Philadelphia Phillies: 3 Players Who Must Step Up in 2012

The 2012 MLB season is barely underway (thanks to the Oakland A’s and the Seattle Mariners in Japan), and the Philadelphia Phillies are already all over the spectrum. On the one hand, manager Charlie Manuel still has a ton of talent at his disposal, particularly with a trio of aces (Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels) and an All-Star closer (Jonathan Papelbon) on the mound. Those hurlers will be expected to carry the Fightins to another National League East crown and (fingers crossed) a World Series title.

On the other hand, the injury bug seems to have made an all-too-comfortable home at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla., where it’s bitten the Phillies in a big way. To be fair, Ryan Howard’s long-term absence was already expected after the All-Star first baseman pulled up lame with a torn Achilles tendon on the final out of the team’s NLDS loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

The same could be said, in a way, for Chase Utley, who’s expected to start the season on the disabled list on account of his bad knees.

With Howard and Utley sidelined indefinitely, the Phillies will need these three guys to step up big, in the batter’s box and in the field if they’re to bring another pennant to the City of Brotherly Love before their window of opportunity slams shut.

Be sure to sound off and let us know what you think in the comments below. If you like what you see, click here for more from Bleacher Report Productions. 

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com