Identifying Every Phillies’ Stock as Rising or Falling Heading into Spring Camp

With all but a few minor tweaks remaining, and not much spare room for even those minor adjustments, the Philadelphia Phillies are just about ready to make their annual journey to Clearwater, Fla to prepare for the upcoming season. 

It’s going to be a tough season for the Phillies. This is a club mired in question marks, playing in a division that is only getting better—and that’s with the Miami Marlins‘ fire sale this winter in mind. The Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals are two of the best teams in the National League. 

What does that mean for the Phillies? It’s time to take stock. This could very well be a “transition year” for the Phillies—one that sees them move some of their aging veterans in favor of younger players. It could also be one of the few “last shots” at a World Series ring. 

A lot of that evaluation begins in spring training, although it is a relatively small sample size. The Phillies will be taking stock of their players and we’ll be doing the same thing here. A player whose stock is rising is a player set to be more valuable this season, in a variety of manners that will vary from player to player, than he was in years past. A player whose stock is falling is a player who is set to be less valuable this season. 

Some players will be labeled as holding steady. These are players whose stock will either not improve or decline significantly. 

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Putting Together Philadelphia Phillies’ Best Defensive Lineup

The Philadelphia Phillies were one of the best defensive teams in the National League during their streak of division titles from 2007 through 2011.

Last season was a different story.

The Phillies’ 101 total errors in 2012, 27 more than the team committed in 2011, left them tied with the New York Mets for ninth most in the National League. 

Late last season, Matthew Leach on mlb.com provided more insight into the Phillies’ defensive woes . Leach pointed out that errors do not provide the full story.  Players must actually attempt to make a play in the first place.  Errors only provide a small glimpse into a player’s defensive ability.

Having athletes in the outfield capable of getting to the ball is often just as important as their offensive production. Philadelphia learned that after trading center fielder Shane Victorino last season.

With Ben Revere set to take over in center field, the Phils should see an improvement in at least one area.  Other positions, however, could feature players that cause fans to hold their breath when the ball is hit their way.

The following lineup does not take into account a player’s offense but, instead, their ability on defense. These players are the Phillies their best defensive options at each position.

With that being said, here is the Phillies’ best defensive lineup.

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25 Things to Watch Very Closely at the Phillies Spring Training Camp

It’s time to blow the dust off of that old microscope that you keep locked away in a cardboard box somewhere in your basement or attic—you’re going to need it to follow all of the Philadelphia Phillies storylines this spring. 

Gone are the days where the Phillies arrive in Clearwater, Fla. with a roster that is neatly filled in and camp is merely players taking the necessary repetitions to prepare for a full regular season. That would be a fantasy camp for Phillies players this spring. 

Instead, fate will stack the road with every obstacle that you can think up: Position battles, age, injuries, inconsistent performances, surprises, bad decision making, etc. With the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves only getting better, the Phillies are under more pressure this spring than in any other recent season. 

Still can’t find that microscope? Don’t worry about it. Allow this slideshow to be a primer for all of the nuances and storylines of Phillies spring training that you should be following when camp opens in just a few weeks.

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Which Free Agent Signing Will Have Biggest Phillies Impact in 2013?

Not too long ago, it seemed as though the Philadelphia Phillies‘ offseason had drawn to a close. They had filled most of their needs, acquiring center fielder Ben Revere and third baseman Michael Young in trades at the end of the offseason’s baseball winter meetings. A few weeks later, the Phils then signed setup man Mike Adams and non-tendered starting pitcher John Lannan.

With the exception of a handful of other insignificant minor league signings, it appeared as though the Phillies were going into spring training with the team they had. There had been a need for a corner outfielder as well, but after weeks went by with no results, it didn’t look as though the Phillies were going to make any more moves.

Sure enough, though, that proved to be false sooner than expected.

Just over a week ago, the Phils inked outfielder Delmon Young to a one-year deal worth $750,000 with incentives that could push it up to $3.25 million. In addition, there are some interesting weight clauses in the contract; meaning that depending on how much weight Young loses and keeps off throughout the season, he’ll receive $100,000 at each of six weigh-ins which will be held periodically.

Then this past Monday, the Phillies made two rather significant deals, one more so than the other. After hanging on with the Cleveland Indians and the Atlanta Braves, Phillies reliever Chad Durbin found his way back to the team on a one-year, $1.1 million contract with a club option for 2014. And only a couple hours later, the Phils signed infielder Yuniesky Betancourt, albeit to a minor league deal.

Considering free-agent signings as opposed to trade acquisitions, the Phils have quite the short list. With Adams, Lannan, Delmon Young, Durbin and Betancourt, the list may not be the most eye-popping, but it is nothing short of fascinating, to say the least. Pitchers Rodrigo Lopez, Aaron Cook and Juan Cruz all received minor league deals with invites to spring training as well, but their chances of cracking the Opening Day roster aren’t in their favor.

Since Betancourt is in the same boat as the three aforementioned pitchers, that leaves us with Adams, Lannan, Delmon Young and Durbin.

The way I’m seeing this is that in terms of top performance, Adams will hands-down have the biggest impact on the Phillies in 2013. However, I’m choosing to go about this in a different way, and that’s how each player will impact the the shape of the Opening Day roster.

In this scenario, Adams does fit, as his veteran setup presence erases an opportunity for one of the Phillies’ younger relievers to break camp with the team. However, a veteran presence in the bullpen was necessary in addition to Papelbon, so considering that a bullpen signing of some sort was almost inevitable, its impact is not that massive in this sense.

Lannan, on the other hand, was brought to the City of Brotherly Love in order to fill the void left by Vance Worley after he was traded for Revere. His roster impact is not very significant otherwise, for aside from an unreliable (in the majors, at least) Tyler Cloyd and possibly even Jonathan Pettibone, the Phils didn’t have any other options for that rotation spot.

Ironically enough, that leaves us with Delmon Young and Durbin—the two players signed at a point when it looked as though the Phillies were done exploring the major league free-agent market. Both have an immense impact on shaping the 2013 roster as they both prevent other players from likely breaking the roster, but let’s take a look at each of them before making a decision.

At the beginning of the offseason, it was clear that the Phillies needed some outfield help. An outfield of some combination of Domonic Brown, John Mayberry, Jr., Darin Ruf and Laynce Nix simply would not do.

With the Phillies’ highest priority entering the offseason being center field, eyes were on B.J. Upton and then Angel Pagan becoming the team’s long-term center fielder. Each of the two signed elsewhere, however, leaving the Phillies with fewer options.

That’s when Revere came into play.

With Revere taking over in center, the bigger question was then: Would a corner outfield spot be filled?There was speculation that Josh Hamilton or Alfonso Soriano were possibilities, but nothing materialized on those fronts. Since no signing was imminent, the thought was that Domonic Brown would take right field duties and Darin Ruf would man left field.

While that wasn’t the most proven outfield setup, it was high time both Brown and Ruf got the chance to start. The only way to see what these two players’ true potential is, is to let them play, and this opportunity was going to do just that.

Now that Young is a Phillie, GM Ruben Amaro, Jr.’s plan is evidently to have him be the starting right fielder (according to Yahoo! Sports). Not only is this strange, but it’s not smart, as Young has not played in right field since 2007. Amaro‘s moving a player who should not even be playing in the outfield over to an outfield position where he has less experience. It doesn’t make sense.

But perhaps the biggest impact from the Young signing is that Darin Ruf will likely have to pay the price as a result. With no starting job up for grabs unless Brown is somehow optioned to Triple-A instead (or traded), Ruf will likely have to begin 2013 at Lehigh Valley.

As for Durbin, his return to the Phillies brings along a similar effect.

Adams had already been signed as the setup man, and with Papelbon and Antonio Bastardo also both having more than one year of major league experience, that seemed to suffice. However, bringing back a now-35-year-old Durbin, while giving the Phillies bullpen slightly more stability, is ultimately an unnecessary move on a major league contract.

Since leaving the Phillies after the 2010 season, Durbin‘s career has been up and down. He latched on with the Cleveland Indians for 2011 and was horrendous, posting a 5.53 ERA in 56 games, though his advanced stats suggested he was better than that. I use the term “better” very loosely, though, as his FIP was still 4.85 and his xFIP was 4.26.

In 2012, Durbin started spring training with the Washington Nationals before being cut and working his way to the Atlanta Braves. After a bumpy start, Durbin settled down for most of the year, ending up with a 3.10 ERA in 76 games. Although his ERA was once again satisfactory, his advanced metrics were still through the roof. His FIP last year was 4.71 and his xFIP was actually higher than in 2011 at 4.41. Much of his success last year can be attributed to his BABIP of .251; though, don’t expect a number that low again.

But the bigger impact Durbin has is that his signing leaves only three bullpen jobs up for grabs.

With solid talent in Mike Stutes, Justin De Fratus, Phillippe Aumont, Jeremy Horst, Jake Diekman and Michael Schwimer all capable of being in the majors, only half of them will make the roster while the remaining two or three are forced to pitch in Triple-A where they are too good to keep playing.

Both the Young and Durbin signings impact the 2013 roster out of spring training. Young affects the outfield while Durbin takes a bullpen spot. But because the Phillies are preventing more significant minor league talent from making its mark by starting Young every day, I’m going with him as the biggest impact signing heading into 2013 for the Phillies.

Of course, if Young is cut during spring training, this honor will then be relegated to Durbin, but preventing a player from playing every day in Ruf as opposed to some bullpen pitchers a couple of days a week gives Young the edge.

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