Philadelphia Phillies: How Can They Generate Enough Right-Handed Power?

The Philadelphia Phillies may have stolen the show from the Boston Red Sox this offseason with the reacquisition of left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee—giving them what many think could be the best starting rotation in Major League history.

While that will have to be seen, some people are overlooking the fact that the Phillies lost their best right-handed power hitter in Jayson Werth.

The loss hurts because of what he brings all around on the field, but also gives the Phillies a weakness—power from the right side.

With guys like Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard leading your lineup primarily from the left side—though Rollins is a switch—you can get stuck into jams against teams with a good left reliever. The Phillies’ biggest adversary in the NL East this year, the Atlanta Braves, host Jonny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty—both left handed pitchers that have shown success against the Phillies.

There still is a chance that they can find some help, though, as we’ll talk about over the next few slides.

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