Ryan Howard Injury: How Torn Achilles Will Be a Good Thing for Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies are going to have to replace Ryan Howard’s production, and that will ultimately lead to them being a stronger team in 2012.

Howard and the Phillies are still awaiting the results of an MRI to determine if his Achilles’ tendon is indeed torn, but all indications point to that being the case. That will almost certainly shelve Howard for the entire 2012 season.

With Howard out of the Phillies’ plans for 2012, the Phillies will have no possibility hiding under the false illusion that their weak offense is enough to win the World Series in 2012.

They will have to be aggressive in the offseason to replace Howard’s prodigious production. Howard hit .253 with 31 home runs and 108 RBI this season.

His home run and RBI totals led the Phillies. He had 23 more RBI than the next closest Phillie.

The Phillies will have to scour the free-agent market for a good bat. This will not be enough, though, and this is where the injury will benefit them the most.

In order to replace that production, the Phillies will likely be forced to trade one of their big four starting pitchers.

Starting pitching is always at a premium in baseball. The Phillies have an excess. While having a pitching staff with that depth does wonders in the regular season, it is not as big of an advantage in the postseason. Pitching rotations are shortened. Three quality starters is enough to carry a team to a title.

If the Phillies can trade one of those starters and bring in a couple of good bats, then they will become a better team in the process.

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Phillies vs. Cardinals: Roy Halladay Puts Phils Weak Offense in Huge Hole

Roy Halladay stepped to the mound for the heavily favored Phils in Game One of the NLDS and wasted no time laying an egg. He gave up three runs before anyone had a chance to blink an eye, and just like that the anemic Phils offense was in a hole they are not in a position to climb out of.

Lance Berkaman delivered the big blow as he hit a two-run jack with one out in the first. And with that, the Cardinals capitalized on the old adage that if you are going to get to a great pitcher you have to get to them early.

And in the course of his slow start Halladay set a dangerous precedent. These fantastic Phillies pitchers cannot afford to let teams jump ahead of them early. Their offense is not setup to overcome that deficit.

Especially in the landscape of the playoffs where they are going to face better pitching throughout the game.

The Phillies hit just .253 during the regular season. That was the 16th ranked team average in the majors.

Their is not a stretch of the Phillies lineup that opposing pitchers will fear. Beyond that there isn’t a single hitter that pitchers will fear.

While they have a lineup of decent hitters, they don’t have one player that is offensively equipped to take this team on his back and carry them.

Give an opposing pitcher an early lead, and they are going to come out attacking the zone with confidence, and mow down the Phillies lineup.

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