2011 Philadelphia Phillies: Do They Have the Depth to Weather the Injury Storm?

We are all well aware that virtually no MLB team goes through an entire season without injury, and very few can make it through 162 games without a major one.

With that in mind, my question is: Do the Philadelphia Phillies have enough in reserve to overcome the inevitable injury bug?

Now, I’m not going to predict anywhere near the bad luck of last season. Just about every regular position player suffered at least one physical setback last year, with every major contributor being out for at least a few weeks. 

With a little luck, the Phillies can avoid major injury, and this article will be rendered completely useless. 

However, with All-Star second baseman Chase Utley already in pain at the beginning of spring training, the prospect of their bench bears some consideration and the question remains, is it enough?

Wilson Valdez had a very surprising year for the ’10 Phillies and truly was one of the unsung heroes on the club. He filled in for Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Placido Polanco at one time or another during the season, playing admirable defense supplemented with some timely hitting.  

He’s back this year to resume his utility infielder role, but can anyone expect him to perform as well?

Should anyone have to?

Aside from Valdez, there really is no other solid option heading into the season, unless somebody else establishes himself in spring training.

As for the outfield, with Dominic Brown’s recent injury, it looks as though Ben Francisco will be the everyday right fielder, with John Mayberry Jr. and Ross Gload (who, admittedly, can also play first base) as the fourth and fifth outfielders. 

Gload is what he is. He’ll never be a regular and will never even be mistaken for one, but he is a decent stop-gap with a bit of punch from the left side.

As for Mayberry, I believe that he has what it takes to be a decent fourth or fifth outfielder, but he has yet to prove this in MLB competition. 

When it comes to the “backstop backup,” the Phillies are very solid with veteran Brian Schneider, who still could probably start for eight to 10 teams out there. He is actually more than solid, and though he’ll never be mistaken for Johnny Bench at the dish, can still produce some important knocks when he is needed.

To sum it all up, it would seem that heading into the regular season, the Phillies’ bench is strong behind the plate, solid in the infield (albeit with only one reliable player) and, at best, questionable in the outfield. 

Is anyone starting to worry yet? Honestly, it is probably no cause for concern, as long as the regulars stay relatively healthy. 

A few injuries for a team throughout a regular season is commonplace, but with every starter except one (Francisco, 29) at 30 years of age or older—and with Charlie Manuel’s tendency to run his starters into the ground—the depth of performers on the bench could become a concern.

Think of it this way. Let’s say Utley begins the year on the DL, and Valdez, barring a last-minute pickup, begins the year as the starter. Who is the reserve infielder now? 

This team has an excellent chance to dominate this season. The starting pitching, if healthy, has a chance to go down as one of the best rotations in history. The bullpen, with a healthy and confident Brad Lidge, should be strong, and the team is poised for comeback years from its three biggest stars.

It is the sincere hope of all Phillies fans that this article will be rendered moot with healthy years from the regulars. 

Here’s hoping the bench will be needed only minimally. 

Please share your thoughts. I’d love to hear them!

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2011 Philadelphia Phillies: Is There Any Way They Do Not Win the NL East?

Every team enters every season with questions. 

The bottom line question for the 2011 Philadelphia Phillies is this: Can they live up to this unprecedented hype and bring home the franchise’s third World Series?

I’m not going to go quite that far, but I’d like to give some evidence that, to me, suggests that there is absolutely no way that this Phillies team does not walk away with their fifth consecutive NL East Crown.

The Phillies won the East in 2007 with Jimmy Rollins providing an MVP season and one of the greatest offensive/defensive seasons that a shortstop has ever produced. 

They also won the East in 2010, when a largely ineffective Rollins played in only 88 games.

The Phillies won the East in 2007 with Brett Myers as their closer.  They won in 2008 when Brad Lidge had one of the five greatest seasons that any closer has ever had. 

They won the division in 2009 when Brad Lidge had one of, if not the worst season of any closer in history.

The Phillies won the NL East with Aaron Rownd patrolling center field in 2007.  That season, Shane Victorino played predominantly in right field, while Jayson Werth barely played at all. 

They also won in 2008 with Victorino in center and a Werth/Jenkins platoon in right. 

They won the division in 2008, with Brett Myers (who, incidentally, had to go down to the Iron Pigs that year to “right” himself) as their No. 2 starter.  They won with Jamie Moyer as their No. 3 starter. 

They won their division in 2007 and 2008 with Cole Hamels as their No. 1 starter and a good one, at that. 

They also won their division in 2009 with Hamels having, by his standards, an absolutely dreadful year. 

Are we beginning to see what I’m talking about here?  No?

The Phils have won two division titles with Pat Burrell in left field.  They’ve won two with Raul Ibanez in left field.  They even won with the less-than-mediocre three-headed monster of Abraham Nunez, Gregg Dobbs and Wes Helms at third base!

They’ve won the division winning but 89 games.  They’ve won it with a Major League high 97.  They’ve won it scoring 892 runs as a team.  They’ve won it scoring just 772 runs.  They’ve won with a team ERA of 3.68, and they’ve won with a team ERA of 4.73. 

Here is the main point. 

The last four Phillies teams have won the National League Eastern Division, and all have been significantly different from the team that preceded it.  They’ve won with hitting, and they’ve won with pitching. 

The only constants seem to be Charlie Manuel, an admittedly very strong manager of personalities, but a manager that will never be mistaken for a tremendous strategist. 

Another constant has been exceptional team defense that has always had top notch strength up the middle, with Ruiz, Rollins, Utley and Victorino (and Rowand for one of those years). 

Yet one more constant would be the “big three” of Rollins, Utley and Howard. 

However, all three of these guys had down years last year.  This is a valid concern for Phillies fans, as they are all now into their 30’s and could be on the decline. 

Even if this may be somewhat true, and I chose to think that last year was a speed bump rather than downward slope with a sharp decline, with all three having down years, the team still won the division last year and sported baseball’s best regular season record.

Do they have any competition for the division? 

Well, the New York Mets could have a nice offensive season if the bats of Beltran and Bay come back to join forces with Reyes, Wright and breakout Davis.  They just do not have the pitching to contend. 

The Marlins have some talent, particularly on the mound, but just do not have any kind of team chemistry.  What do you expect when your superstar only cares about himself? 

The Nats?  Maybe in five years.  Maybe not even then.

This leaves the Atlanta Braves.  They have a decent team but certainly not an offensively overpowering one. 

Jason Heyward could be headed to stardom, but will not quite make it to that point this year.  Chipper Jones could be ready for the season, but he will never be close to what he was.  Dan Uggla was a nice pickup, but the rest of the team is filled out with solid, but nowhere near spectacular, veterans. 

Now, their top three starting pitchers are a different story.  Tim Hudson might be the most underrated ace in baseball and can keep the Braves in any game against any other ace in the game. 

Tommy Hanson has a lot of talent but does show some inconsistency.  Derek Lowe might be one of the best number three pitchers in baseball, and if Jurgens can get back to 2009 form, this could be a formidable staff.

The bullpen looks as though it could be decent, but is largely unproven, and the loss of Billy Wagner will hurt. 

This Braves team is solid and could win up to 90 games in 2011.  Does that make them a threat to the Philadelphia Phillies?  Not by a long shot!

Here’s my point.  No matter what has happened over the past four seasons, the Phillies have managed to come away with the East crown every year. 

Will a year come along eventually in which they are unseated?  Absolutely. 

Will it happen any time soon?  Absolutely not! 

This team wins.  That’s what they do.  They will win no matter what adversity presents itself over the course of the next seven months.  They will win with injuries, and they will win with off years from some of their best.

I agree that once a team enters the postseason that all bets are off.  It tends to be the hot team that gets to, and subsequently wins, the World Series.  One thing is for certain.  The Phillies will take home the NL East crown.

There may be those that say that this article is beyond arrogant, that it has been written by an obvious Phillies fan who cannot see any possibility of the Phillies finishing anywhere but first. 

Anything can happen in baseball, right? 

Yes, anything can happen in baseball.  Yes, all of our starting pitchers could have their arms fall off in Spring Training.  Barring a plane crash that takes out the entire starting lineup and two or three of the pitchers, I think the team is safe for their fifth NL East Championship!

Now, everyone go knock on wood!

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MLB: 10 Greatest Keystone Combos: How Do Phillies’ Rollins and Utley Stack Up?

Phillies fans love, love, love their middle infield—and why shouldn’t they? 

Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley will play their seventh this season together this year.  They are a wonderful “keystone combo,” whose combined prowess extends to the plate, the field, and their team’s collective success.

So how do they stack up against the best middle infields of all time?  This is something I’ve been thinking about for quite a while, and I decided to do a little research.  What I found may surprise you—it definitely surprised me. 

Now, I’m not going to do a point system, but I will be using statistics to support these rankings.  The lone requirement is the duo must have played together for at least four years.  If the combination lasted longer, I have tried to take an accurate cross-section of their time as teammates. 

I graded the pairs in these three categories:  1.  Offense.  2.  Defense.  3.  Impact on the success of the ball club. 

Obviously, all three of these categories can be somewhat subjective, but an offensive stat line will be given for each player during the selected years. 

With that in mind, let’s get started!

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MLB: Is Ryan Howard For Albert Pujols a Good Idea?

If you’ve not yet heard the speculation about the Ryan Howard for Albert Pujols trade, then you probably do not follow the Phillies or the Cardinals. 

Whether or not there is any validity to this rumor is anyone’s guess, and most Phillies fans out there love the idea, but should they? 

Yes, Pujols is the premiere hitter in baseball. 

Yes, he is a right-handed bat; the right-handed bat the Phils, and pretty much every other team in baseball, so highly covets. 

Pujols deserves every accolade he receives, but is this trade a good idea for the Phillies?  Let’s look at a few reasons as to why it might not be.

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