| Marshall Bradway. 11th April, 2007 - 6:38 pm
 The Philadelphia Phillies, considered a favorite for the National League Wildcard, find themselves in a familiar position at the conclusion of opening week, in bad shape. The Phillies sit with a 1-6 record, tied for fifth in the National League East with the Washington Nationals, who are likely to be in contention for worst team record in baseball history.
If you know anything about the Phillies, you should already know that this team is one of a few that consistently sets the standard for poor April performance. In 2004, they started 1-6 and finished with a less then stellar 10-11 record in April. 2005 did not begin any better as the team posted an early 4-6 record and finished April out 10-14. Keeping with the flow, the 2006 team continued their early season troubles with an opening week record of 1-6, before again finishing 10-14 in April.
Early season misfortunes have not helped the Phillies’ cause. The team has been without starting pitcher Freddy Garcia and reliever Jon Lieber, both of whom figured to play major roles for Charlie Manuel’s pitching staff. Lieber was recalled from his rehab assignment Monday and Garcia is scheduled to return to the starting rotation around April 15th. Ryan Howard, the team’s superstar first baseman who batted .313 with 58 home runs and 149 RBI’s last season while winning the National League Most Valuable Player award, had a poor spring training and is struggling to hit, .222 with 0 RBI’s and only one extra base hit through the first six regular season games. On Monday, Howard showed flashes of returning to his former self, hitting a 3-run home run in the 6th inning off reliever Ambiorix Burgos.
Opening Day ended with a 5-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves as Edgar Renteria hit what proved to be the game-winning 2-run home run in the 10th inning. In the second game of the season, the Phillies blew a 2-0 9th inning lead when Brian McCann hit a game-tying home run off closer Tom Gordon. The Phillies ended up losing 3-2 in 11 innings and then completed the sweep losing 8-4 on Thursday. Things did not get much better for the Phillies as they followed up the sweep by losing two of three from the Florida Marlins in an Easter weekend series in Miami. Bad luck continued for the team as they dropped the opening game of a series to the New York Mets 11-5 on Monday.
Every aspect of the team looks flat to start the season. The Phillies are only middle of the pack in the major leagues in most significant hitting categories and the team has struggled only scoring 31 runs in seven games. Fielding and base running has not been up to par as the Phillies have had six errors over the first week. The downfall for the Phillies has been with pitching staff, particularly the bullpen. The Phillies sat with the National League’s second worst E.R.A. at 5.07 before giving up 11 runs to the New York Mets on Monday.
Despite everything you have already read, there is still no reason for Philadelphia Phillies fans to panic. The Phillies teams from the three previous seasons that began with similar unsuccessful results, each ended with solid records and an opportunity to get into the playoffs. In 2004, the Phillies finished 86-76 and finished six games out of the wildcard. The team finished 88-74 in 2005, only two games behind division leader Atlanta and one game behind Houston for the wildcard. Last season, the Phillies finished 85-77, this time only three games out of the playoffs.
While the previous three fell just short of a playoff berth, this year could very well be the year the Phillies find themselves in the playoffs despite early season losses. The team addressed key needs in the off season adding depth to the starting rotation and finding a catcher and third basemen that could factor in the game offensively. Freddy Garcia was acquired from the Chicago White Sox for two minor league players and Rod Barajas and Wes Helms were signed away from the Texas Rangers and Florida Marlins. The team’s most expensive off season addition was starter Adam Eaton who signed a 3-year, $24 million dollar contract. Eaton played last year with the Texas Rangers after playing the first six seasons of his career with the San Diego Padres. The last addition to the team was the signing of outfielder Jayson Werth from the Los Angeles Dodgers who figures to be the team’s fourth outfielder and main pinch hitter.
Despite beginning the regular season, the Philadelphia Phillies may not have finalized their 2007 team roster. The team is attempting to address one of its glaring needs, adding a bullpen arm, for veteran pitcher Jon Lieber or starting centerfield Aaron Rowand. Lieber, who has been a starting pitcher for the majority of his career, was sent to the bullpen after the signings of Garcia and Eaton. Rowand, a favorite of the Philadelphia fans, is a hard nosed player who does everything possible to help the team win. Sometimes, teams have to part with good players to get good players at a more needed position.
One reason not to panic is the young core of players the Philadelphia Phillies have. As the team has already, or attempts to, sign many of their young players to long term contracts. That could leave the franchise, which has not won a World Series championship since 1980, successful for many years to come.
Five regulars from the starting lineup are 29 or younger. Jimmy Rollins, 28, has started at shortstop for the Phillies since 2001 has the important task of batting lead off. 26-year-old Shane Victorino figures to bat second for the team while replacing former All-Star Bobby Abreu in right field (Abreu was traded before the deadline last year for three minor league players). 28-year-old Chase Utley, who is widely considered the best second baseman in baseball, will figure to bat third or fourth for the Phillies in 2007. Sensational slugger Ryan Howard, 27, will play first base, switching between third and fourth in the Phillies batting order. Aaron Rowand, 29, is a phenomenal centerfield and is responsible for protecting the middle of the Phillies order batting sixth or seventh.
The team’s pitching staff also has great future being anchored by 26-year-old ace starter Brett Myers and one of the best young pitchers in the game, 23-year-old Cole Hamels. Former 10-game winner middle reliever Ryan Madson, 26, figures to play a major role out of the bullpen in a variety of settings for Charlie Manuel’s ball club.
Although the average age of a member of the Philadelphia Phillies might be under the league average, many of these players possess natural leadership to push themselves during the long season. Jamie Moyer who will turn 45 in November, figures to play an important role both on and off the field this year. Moyer, who is most known for his craftiness and low velocity pitching style, should be penciled in the middle of the starting rotation offsetting one of the harder throwing starters like Brett Myers or Freddy Garcia. He has also earned the responsibility of taking youngster Cole Hamels under his wing, teaching him some tips on how to be a successful left-handed pitcher in the major leagues.
The back end of the bullpen also has strong veteran presence. Closer Tom Gordon, who is 39-years-old, had a respectable 3.34 ERA and 34 saves in 2006. He figures to hold the same role for the 2007 season and has made himself available to help some of the Phillies’ younger arms in the rotation and bullpen. Even some of the young players like the aforementioned Rollins, Utley, and Howard have taken vocal roles in the clubhouse and with the media.
Despite the slow start, watch out for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2007. This team has everything needed to win games and certainly has the drive to be successful. Even if this team finishes April fourth or fifth in the National League East, it would be much too early to even consider counting this dangerous team out of anything. This team has the make up to be playing late into October with a possibility of winning a ring this year. |
