| Christine Cartafalsa. 16th February, 2009 - 12:19 pm
 For once, I actually found myself excited over the Valentine's holiday this year. Although I knew that the vases in my home would remain barren of roses as would my stomach of the prized, teeth-shattering chocolates in the heart-shaped box, a smile kept crossing my face whenever a friend or co-worker asked me about my plans for the most nauseating of days.
My gift will come from not one man, but from a team of twenty-five gathering together in Clearwater, Fla. to warm up their throwing arms as well as my heart.
...and you wonder why female sports journalists aren't always taken seriously?
For an avid fan of baseball, the months sandwiched between the last strike-out is called and the first games of spring training can only be compared to spending time in the hole at Sing Sing. Kudos to those who can adapt easily to other sports like football and hockey, but if baseball is the crème de la crème of your athletic interests, you're more likely to stare longingly out the window at the abandoned ballpark or feed your brain full of our national pastime's most challenging of trivia.
But, the wait is over and, although the beloved 2008 World Champions of baseball have not officially returned to Philadelphia, it sure is nice knowing that at least they're all in the same time zone. The town's grumblings over another Eagles' letdown can finally perk up to the phanatical chattering of jubilee and confidence. Can the Phillies repeat? To quote our new president (no doubt borrowed from Phillies' former second baseman Dave Cash – I thank you), "Yes, we can."
So what do the Phillies need?
A HEALTHY CHASE UTLEY
Chase Utley somehow remained a fan favorite despite an eyebrow-raising slump that seemed to afflict the hard-hitting second basemen after the All-Star break. We knew that Utley, like all players, will struggle temporarily, but his slump seemed to break. And, despite his ability to hide emotions such as joy and annoyance with his performance, his poker face was no match for the obvious pain he was in. Following surgery on his hip (Nov. 24th), Utley was given a projected four to six month recovery time with optimism leaning towards the former. If he's good, Utley will be ready to play by March 24th. Our fingers are crossed -– we want him there on opening day, but only if he's 100%.
LINE-UP WITH SURPRISES
It's quite the line-up and, with the acquisition of Raul Ibanez to replace Pat Burrell, the Phillies now have three of the top-twenty, RBI contributors. The bad news -– they all bat from the left, which means that a wisely-planned opposing bullpen might actually be able to produce shut-out innings with three consecutive lefties (Utley, Ryan Howard, Ibanez) to be followed by three consecutive righties (Werth, Feliz, Ruiz). Shuffling the line up is an obvious decision to make, but how? Placing switch-hitter Shane Victorino behind Howard may not be an answer as his speed will likely be daunted by Howard's slower pace and, thus, could turn a double into a single.
HAPP AS THE FIFTH STARTER
J.A. Happ took over as a starting pitcher on two separate occasions in 2008 and never showed signs of being a naïve rookie. The Phillies couldn't possibly think of returning him to AAA Lehigh Valley for another year and the title of long reliever would translate into endless hours of twiddling his thumbs on the bullpen bench as he waits for the other starters to have a bad day. Kyle Kendrick, despite the Cinderella story that was 2007, has proven that he is subject to unpredictable fall outs on the mound and Carlos Carrasco just isn't ready. A temporary trip to the minors might prove useful to Kendrick in order to regain his control and the team's faith in his abilities.
Chan Ho Park wants the job in the worst way, but the Phillies saw him as a reliever more than a starter. With J.C. Romero's suspension, the Phillies may need all the bullpen help they can get so that pitchers like Chad Durbin aren't overused like last year. Adam Eaton, even if he glides through spring training with an ERA under 1.00, is the most unlikely winner of the fifth starter's role. Most people have forgotten about the good games he had (and there were more good than bad) because his bad games were horrendous. If there is a place for him on the Phillies roster furing his final contracted year, it should be in short relief where he can get regular work on the mound and not have the time to snowball into the point of no return. And, if Eaton's just not going to work out, the minor leagues hopefully will have found the Kendrick of 2007 to take over.
FAITH IN THE BENCH
If Geoff Jenkins purpose was to lift his teammates' spirits, the Phillies would be reworking his contract as we speak. Jenkins chose to come to the Phillies as a free agent because he wanted to win. When he hit a double, he celebrated with the entire stadium. You'd think his gusto would easily pave his way to becoming a fan favorite, but his .249 average with only nine homers and 29 RBIs were enough of a black cloud to rain on his parade. Jenkins found himself in right field less and less last season following his injury because Jason Werth was more productive offensively.
Jenkins will have to prove that he's more of a consistent hitter in order to earn more playing time. Eric Bruntlett had it tough in the beginning attempting to walk in Jimmy Rollins' shoes, but he recovered nicely. His stride up to the batter's box didn't necessary signal the end of the inning and his position versatility throughout the infield and outfield is a pleasant sigh of relief. |
