
there to be many more of them to come into the club as the older
players are moved on. This season the improvements and benefits of
this transfer policy will be highly unlikely to see, but the creating
of a solid bedrock will be more than evident. If management bring in
enough high-quality, hungry, young players then the side will grow
together and before you know it will be back to performing like a
cohesive unit.
Management
Ryne Sandberg
was brought in in 2013 after the club’s hierarchy ended Charlie
Manuel’s eight-year tenure. It was a decision that did split some
fans, many of which Sandberg has failed to truly convince. There are
those that believe his handling of the Rollins situation was the
right thing to do and there are those that believe it to be stupid
ostracizing one of your greatest assets.
Ryne
Sandberg by Tom Hagerty / flickr
Regardless of
his dealings with Rollins there is still one undeniable fact; Rollins
is unproven at the top. Yes,
his time in the lower leagues saw him take the Lehigh Valley IronPigs
to their first ever playoff appearance and International League
championship in 2011, a feat that saw him justly named Baseball
America’s Minor League Coach of the Year.
Here is a coach
who may have an impressive resume, a resume that deserves to have a
shot in the big leagues. Besides his success with the IronPigs,
Sandberg is a Hall of Famer and a World Series MVP. However, for all
the glory he has had in his past career it counts for nothing. You
cannot live off reputation, you need to bring results. Something that
last year Sandberg failed to do.
However, there
is a much bigger picture going on with the Phillies than just the
results, and this is something that Sandberg is very much vested in.
You get sick of saying it but the need for youngsters is huge, and
with his wealth of minor league baseball knowledge it is safe to say
that Sandberg knows how to bring the best out of young talent.
Much like the
team, Sandberg needs to become part of the bedrock. No, he won’t do
particularly well this year, but he will be forging the start of
something. The coach and the team have to be as one, getting rid of
one completely disrupts the harmony of the other. If the Phillies are
to get the best out of this partnership then they have to allow it
time to grow.
So management
won’t be doing much this year to put a smile on the faces of
Philadelphia fans, but they will hopefully be building a playoff
contending team.
Beating the Mets
The relationship
we share with the New York Mets is one of the hottest in the MLB. A
poor season can always be made slightly better by beating the Mets.
Although the bookmakers favour the Mets over the Phillies in the
World Series betting, they don’t have faith in either. In essence,
we are both as bad as each other.
Last season it
was the Mets who came off the better. This season let us hope that
won’t re-occur. The Mets are more than beatable and the Phillies
owe us one.
Conclusion
Philadelphia is
very much a fixer-upper. It has all the grandeur and iconography of a
lovely old home, but it also has the rotting deadwood inside. Here is
a great team that just needs to be made great again. The only way to
do that is to modernise. This season is not going to be particularly
favourable for Phillies fans, but the project has an end goal that
makes all this pain bearable.
