Predicting Boom or Bust for All 25 Phillies Players Entering Opening Day

It has been a long spring for the Philadelphia Phillies thanks to the World Baseball Classic, and this club certainly has the look of a team that is ready for Opening Day. Then again, aren’t we all at this point? 

This season will be about trying to scratch and claw their way back to the top, with their ever elusive “window of opportunity” certainly looming as a threat. With players like Roy Halladay, Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz entering the season on expiring contracts, this could realistically be do or die. 

Then again, this is a town that expects nothing short of the World Series from their Phillies. At that point, you have to wonder if this is a team capable of toppling young, talented clubs in their own division like the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves—let alone the rest of the league. 

The following slideshow will attempt to determine that. We’ll look at each member of the Phillies’ projected Opening Day roster and determine whether they will “boom” or “bust.” 

Players who receive the “boom” designation are guys set to have good seasons. Players labeled as “bust” will disappoint. While the reasoning and variables will change for each slide, the general idea remains the same. 

Will the Phillies boom or bust in 2013? 

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Full Update of Surprises, Busts and Injuries at Phillies Camp

Spring training is all but history with less than a week remaining, but nary a fan will mourn its passing as Opening Day and a brand new season of Major League Baseball is right around the bend. 

For the Philadelphia Phillies, Opening Day could not come sooner. After enjoying a modest run atop the National League East, the rival Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves made sure that the Phillies would not see the postseason for the first time since 2006. 

“Redemption” is a word that I would use to describe the atmosphere surrounding this club heading into the regular season. With a roster full of veteran players, it’s World Series or bust once again for the squad from Philadelphia, and the fans wouldn’t have it any other way. 

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, it’s time once again to take stock of the Phillies as spring training rounds to a close. Who is in good shape with Opening Day on the horizon and who has drawn concern? Are there any injuries? 

Here is the list of Phillies surprises, busts and injuries with less than a week of spring training to go. 

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7 Predictions for Domonic Brown’s 2013 Phillies Season

After he performed drastically below his level of potential and expectations in the first few, brief stints of his major league career, there was a general feeling that the Philadelphia Phillies had nearly given up on Domonic Brown. 

At one point during the offseason, it was reported that the Phillies and Chicago Cubs had discussed a swap of Brown and former All-Star Alfonso Soriano, which perhaps serves as the best illustration of how far the former may have fallen. 

In spring training, however, Brown has put the brakes on that fall. He has been one of the Phillies’ best and most consistent performers in camp, winning a job as an everyday corner outfielder and helping to restore the faith that may have been lost over the last few months. 

Now the challenge is deciphering what Brown’s torrid spring means for his future in the regular season. The Phillies are counting on him to take the next step and produce offensively, but can he? 

Here are a few predictions for Brown moving into the 2013 campaign. 

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Philadelphia Phillies Playing It Safe by Sending Darin Ruf to Triple-A

Talk about a roller coaster ride of emotions.

Shortly after hitting a walk-off home run against the Atlanta Braves, the Philadelphia Phillies made a somewhat-bold decision by sending left fielder/first baseman Darin Ruf to Triple-A, according to CSN Philly’s Jim Salisbury. 

Ruf, 26, took the Phillies’ organization (and Minor League Baseball as a whole, for that matter) by storm in 2012 when he posted a slash line of .317/.408/.620 with 38 home runs for Double-A Reading. He didn’t miss a beat when the Phillies called him up in September, hitting .333/.351/.727 with three home runs over 12 games. 

Moving into the offseason, Ruf was expected to play a big role for the Phillies going forward. He spent the end of the season getting his feet wet in left field before playing the outfield in the Venezuelan winter league. 

It was somewhat of a desperate decision by the Phillies, who were certainly not looking to move Ruf into the outfield for his glove. The idea was to get his bat in the lineup and let the cards fall where they may defensively. 

If spring training has been any indication, that isn’t going to be as simple as it sounds. 

Ruf has been nothing short of miserable in the outfield throughout camp. He has gotten bad reads on balls off of the bat, taken bad routes and completely misjudged certain hits. There was a gradual improvement as the spring progressed, but the one thing that the Phillies actually wanted never showed up: The bat. 

The Phillies would only tolerate his poor defense if Ruf could produce offensively—something he had not done consistently throughout the spring, going 14-for-57 with six doubles and a pair of home runs. 

By sending him to Triple-A, the Phillies are playing it safe with Ruf. He’ll open the season in Lehigh Valley, where he’ll have an opportunity not only to continue learning how to play left field on a regular basis, but to settle in against minor league pitching. 

With Delmon Young already playing in minor league games, the Phillies clearly feel as though outfielders like John Mayberry Jr. and Laynce Nix can hold down the fort until he is ready. Domonic Brown has all but won a job. Something had to give. 

Ruf will head to Lehigh Valley as the Phillies’ “plan B.” He’ll be available in the event of an injury or if Young simply can’t handle the strain of playing the outfield on a regular basis. 

Is this the right decision? 

Well, that’s a matter of opinion. Ruf certainly didn’t do much to help his cause this spring and the only opinion that really matters at this point is that of the Phillies, and they have clearly spoken. 

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Ranking Each Phillies Prospect’s Performance in Spring Training

With a lot of aging veterans locked into positions for the upcoming season, the odds of any prospect in camp with the Philadelphia Phillies this spring actually making the Opening Day roster were incredibly small from the get-go, but they certainly had the opportunity to leave an impression, be it good or bad. 

The Phillies wanted to have a firsthand look at some of their prospects this spring. This is a club that could have a lot of turnover on their roster in the next couple of seasons, so perhaps it is more accurate to say that they needed to take a good look at some of the players in their organization. 

In that light, the Phillies brought a few noticeable names to camp this spring. They brought in a few positional prospects that could be playing everyday at the major league level as soon as next season. They brought in candidates for the starting rotation and the bullpen. 

So how did they do? 

Even without a legitimate shot to crack the roster, these prospects had the opportunity to make the right impression moving forward. The following slideshow will rank their performances this spring in the opportunities that they were given. 

For the sake of this list, all players with rookie eligibility will be included. This means that any player with less than 45 service days on the active roster is eligible. A player must not have more than 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched. 

So, without further ado, the rankings. 

Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference. 

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Full Update of Surprises, Busts and Injuries at Philadelphia Phillies Camp

Baseball is a sport where anything can happen and no time of the year epitomizes that more than spring training, where rookies, veterans and players who aren’t even guaranteed a spot on the roster congregate with a common goal: Make the club and win a World Series title. 

As you can imagine, spring training breeds a number of interesting results, and the Philadelphia Phillies are no exception. This is a club battling age and injuries, doing their best to prove that they can still compete in the National League East. 

Throughout the season, keeping this club healthy is going to be the key to their success. If names like Roy Halladay, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are on the field and producing, they can contend. 

They’ll also have to receive some positive play from a few unlikely sources—we’ll call those guys the “surprises”—and avoid players that struggle over long periods of time. For the sake of this slideshow, those guys will be called “busts.” 

With those parameters in mind, let’s update where the Phillies’ injuries, surprises and busts stand at this point in camp. 

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Philadelphia Phillies Under the Most Pressure the Rest of Spring Training

At its core, spring training is a small sample size of players doing their best to shake off the rust in anticipation of the upcoming regular season, but it also carries all of the blessings and curses of a that sample size. 

Regardless of who you are, if you play well through the month of March people anticipate your regular season. This rings especially true when a team like the Philadelphia Phillies receives good performances from players like Ryan Howard and Domonic Brown. 

That’s the blessing. If you play well in a small sample size, you have the opportunity to throw up some impressive numbers and crank the hype machine into full gear prior to the regular season. 

The curse is equally as powerful. Any player that performs poorly over a small sample size generates concern. Take a look at Roy Halladay. He is a two-time Cy Young Award winner with a pair of no-hitters, including a perfect game, under his belt. 

But he hasn’t pitched well this spring and people are concerned about his future. Is that a warranted concern? 

Spring training is ultimately a handful of exhibition games, but they’re important games for a lot of players. They could help to determine a job. They play a role in what kind of start the team gets off to. 

There will be a number of players under a lot of pressure as the second half of spring training begins. Here they are. 

Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.

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Philadelphia Phillies’ Biggest Winners & Losers Halfway Through Spring Training

The Philadelphia Phillies have something to prove this season. 

This is a theme that has already begun during spring training, as most of their regulars are fighting to prove that they can be healthy and effective and that they will extend these efforts through the regular season as they attempt to topple the reigning division champion Washington Nationals. 

It’s not going to be easy, though, especially if this spring is any indication. There have been very high notes for the Phillies this spring, but there have been some questionable moments as well. 

While there is a strong sense of optimism in the air, one cannot go a full day without that pungent smell of doubt wafting across your nose. 

At the outset of spring training, no one thought that this was going to be an easy season for the Phillies. Now, with half of the spring slate in the books, we can take a look at some of the club’s winners and losers in camp so far. 

Which players should the Phillies be concerned about, and which ones are ready to roll? With opening day roughly two weeks away, it’s time to take stock once again.

 

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.

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Updated 25-Man Phillies Roster Predictions Midway Through Spring Training

At the midway point through spring training, the Philadelphia Phillies are a team with just as many questions as answers. 

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. While some surprisingly poor performances are undoubtedly a cause for concern, there has been strong competition in the Phillies’ camp this spring and some battles are now a question of who is going to cave first. 

So now, with half of the Grapefruit League slate officially in the books, it’s time once again to update our predictions on the Phillies’ 25-man, Opening Day roster.

What will the lineup look like on Opening Day? Which players “on the bubble” find their way into the bench or bullpen? 

Needless to say, the last few weeks of Grapefruit League action are going to determine a lot for the Phillies in the early portion of the regular season. Here’s where things stand now.

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Early Signs Ryan Howard, Roy Halladay Will Be the Stars of Old in 2013

Something was missing last season. 

The Philadelphia Phillies spent the following offseason trying to figure out what it was, adding a setup man, a fifth starter, a center fielder and a third baseman. On paper, is this a better team than the one that was listed for the 2012 campaign? It’s close. 

So what was the biggest difference for the Phillies between then and now? With optimism abound, at least some of those missing pieces must be in place. 

The simple answer is that the return of aging, injured stars has given Phillies fans a reason to be optimistic. Players like Chase Utley, Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard have the potential to drastically alter the dynamic of a ball club. 

Earlier this spring we took a look at ways to keep Utley healthy. Now we need to get to the bottom of why the Phillies can contend this spring, and that begins with early looks at reasons to be excited about a huge part of the club’s payroll—Howard and Halladay.

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