Philadelphia Phillies: Overview of Phillies’ Farm System and Prospects for 2013

The times are changing in Philadelphia. When it once seemed like the Phillies‘ window to compete would stay open for at least a few more years after putting together that rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, this franchise is finding out that age can catch up to you in a hurry. 

Everything fell apart in 2012, thanks in large part to injuries. Roy Halladay had his worst season in nearly a decade. Cliff Lee got no run support. The offense sputtered for a long time trying to find itself. 

Despite all those problems at the big league level, the Phillies still managed to finish a respectable 81-81. However, that was not what they had envisioned just one year after winning 102 games. 

Things aren’t going so well down on the farm either, as years of trades and a lack of spending in the draft have left the farm system with a lot more questions than answers right now. The margin for error with the big league team is so small because there doesn’t appear to be any impact talent coming. 

Add to that some baffling moves this offseason (acquiring Michael Young to play third base and Delmon Young to play right field), and the Phillies could be looking at their first season under .500 since 2002. 

Here is a look at what the farm system has in place heading into 2013, potential breakout candidates and players who could make an impact this season, as well as what the team needs to see down on the farm. 

Note: All ages and stats courtesy of MiLB.com unless otherwise noted

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Odds on Each Non-Roster Phillies Invitee Making the Team

Spring training isn’t a month to prepare for the upcoming season for everyone in camp. For some, it’s a fight to make the club. It’s a hard-fought battle to make sure that when the club heads north, their name is on the Opening Day roster. 

Players labeled as “non-roster invitees” are guys with something to prove. They have not been added to the 40-man roster. Their contracts are not guaranteed at the major league level. These are the players who have to play some of their best baseball coming right off of the offseason if they want to play in Major League Baseball when camp breaks. 

The Philadelphia Phillies will have quite a few non-roster players in camp this spring. They will be looking for the next Juan Pierre—a player that joined the Phillies on a minor league deal last spring to become one of their best performers that season.

With spring training officially underway, the Phillies have 20 non-roster players in camp this spring. In the following slideshow, we will break down each player’s chance to remain with the major league club once the regular season begins on a scale of zero to 100 percent. 

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Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Things to Look for in Spring Training

Pitchers and catchers reported to Clearwater, Fla. earlier this week, and that means a new Philadelphia Phillies season is just around the corner.

For the first time since 2008, the Phillies are not the defending NL East champions. However, 2008 was the year the Phillies won their second World Championship in their club’s history. So will this be a season to remember or a season we hope soon to forget?

Here are five things as Phillies fans we should look for in spring training to tell if the Phils have a shot at the NL East title this year.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Options If Kendrick or Lannan Need Replacements

The Philadelphia Phillies’ pitchers and catchers are set to have their first official workouts today, beginning the process of answering a handful of questions before the regular season begins.

Is Roy Halladay 100 percent healthy?  Who will claim the last four spots in the bullpen?  Which pitcher will get the nod on Opening Day?

However, some more decisions may have to be made once the regular season gets underway.

Although Kyle Kendrick and John Lannan are seemingly set to take the No. 4 and 5 spots in the Phillies’ starting rotation, neither has inspired the type of optimism throughout their careers like fellow starters Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee and Halladay have.

Kendrick tied a career high with 11 wins last season and had a career-best 116 strikeouts.  This was largely due to a tremendous late-season stretch that saw him go 6-4 with a 3.67 ERA and 47 strikeouts in August and September.

However, Kendrick also had a 6.96 ERA in six June starts, going 1-4 while allowing 25 earned runs in 32.1 innings as opponents batted .305 against him.

Lannan, meanwhile, only made six major league starts last season after getting bumped from the Washington Nationals’ starting rotation. Although he won at least eight games in each season from 2008-11, he also has a 4.16 ERA in his last 64 major league starts.

Both pitchers have had performances throughout their careers that could allow them to make for tremendous options as No. 4 and 5 starters, but they are also playing a position in which minor-league talent may soon be major-league ready.

Starting pitching is one of the positions the Phillies have minor-league depth at, which could make for some interesting decisions should Kendrick or Lannan struggle throughout the regular season.

If the Phillies decide that a replacement is needed at some point, here are five options that could make a case for a spot in the starting rotation.

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Making the Case For, Against Each of Phillies’ Big 3 Starting on Opening Day

After a long, arduous and for the Philadelphia Phillies, somewhat confusing and disappointing offseason, the days until the first pitch of 2013 is thrown are finally winding down. Simply put, the baseball season is almost upon us.

As we speak, pitchers and catchers have already reported to duty and their position player teammates are sure not to be far behind. Already the weather in Philadelphia is improving and every one in the city is awaiting the return of their beloved Phils.

For fans this brings hope, joy, excitement, anticipation and of course, questions.

How will Chase Utley’s knees hold up? Will Ryan Howard’s power return? How in the world will the new outfield platoon work out? Where will the runs come from? What will come of the new bullpen?

And perhaps the most important and most immediate question, one that its answer will no doubt set the tone for the season: Which of the Big Three will get the nod to start Opening Day? 

Each of the three aces has an impressive enough resume to get the start but unlike in the past few years, it is not a clear cut choice. Roy Halladay is no longer the clear cut #1 on this team, Cliff Lee has been inconsistent and Cole Hamels is primed to be the ace of the future.

Still, there is no easy answer as all three aces will enter the 2013 season with a clean slate and on even ground. Any of the three can be given the start and when it comes down to it, there really is no bad choice. What there is however is a best choice.

Here are the pros and cons to each of the big three getting to throw the first pitch of the 2013 Phillies’ season. 

 

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MLB Spring Training 2013: Philadelphia Phillies’ Packing Needs for Clearwater

Last week, with great fanfare, the Philadelphia Phillies announced that the team’s equipment truck had departed for Clearwater, Fla.  It should be there and unpacked shortly for pitchers and catchers, who report to Bright House Field this week to begin spring training for the 2013 season.

The truck included the usual stuff baseball players require: cases of bubble gum and sun flower seeds, along with 350 pairs of shorts, 450 pairs of socks, 600 pairs of pants, 600 hats, 200 fleeces, 1,200 bats, 2,000 T-shirts, 2,400 baseballs, 10,000 12 oz. cups and 150 pairs of batting gloves.

It also contained some unusual items.  According to the Phillies website, the team also sent south “one wedding dress, four bridesmaids’ dresses, one groom’s suit, one groomsman’s suit…and one cake topper.” 

Don’t worry—the Phillie Phanatic is not eloping.  His heart remains with the Phillies.  The wedding gear belongs to Phillies director of baseball communications Greg Casterioto, who is getting married in Clearwater. 

There is one truck that better make good time.  A missing bat is one thing.  A missing wedding dress is a whole other thing, indeed!  Hope for the best.  Hope too that the Phillies put a few other unusual items on the truck this year.  These include:

 

1. A Mitt

For the first time in a while, Michael Young, the third baseman that the Phillies acquired from the Texas Rangers in the offseason, is going to need to use one of these things consistently.  Young started only 64 games at third base the last two seasons at Texas. 

The Phillies need Young to take the field a whole lot more than that.  In case the team forgot the lesson it learned in acquiring aging first baseman Jim Thome last year, there is no such thing as a designated hitter in the National League.

 

2. Milk

It does a body good, right?  It certainly does not run the risk of getting one suspended from the game.  In the past year, the Phillies have lost two players to suspensions for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.  Freddy Galvis, the team’s exciting young prospect at second base, received a 50-game suspension last June. 

That preceded the punishment meted out to Phillies veteran catcher Carlos Ruiz, a 25-game suspension that begins with Opening Day.  Numbers can be replaced.  Character cannot.

 

3. Seat Cushions

The infielders for the Phillies are not getting any younger.  Ryan Howard is 33, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins are 34 and the “new kid,” Michael Young, is 36.  And oh, by the way, Utley, Howard and Young are all vying to be candidates for comeback player of the year.  A career .301 hitter, Young hit only .277 last year for the Rangers while managing to hit eight home runs. 

Meanwhile, due to injuries, neither Utley nor Howard played meaningful baseball for the Phillies last year until July.  Rollins played all of last summer, but his batting average fell by 13 points in the season’s second half, from .256 to .243.            

If the Phillies want to get more “whiz” than “wheeze” from this infield, its members will require regularly scheduled rest.

 

4. Arm Rests 

Same for the pitching staff, particularly the big three.  Roy Halladay turns 36 in May while Cliff Lee celebrates his 35th   birthday this August.  Cole Hamels is only 29, but he constitutes a considerable investment for the franchise as the recipient last July of a contract extension for six years and $144 million. 

Manager Charlie Manuel must resist the pressure, especially early in the season, to let his three aces go deep into ballgames in search of wins.  The window to win with this set of arms is closing quickly.  Manuel must figure out a way to win early and save his aces to play later.

 

5. Base Hits

These are tough to pack and store for when you need them.  Still, for the Phillies to contend once more, the team needs to hit.  It really is that simple.  In baseball, hits often lead to runs.  These enable starting pitchers to exit earlier, aging infielders to rest more regularly and, most importantly, teams to win more consistently. 

Last year, the Phillies averaged only 4.22 runs per game, 19th in the majors, with as many losses as wins.  In 2008, the Phillies averaged 4.90 runs per game and won the World Series.  Maybe baseball is not that simple.  But what if it is?  Forget the bubble gum.  This year, pack some hits.

 

All statistics in this article are from www.baseball-reference.com.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Predictions for Phillies’ Opening-Day 25-Man Roster Entering Spring Training

Building a roster isn’t easy. 

Sure, some decisions are easier than others. You’ll take the All-Star over the career minor leaguer and not think twice about it. Players owed more guaranteed money often have a much better shot of making the team. 

Even after you make those simple decisions, however, they aren’t always the right ones. Building a club isn’t a linear thought process. Sometimes, the handsomely paid players are blocking a cheap, but productive player from making the roster.

Spring training gives clubs an opportunity to evaluate their team from head to toe. Some camps are more interesting than others, with the 2013 Philadelphia Phillies being a case in point. 

This Phillies club is one that has the potential to look quite different from what most people would expect of them come Opening Day. Two positions in the outfield are essentially up for grabs, and what happens there will define what the bench looks like. 

Much of the same could be said for the bullpen, where things seem black and white, but are actually much more gray. 

Here’s how the Phillies’ roster could look come Opening Day.

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Phillies’ Prospects to Watch in Spring Training as Clearwater Welcomes Club Back

Because the Phillies strip-mined their minor league system chasing titles from 2009-2011, the “prospect” cupboard is pretty bare.

As explained by ESPN.com’s Keith Law in his recent ranking of the Phillies’ Top 10 prospects:

“Years of trades, surrendered draft picks and refusal to go give signing bonuses that exceed MLB‘s recommendations have taken their toll on a system that doesn’t look like it’ll spit out an average every-day position player until at least 2015….”

Yikes.

So the emphasis needs to turn to young players that Phillies fans have already seen in uniform.

It is hard to think of a more exciting young player on the Phillies roster than Darin Ruf.

Law was, to put it mildly, circumspect about Ruf‘s ability to produce at the game’s highest level. “Darin Ruf could do a little damage as a bench/platoon guy against left-handed bats, although I don’t think he’s a regular,” Law opined.

But the anecdotal evidence has Phillies fans dreaming of a modern-day Greg Luzinski.

Ruf teed off on Eastern League pitching at AA Reading on his way to winning the league’s Most Valuable Player award. Ruf then had the proverbial cup of coffee with the big club in September, hitting three home runs in 33 at-bats.

He finished his whirlwind 2012 by tearing up winter ball in Venezuela, per David Murphy of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Phillies’ fans are breathlessly awaiting Ruf‘s spring training at-bats to see whether he can still drive mistakes.

Phillippe Aumont went from laboring at AA Reading to making 18 somewhat unexpected appearances with the big club toward the end of the 2012 season.

Aumont made 18 appearances for the Phillies in 2012, even saving two games along the way. His 3.68 earned run average and 1.295 walks and hits per innings pitched were reasonably competent.

But Aumont walked nine batters in his 14.2 innings, muting some of the effect of his 14 strikeouts in that same amount of work.

The Phillies, and particularly Ruben Amaro Jr. (who still hears about the Cliff Lee trade that brought Aumont to Philadelphia), would love to see Aumont blossom into a late-inning force in 2013.

Domonic Brown has been wearing the “prospect” label now for what seems like half a decade. He is 25 years old. He only played 56 games for the Phillies last season. Is he still a “prospect”?

But for Brown’s prior status as an up-and-coming player, his .236 lifetime batting average in 147 games would probably have earned his release.

You do not need Keith Law’s acumen (significant though it is) to see that this is an aging Phillies team that will rely far more on resurgences from Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Roy Halladay in 2013 than it ever will on seeing breakout years from the likes of Ruf, Aumont and Brown.

But those three players are the “potential” guys in camp from whom the most can be expected, or at least hoped for.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies Who Need to Step Up in 2013

The 2012 season was a difficult one for the Philadelphia Phillies, but if some of their key contributors can step up their game, this season could find the Phillies right back on track.

Not having superstars Ryan Howard and Chase Utley for a long period is a big reason why the Phillies struggled. When those two returned, however, they just could not produce the way that Philly fans have grown accustomed to.

After an offseason in which the Phillies made some interesting moves, the team will look to improve from its 81–81 record last season.

For that to happen, some of the most important pieces to this squad need to put forth drastically improved performances in 2013. The Phillies absolutely need some players to step up this coming season.

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What Phillies Fans Have to Look Forward to Most in Spring Training

Just when you thought that you couldn’t be excited by a large, corporate truck, one rolls out of Citizens Bank Park loaded with baseball equipment headed for Clearwater, Florida and all of the sudden you find yourself anxiously awaiting another round of Philadelphia Phillies spring training. 

Well hold on to your hats, folks. This spring is going to be a unique one for the Phillies, packed to the brim with big storylines, small nuances, players recovering from injury, guys with something to prove this season, position battles and anything else you can dream up. 

So what should you be looking forward to this spring? 

It’s almost easy to get lost in all of the spring happenings, but fear not. This slideshow will serve as a dandy guide to draw your attention to some of the biggest eye-catchers this spring. There is a lot to look forward to this spring. 

Blink and you may miss it.

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