Closer Comes Full Circle

PHILS PHACTS:

Coming Home – Andrew Bailey is 31, which means his earliest baseball memories as a kid in South Jersey include Veterans Stadium, Darren Daulton, John Kruk, Curt Schilling and the 1993 National League champion Phillies. He will have the opportunity to play for his hometown team next year. The Phillies last week signed Bailey to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training. He will compete for a bullpen job alongside recently acquired veterans like David Hernandez, Ernesto Frieri, Edward Mujica and James Russell; incumbents like Elvis Araujo, Luis Garcia, Jeanmar Gomez, Dalier Hinojosa and Hector Neris; and Rule 5 Draft pick Daniel Stumpf. "As a kid growing up in South Jersey, you dream of playing for the Phillies," Bailey said in an interview with MLB.com. "My whole family is a fan of the organization. It's awesome to hear from so many friends and family. The feedback has been tremendous. Everybody is super excited. I look forward to the opportunity to wear the pinstripes. It'll be good to get back home, back to South Jersey. I'm really looking forward to it." Bailey attended Paul VI High School in Haddonfield, N.J. The A's selected him in the sixth round of the 2006 Draft out of Wagner College. The Phillies selected immediately before the A's, taking left-hander Daniel Brauer from Northwestern. Brauer never played higher than Class A Advanced Clearwater. "I think I did a pre-Draft workout at Citizens Bank Park," Bailey said. "I don't know how far their interest went, but I think there was an opportunity there in the sense I was invited to a workout at least. It's an exciting time. I definitely can't wait." Bailey won the American League Rookie of the Year Award with the A's in 2009, and he made the AL All-Star team in '09 and '10. But a shoulder injury has limited him to just 59 games in the previous four seasons, including 10 with the Yankees in 2015. Bailey posted a 1.80 ERA in 28 appearances in the Minor Leagues in 2015 before posting a 5.19 ERA with New York. Before injuries hit, he had a 2.07 ERA with 75 saves in 84 chances from 2009-11. "I'm coming off injuries and working my way back, so it's the opportunity I was looking for the most," he said. "The Phillies presented me with a great one and I hope to take full advantage of it." Bailey said he is healthy and he will have no restrictions when Spring Training opens in February. "The surgery I had was pretty much a reconstruction of the shoulder," Bailey said. "The surgeon gave me an 18-24 month timeframe to be 100 percent. The 18-month mark was Spring Training last year. I was able to go into camp and compete for a job. I came through healthy and ready to go. I worked my way back up and ended up getting called back to the big leagues, which was unbelievable. After that road, you wait so long to get back to what you want, I got a taste of it again, and I look forward to building off that month I had with the Yankees. "If I go into camp healthy and ready to go, hopefully it works out. I feel like I'm 100 percent ready to go."

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

Looking Back At A Tough Spring

EXHIBITION GAME RECAP: No Game Yesterday

TODAY’S EXHIBITION GAME:

The Phillies had their only day off of the spring Wednesday, but resume play Thursday night on MLB. TV and Gameday Audio at 7:05 against the Yankees in Tampa, Fla. Right-hander Aaron Harang has missed two of his first three starts because of back problems, but he is going to try to pitch Thursday. Joely Rodriguez, who suddenly is a rotation candidate, also is scheduled to pitch.

PHILS PHACTS:

A Challenging Spring – Cliff Lee returned to Bright House Field late Monday afternoon to announce his plans to rehabilitate the torn tendon in his left elbow a third time, despite the fact surgery had been recommended and despite the fact the chance of success is infinitesimal. The following morning, his locker's nameplate had been removed and its contents had been emptied. Lee is gone, and he will not be back, barring a miracle. But Spring Training continues for the Phillies, who are looking for reasons to be positive with Opening Day just 19 days away. Losing Lee is a major blow, because they hoped to eventually trade him for prospects. The Phils hope their remaining veterans remain healthy and productive, so they can be traded at some point. "Nothing new on that front," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Tuesday. The first month of Spring Training has shown a few things about the Phillies. First, Philadelphia's bullpen remains the strength of the team. Jonathan Papelbon, Ken Giles, Jake Diekman and Justin De Fratus make up a formidable foursome. If Rule 5 Draft pick Andy Oliver continues to pitch like he has pitched, he should make the team. The left-hander has allowed two hits, two walks and has struck out nine in five scoreless innings. Left-hander Mario Hollands' last three appearances have been scoreless. He has a good chance to make the bullpen. Non-roster invitee Jeanmar Gomez has made a strong showing in camp, throwing five scoreless innings. People in the organization like left-hander Elvis Araujo, who has allowed one run in five innings. Right-hander Luis Garcia, the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2014, has thrown 4 2/3 scoreless innings. "The real evaluation probably starts to come in the next 10 to 12 days," Amaro said. "That's when you really get a better feel for where guys are. Hopefully people start putting pressure on some of the others. But we have options because a lot of the guys have options. That's a good thing." But what about the offense and the rotation? The Phils remain last in baseball with a .581 OPS, which is 73 points lower than the 29th-ranked Rays. Philadelphia hopes to be better, but how much better can it realistically be? Ryan Howard looks improved early, but there is not much power elsewhere. Small ball is a nice thought, but mixing in an extra-base hit every once in a while would be welcomed. "We're not going to score a lot of runs," Amaro said. "We've been saying that. We'll have to scratch them. We're not going to scare anybody with our power, but that doesn't mean we can't score runs. We're going to have to manufacture them. We're going to have to do it with our legs. We're going to have to do it with our brains and aggressiveness." The Phillies' bench figures to include outfielder/first baseman Darin Ruf, outfielder Odubel Herrera, catcher Cameron Rupp, infielder Cesar Hernandez and possibly Jeff Francoeur. Non-roster invitee Cord Phelps has impressed a few people in the organization. Outfielder Brian Bogusevic has hit two home runs. Could Phelps bump out Hernandez, who is out of options? Phelps has gotten plenty of at-bats recently, but options matter for the Phils. The Phillies' rotation could be a bigger issue than anticipated. It currently includes Cole Hamels, Aaron Harang, Jerome Williams and David Buchanan, if everybody is healthy. Harang has missed two starts already because of his back. Williams has missed one after "tweaking" his right hamstring. The Phils said they have no concerns about Harang and Williams. But their unavailability has showed how thin the Phillies' starting pitching is. The competition for Lee's replacement includes: left-hander Joely Rodriguez, who has never pitched above Double-A; non-roster right-handers Kevin Slowey and Paul Clemens; and right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, who has a 9.00 ERA in three appearances. Manager Ryne Sandberg also mentioned right-hander Sean O'Sullivan as a candidate. He was just reassigned to Minor League camp Monday. "They're not going to be able to replace Cliff," Amaro said. "They'll compete. We'll see. Somebody's going to do it." But will the Phillies compete? Or will their shortcomings on offense and their lack of depth in the rotation hurt them? They have 19 days to get things going.

ON THE RECORD:

The Phillies will look to rebound this season from a 73-89 record last year. While uncertainty abounds, there is little question that the franchise is in rebuild mode based on the moves and statements that have been made during the offseason. The only question that remains is whether or not the young and veteran talent on the team can work together to disprove Gillick’s predictions either this year or next.