Rockies Rookie Rocks Phillies

GAME RECAP: Rockies Rock Phillies 8-3

Rockies rookie left-hander Tyler Anderson solved his run-support problem Saturday night. Anderson's first career home run, a two-run shot, tied the game in the fifth, and his teammates helped him earn his first career win by igniting for a six-run sixth en route to an 8-3 victory over the Phillies. Seven of the first eight Rockies batters reached base in the sixth, highlighted by Mark Reynolds' bases-loaded walk and Tony Wolters' bases-clearing triple. Wolters' hit chased Phillies starter Jerad Eickhoff, but not before he was tagged for eight runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings. As the run total grew, a member of the family of hawks that nests high above the Coors Field scoreboard zoomed in and out of the press box. Then, it perched atop the box and took in the ballgame. Anderson allowed two runs on nine hits over six frames and struck out six while walking none. Tommy Joseph hit his second home run of the series on a 4-for-4 night, and Carlos Ruiz knocked in a run on a single. Anderson had received only 2.50 runs of support per game coming into the game, which was fifth-lowest among starters with at least 20 innings.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Eickhoff had cruised through 4 ⅔ scoreless innings before Wolters singled and Anderson homered. But it got much worse for Eickhoff in the sixth. He allowed six of seven batters to reach base as the Rockies scored six runs in the inning. Eickhoff allowed a career-high eight runs in 5 ⅓ innings to finish the half at 6-10 with a 3.80 ERA.
• Phillies All-Star outfielder Odubel Herrera will likely return to the lineup Sunday after hitting a foul ball off his right foot on Friday. Between that, facing a lefty in Tyler Anderson and starting the series 0-for-10, Herrera did not start Saturday.
• The Phillies will activate left-handed reliever Daniel Stumpf on Sunday after he is done serving an 80-game suspension for taking a performance-enhancing drug. Stumpf, a Rule 5 Draft pick, allowed three runs in three appearances over two-thirds of an inning this season.
• Chatwood has walked at least three batters in each of his past five starts. That raised his walk rate from 6.2 percent to 8.9 percent.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies and Rockies will close the first half of the season Sunday afternoon with an interesting matchup of two young right-handers on the mound: Zach Eflin and Tyler Chatwood. Eflin, an integral piece of the Jimmy Rollins trade, has been excellent for the Phillies after his rocky first start. Eflin has allowed only six earned runs in 26 2/3 innings after allowing nine runs in 2 2/3 innings in his debut at Toronto. He is coming off a complete-game gem, holding the Braves to one run and six hits on 92 pitches Tuesday. Chatwood has a career-low 3.08 ERA this season, including a 1.30 mark on the road, which is third-best among qualified pitchers. In his first start off the 15-day disabled list (mid-back strain) his last time out, he threw five strong innings, limiting the Giants to two runs (one earned) on three hits with four strikeouts and four walks.

PHILS PHACTS:

Scheduled Return – Aaron Nola is ready to rejoin the Phillies' rotation. He will start July 18 against the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park, which will be his first since the Phillies skipped his turn in the rotation following a rough five-start stretch. The Phillies said they wanted Nola to clear his mind before the second half. Nola, who threw two innings in a simulated game Saturday at Coors Field, believes the benefits will be more physical than mental. "I don't really think it's a mental break," he said. "Mentally, I feel fine. I feel like the past month I struggled. The ball was up. My command wasn't where it should be. I wasn't getting ahead of guys, and they make you pay for it. I think that's main part. "My body is going to be a lot healthier. My arm is going to be a lot healthier. I feel great." Nola, 23, had been a legitimate candidate to make the National League All-Star team before he went 0-4 with a 13.50 ERA in his last five starts. Assuming he regains his trademark command and returns to form, the Phillies' rotation should be formidable the final two-plus months of the season with Jerad Eickhoff, Vince Velasquez, Zach Eflin and Jeremy Hellickson, if he is not traded before the Aug. 1 Trade Deadline. But the four youngest pitchers in the rotation have given the Phillies reasons to be optimistic about the future. Nola likes the Phillies' prospects with this rotation, too. "I love watching those guys," Nola said. "They're such big-time competitors. Just the way they pitch. Eickhoff is probably one of the hardest competitors I've played with. The guy is just locked in all the time."

Futures Game Representation – The 2016 season hasn't gone the way Ricardo Pinto planned. In his first season at Double-A, he has posted career highs in ERA, WHIP and home runs per nine innings. But being named one of two Phillies prospects to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game (live on MLB Network and MLB.com Sunday at 7 p.m. ET) has given the 22-year-old right-hander new fuel for the second half. "It's always been a dream of mine," Pinto said through an interpreter. "I want to thank the Philadelphia Phillies staff for helping me out and just giving me everything I have right now. This is something that will just help me keep going." Since being signed out of Venezuela in 2012, the highest ERA that Pinto posted was 3.09 last season at Class A Lakewood. He relied on a fastball-changeup combo that likely could succeed in a big league bullpen right now. But through 17 Double-A starts, that number sits at 4.58. Pinto and the Phillies still have their eyes set on him being a starter. He has spent 2016 expanding his repertoire to also include a curveball and slider. The road to refining those breaking balls has been a bumpy one. Pinto coasted through Class A Advanced, finding he could get away with mistake pitches and still get outs. It has been a different experience at Double-A. "I've noticed the hitters are more mature," Pinto said. "If you throw a mistake, they're going to make you pay. … I've been learning from those mistakes. Sometimes I could get away with those mistakes in High A ball, but here I don't get outs with the mistake pitches." Pinto pitched a career-high 145 1/3 innings last season between Lakewood and High A Clearwater. At 96 1/3 through the first half of 2016, he is on pace to expand on that number as he continues to get stretched out. He is particularly excited to throw one of those innings at Petco Park, though it's not clear if he's more eager to pitch in the Futures Game or explore what the city of San Diego has to offer (he's never been). "I can't wait to be there," Pinto said. "I have a lot of friends who have already told me it's a beautiful city. I can't wait to just walk around all over San Diego."

No Break For You! – Dylan Cozens has a busy week ahead of him. He will first fly from Reading to San Diego for the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game on Sunday (live on MLB Network and MLB.com at 7 p.m. ET). From there, Cozens heads to Akron, Ohio, where he will play in the Eastern League All-Star Game on Wednesday. The Reading Fightin' Phillies play in Trenton, N.J., the next night. So much for a midseason break. Of course, all this comes as a result of being the most prolific power hitter in the Minor Leagues this season. His 24 home runs trail only teammate Rhys Hoskins' 25, but Cozens' .590 slugging percentage is 18 points higher than that of Hoskins, who hits behind Cozens in the Reading lineup. "Most of the time, I'm in the on-deck circle trying to get ready for my at-bat," Hoskins said. "But sometimes I'll catch myself just watching him." Cozens, however, will be challenged to put that power on display in pitcher-friendly Petco Park in San Diego. Using the winds blowing off the Schuylkill River to his advantage at Reading's FirstEnergy Stadium, Cozens has hit all but four of his dingers at home. His slugging percentage drops from an unreal .802 in Reading to .383 on the road. Those splits, plus those versus righties (.313/.397/.653) compared to lefties (.186/.284/.357), could concern Phillies fans, but Cozens' mature approach at the plate should temper those fears. Teammates lauded not only his knowledge of the strike zone but the way he adjusted to Double-A hurlers beginning to pitch around him. Although Cozens is still striking out in nearly one-third of his at-bats (108 K's in 329 ABs), he has also drawn 47 walks. That ranks second in the Eastern League only to Indians' No. 1 prospect Bradley Zimmer. Cozens cut down on the K's last season at High A Clearwater, whiffing only once in about every 4.5 at-bats. That was a direct result of the organization's efforts to limit the second-rounder's strikeouts since drafting him in 2012. In turn, it resulted in far fewer home runs. Cozens slugged only eight across three levels in 2015, though he did maintain his gap power, recording 25 two-baggers. Having been unleashed in a hitter's park in 2016, Cozens already has one more double and 16 additional dingers than last season -- in 91 fewer at-bats.

The Bowa Story – Larry Bowa was an overachiever. He was cut from his high school baseball team. He was undrafted. However, the late Eddie Bockman saw Bowa play and liked what he saw so much that he took his own video and drove to Los Angeles, where the 1965 World Series was being played. Using a bed sheet for a screen on the hotel room wall, Bockman showed then Phillies' general manager Paul Owens the kid he wanted to sign. Nobody -- including Bockman -- could ever have imagined the success Bowa would eventually enjoy in the big leagues. He spent 16 years in the Majors and was a five-time National League All-Star. With this year's All-Star Game coming up on Tuesday night, Bowa is featured in this week's Q&A: MLB.com: Not the strongest amateur resume for a potential big leaguer? Bowa: I didn't make my high school team. I got cut every year, so I was playing the summer league. Then the junior college coach came out and saw me playing in the summer league. He said, "Will you come out for the junior college team?" I said, "I couldn't even make my high school team." He says, "I'm going to give you an opportunity to play." I went out and I made it, and I was All-Conference two years in a row, and that's where Eddie Bockman saw me. MLB.com: Was Bockman sold on you as a Major Leaguer? Bowa: He told Paul Owens, "This guy can run and throw." He said, "I don't know if he's going to hit. He can field." He says, "Worse scenario is he's an organization guy. You keep him in the big leagues -- I mean you keep him in the organization as a coach at the end or a manager of the team, but I think it's worth a gamble." That's how it started, basically. MLB.com: Then he showed Owens the homemade movie? Bowa: Pope (Owens' nickname) said, "Man, this guy really runs fast." Eddie said, "Oh, he can run. He can do everything, but I don't know if he's going to hit." They signed me. My first four years at (Class) A and Double-A, I hit right-handed. I had made the (big league) team in 1969. Bob Skinner was the manager. He called me in and he says, "Here's the option." He says, "You can make this team this year as a utility player, or you can go to Eugene, Oregon, learn how to switch-hit, and there's a chance you could be an everyday player." I said, "I don't want to be a utility player." I went to Eugene, Oregon. Literally had to learn how to switch-hit at Triple-A. I think I ended up hitting .270 or something. Then, I went to instructional league the next year and kept hitting left-handed. Then, 1970 was my first year in the big leagues. I basically had to learn how to hit left-handed at the big-league level. If I had one regret, I wish my dad would have taught me to switch-hit when I was in Little League, not wait so long. [My dad] played pro ball, he managed Triple-A. He played as high as Triple-A, so I was around a bat and ball since I was five or six years old. He was always in the house, and he was there for me, taking me out. He worked three jobs, and on weekends he'd take me out to Land Park, which is in Sacramento, and he'd hit me grounders and teach me how to bunt. He says, "You're never going to be a power hitter. You got to do all the little things." I look back at all that and all that work it really paid off. MLB.com: And from that beginning comes an All-Star shortstop? Bowa: Yeah. It was unbelievable, because I had just thought, "If I can get a day in the big leagues." Then I said a month. Then I said a year. To start in those three All-Star Games -- and to have actually one of them played in Philly in '76, it was a tremendous honor. That first one, I walk in the clubhouse, and it's "Oh my God. What am I doing here? You see all those stars that you actually watched on TV when you were in the Minor Leagues. MLB.com: And your All-Star highlight? Bowa: It was like, "Man there's no way I'm here." Almost like let me pinch myself. I look around and I'm going, "Eh I don't hit any homeruns, what am I doing in this locker room?" I had to do all that stuff, because I knew if I didn't move a runner, I knew if there was a hit-and-run on and I swung through the pitch, I knew if I went out for cutoff and missed it, I knew there's a chance I'd be in the Minor Leagues. Even making five All-Star teams, I went to Spring Training thinking someone's going to take my job. Not that I didn't believe in my ability, but I knew that people coming up knew that I didn't hit home runs, and they'd say, "I can take this guys job." I had to do all those little things. MLB.com: You never figured you had it made? Bowa: My approach was, they're looking for somebody to hit 20 home runs and maybe run a little bit faster. I stole like [318] some bases, but most of my bases I stole, they weren't with a score of 6-1 -- they meant something. I had to learn how to steal bases. I knew I could run, but I had to learn how to read pitchers. We didn't have the information they have now.

Today In Phils History – In 1911, Sherry Magee showed his temper when, after being called out on a high strike, he tossed his bat, got thrown out of the game, and punched the umpire leading to a 36 game suspension and $200 fine. Chuck Klein tied the MLB record for homeruns in a single game when he hit 4 against the Pirates in 1936. In 1972, GM Paul Owens fired Frank Lucchesi and took over as manager despite his limited experience. Mike Schmidt tied Dick Allen’s team record when he hit a homerun in his 5^th consecutive game on this day in 1979. Del Unser also set a team record by going deep in his 3^rd consecutive pinch hit appearance. 5 years later, Paul Owens led the NL squad to a victory over the AL. in 2006, Ryan Howard won the All Star Homerun Derby. 4 years later, Jimmy Rollins drove in Carlos Ruiz for a walk off win against the Reds making it the third walk off win for the Phillies in as many nights. The following season, the Phillies outfield of Raul Ibanez (6), John Mayberry Jr. (4), and Domonic Brown (2) drove in a combined 12 runs which was the most for a Phillies outfield since 1923.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 41-48 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 40-47-0 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record.

Final Performances Making Roster Decisions Difficult

EXHIBITION GAME RECAP: Jays Jack Phils 2-1

Pitching and a pair of homers dominated the day as Marcus Stroman and Vince Velasquez had scoreless outings for their respective teams in a game that the Blue Jays went on to win, 2-1, over the Phillies on Monday afternoon at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Center fielder Darrell Ceciliani launched a two-run home blast in the bottom of the eighth inning off Dalier Hinojosa to give the Jays the game-winning lead. Stroman made his final start before Opening Day and allowed three hits without issuing a walk over four strong innings. He also struck out three and had an abbreviated outing in an attempt to rest up for the 162-game grind of the MLB season. "I understand that it's for my best interests," Stroman said. "My body, everything, my pitches, my arm feels great, and I'm just looking forward to getting out there Sunday for Opening Day." Right-hander Jesse Chavez then entered out of the bullpen and had an equally impressive day. He struck out three and didn't allow a hit over two scoreless frames. Chavez is scheduled to begin the year as a reliever after right-hander Aaron Sanchez was announced as the Blue Jays' fifth starter earlier in the day. Velasquez was officially named to Philadelphia's rotation Monday morning, and he promptly came through with his best outing of the spring. He struck out eight and allowed two hits and three walks over six impressive innings. Kevin Pillar was the lone player in the Blue Jays lineup with hits off Velasquez, as he went 2-for-3 with a double. "It wasn't easy," Velasquez said. "I was pretty overwhelmed today. I was pretty excited. I was a little drained, to be honest. But I kept fighting and pushing through it." Philadelphia took the first lead of the game in the top of the seventh inning against Toronto lefty Randy Choate. Designated hitter Darin Ruf delivered the big blow with a home run to center field that came on a 3-2 pitch. Choate was charged with one run on two hits over one third of an inning.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies left-hander Brett Oberholtzer is expected to start Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees at Bright House Field. He will open the season in the bullpen, but he is starting because Adam Morgan got sent to the Minors.

PHILS PHACTS:

Phillies Finalize Rotation – Vince Velasquez entered Spring Training the favorite to be the Phillies' fifth starter, and they awarded him the job on Monday, when they announced they had optioned left-hander Adam Morgan to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Velasquez and Morgan had been the finalists to be the fifth starter behind Jeremy Hellickson, Aaron Nola, Charlie Morton and Jerad Eickhoff. "We like Velasquez's power arm," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "We want to see him in the big leagues." It was not an easy call to make. Velasquez entered Monday's start against the Blue Jays in Dunedin with a 3.21 ERA in four Grapefruit League appearances (three starts). In 14 innings, he allowed 13 hits, six runs (five earned), four walks and struck out 16. Velasquez has dominant stuff, and he showed it. But Morgan is a strike-thrower who impressed. In fact, an argument can be made that he outperformed Velasquez and Eickhoff, who has pitched just twice this spring because of a fractured right thumb. Including three scoreless innings Morgan threw on Thursday in a rain-shortened game against the Braves, he had a 1.50 ERA in four starts. In 12 innings, he allowed six hits, two runs, three walks and struck out four. Morgan had been scheduled to pitch on Tuesday against the Yankees, but the Phils wanted to take their final Grapefruit League starts out of the equation. "Probably one of the toughest decisions we ever had to make," Mackanin said. Velasquez entered camp the favorite for a couple of reasons: First, he has a power arm and the best stuff of anybody in the rotation. Second, he is the prized piece of the trade that sent Ken Giles to Houston. Perhaps Velasquez's status as the top dog in the deal gave him the edge. "Possibly," Mackanin said. "When you're talking about certain players, just because a guy was a No. 1 pick, don't give him any preferential treatment. The guys who are high Draft picks, you don't want to look at them any differently than a 30th-round pick because it's not fair. Sometimes it happens, but in this case that didn't even enter into it for me. We like his stuff. He's got good stuff. And I want to see him in the big leagues." Velasquez pitched splendidly against a stacked Blue Jays lineup Monday in the Phillies' 2-1 loss, allowing two hits and three walks and striking out eight in six scoreless innings at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. He said he learned he had won the job from teammate Chris Leroux, who had just been optioned, and the MLB At Bat app, which he said sent him a push notification to his cell phone. Velasquez simply put two and two together. "Every day, you have to set goals for yourself," Velasquez said. "Coming into Spring Training, I set a high goal for myself, break off of camp [with the team]. To find out today the goal is accomplished, it doesn't stop there. I've got to set more goals for myself later on and try to achieve them. But on that note, it's pretty exciting. I can't really show much right now because I'm tired, but in the back of my mind, I'm really excited." Mackanin said Morgan was extremely disappointed with the news. He went 5-7 with a 4.48 ERA in 15 starts last season, making him one of the precious few competent starters in a rotation that ranked as one of the worst in baseball in 2015. Morgan then put up better numbers than every starter in camp. "I'm upset," Morgan said. "But there's nothing you can do about it. It's out of my control. I thought I was doing a good job." Morgan also said he asked for but did not get much of an explanation why he did not win a job. "Not really getting an answer is probably the hardest part," Morgan said. "'Keep working.' OK. Other than that, it's just the nature of the beast, I guess." No Morgan means no left-handers in the rotation. Mackanin said it will not be a problem. "We're just going to go with the best pitchers we have," Mackanin said. "You'd like to have some kind of versatility, a mix. But that being said, it's not of the utmost importance to me if we have all right-handers starting for us. It is what it is. As the season wears on, we're most likely going to see more than five starters up there." Morgan is expected to be the first option should the Phillies need a starter. The call could come because of an injury or ineffectiveness or because the Phils want to monitor the innings of some of their young pitchers. Velasquez pitched only 88 2/3 innings last year. He pitched a career-high 124 2/3 innings in 2013. It is difficult to picture Velasquez making 30-plus starts this season. "That's a good question," Mackanin said. "We're going to find out. We need to find that out as soon as possible. We're building toward the future and it's important for us to get him going and see exactly what we've got there." The Phillies plan to give prospects Jake Thompson, Mark Appel and Zach Eflin time to develop in Triple-A this season. If they come up, it figures to be later in the year. Hellickson, Nola and Morton will pitch the first series of the season in Cincinnati. Mackanin said the Phils have not decided who will pitch the first two games of a three-game series that follows in New York. Eickhoff and Velasquez will remain in Florida and pitch Saturday before joining the team.

Late Addition With A Chance – Put outfielder Will Venable into the mix to make the Phillies' Opening Day roster. The Phillies announced Monday they had agreed to a Minor League contract with Venable, who will be in camp Tuesday. "I'm anxious to see him," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. The Indians released Venable, 33, after he hit .133 (4-for-30) in 13 Cactus League games. But the Phillies like him because they are thin in the outfield due to injuries to Aaron Altherr, who is sidelined until at least July following left wrist surgery, and Cody Asche, who is expected to open the season on the disabled list because of a strained right oblique. The Phillies' projected Opening Day outfielders are Odubel Herrera, Peter Bourjos and Rule 5 Draft pick Tyler Goeddel, although Venable could put Goeddel on the bench if he makes the team. The move leaves Venable, Cedric Hunter, Emmanuel Burriss and David Lough fighting for the final two bench jobs. "Out of those four, we'll probably choose two of them," Mackanin said. Venable, who suddenly becomes a favorite for one of those jobs, posted a .669 OPS in 390 plate appearances last season with the Padres and Rangers. He had a .613 OPS in 448 plate appearances with San Diego in 2014, but posted a respectable .796 OPS with the Padres in '13.

Making Moves – The Phillies solidified their rotation Monday, prior to a 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays, when they named Vince Velasquez their No. 5 starter. But they also crystallized their bullpen and bench battles. They signed outfielder Will Venable to a Minor League contract after the Indians released him. He could make the Opening Day roster. They also optioned left-hander Elvis Araujo, right-hander Luis Garciaand outfielder Darnell Sweeney to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and reassigned left-hander Bobby LaFromboise, right-hander Reinier Roibal, right-hander Chris Leroux, catcher Logan Moore and infielder Angelys Nina to Minor League camp. The moves point to Rule 5 Draft pick Daniel Stumpf making the Phils' bullpen. There are four locks to make the Phillies' bullpen: right-handers David Hernandez, Dalier Hinojosa and Jeanmar Gomez and left-hander Brett Oberholtzer. Stumpf figures to get one of the final three jobs as Philadelphia tries to stockpile arms. If he does not make the Opening Day roster, the Phils could lose him because of his Rule 5 Draft status. Simply put, it makes sense to open the season with him to give him a longer evaluation. "Stumpf has the pitches to be an effective Major League pitcher," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "Since we're building for the future, it's important that you have a 26-year-old left-hander with what I consider good stuff. You don't want to just give him back. So that's still to be decided, but we like him so far." Right-handers Edward Mujica, Ernesto Frieri and Andrew Bailey and left-hander James Russell have a chance for jobs, although plenty can happen with less than a week remaining before Opening Day. The Phils must place Mujica on the Opening Day roster by Tuesday, or he can become a free agent. The decision has not yet been made. Frieri can exercise an out clause Thursday, although he has only pitched well as of late. Russell has a June 1 out clause. Bailey has a May 1 out clause. Mackanin has been lukewarm at best about Bailey's past three appearances. Mackanin said the other day that there is a good possibility the Phillies might carry three left-handers in the bullpen, which, if true, indicates Russell has the edge with Araujo and LaFromboise sent to the Minors. Optioning pitchers like Araujo and Garcia and sending LaFromboise to Minor League camp indicates the Phils are trying to keep as many arms as possible for the 162-game season. Keep in mind, the Phillies also could find relievers outside the organization this week that could bump out Mujica, Frieri, Russell or Bailey. "That's part of the reason -- we have more depth to go to at the Minor League level," Mackanin said about Monday's moves. "But strike-throwers are important. We need guys that we can count on to pitch ahead in the count. We want to be able to trust them to throw strikes, and we feel like we've got those guys right now." Venable, Cedric Hunter, Emmanuel Burriss and David Lough are in the running for the team's final bench jobs.

Can We Start The Season Now? – Maikel Franco crushed a fly ball to deep left field on Sunday afternoon at JetBlue Park. The ball appeared to sail over the miniature Green Monster for his ninth Grapefruit League home run, but umpires instead ruled it a ground-rule double. Franco looked perfectly perplexed as he stood on second base. He wanted to add one more dinger to his Spring Training ledger. The Phillies, meanwhile, would like Franco to save some homers for when they truly count beginning April 4 on Opening Day in Cincinnati against the Reds. "Hurry up and get to April," Jeremy Hellickson said about Franco recently. "I don't think he'll stop, but hurry up and get here." Franco has had one heck of a spring following an impressive rookie season, which could mean a breakout season as not only one of the game's best third basemen, but best hitters. He batted .280 with 22 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, 50 RBIs and an .840 OPS in 335 plate appearances. He had started to enter the conversation for National League Rookie of the Year Award honors before breaking his left wrist in August. Franco's 127 OPS+ ranked 42nd among 245 players with 300-or-more plate appearances. He ranked sixth among 30 rookies. "The sky is the limit with Maikel, man," Ryan Howard said. "His ball gets small really quick." Franco entered Monday with a .737 slugging percentage, which might mean he is in line for a huge season. "I'm just trying to be healthy this year," Franco said. "I know if I'm healthy, something good is going to happen." John Dewan of Baseball Info Solutions once found a correlation between Spring Training power numbers and regular-season power numbers. At one time, he discovered 60 percent of hitters that boosted their career slugging percentage (minimum 200 career at-bats) by 200 or more points in Spring Training (minimum 40 at-bats) experienced an increase in power that season. While that formula has been far less accurate in recent seasons, it once correctly predicted big seasons for Pat Burrell and Placido Polanco in 2005, Howard in 2006, Chase Utley and Greg Dobbs in 2007, Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz in 2009, Ruiz in 2012 and Domonic Brown in 2013. Franco has a career .453 slugging percentage in 360 career at-bats in the regular season and a .737 slugging percentage in 57 at-bats this spring. That is a 284-point increase. "I don't want him to waste all of his home runs in the spring," manager Pete Mackanin said, smiling. "He looks really good at the plate, aggressive, confident. I'm sure he's going to carry it into the season. It's a good guy to have in the middle of the lineup right now."

Today In Phil History - The 'other guy' who was acquired in the Brad Lidge deal, Eric Bruntlett, was born on this day in 1978. The following year the Phillies signed Del Unser. Both players would play key roles on World Series winning teams.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies have an impressive record this spring… 14-10-3 (15-10-3 if you include the exhibition game against the University of Tampa). With the Phillies having finished the 2015 season with a spectacularly awful record of 63-99 it will be interesting to see what kind of team new President Andy MacPhail and GM Matt Klentak put on the field. At the same time I am definitely looking forward to the games against Boston with former GM Ruben Amaro on the field. Given the departures, lingering contracts, a history of injuries, bipolar performances, and unproven talent, it should, at the very least, be an interesting season for the Phillies. Who knows, maybe they can avoid 100 losses... hopefully by more than one game!

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.

Phillies Moving Forward With A Plan

PHILS PHACTS:

On The Same Page – Matt Klentak and Pete Mackanin seem to be getting along just fine since they first met in October. The Phillies named Mackanin their manager in 2016 before they hired Klentak as general manager in October. General managers often prefer their hand-picked men in the dugout, but both said Tuesday they expect no problems next season. "I think if we're collectively doing our jobs the right way and communicating the way that we need to that there should never be an issue," Klentak said. "There should never be a time where I want something to happen that he's doing the other way. As long as we're communicating, which we will, there shouldn't be an issue." "We're always going to talk," Mackanin said. "I'm open to any suggestion. He gets the players for me, and I run the team with his input. And I give him input on which players I'd like to have, so he makes that final decision. Ultimately he ends up making my decision too. If he tells me he wants this guy playing a little bit more, I'm open to it. I get it. I might not agree with it, but in the end if he tells me to do it, I'll do it." Mackanin later discussed numerous topics during his media session at the Winter Meetings: Who's in center field? Mackanin called Odubel Herrera one of the better defensive center fielders in the National League, but he knows the Phillies just acquired Peter Bourjos last week. Bourjos is regarded as one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball. So who plays center? "In my mind right now, [Herrera] is the incumbent center fielder, which doesn't mean it won't change in the spring," Mackanin said. "As hard as he worked towards accomplishing his goals defensively last year, I want to make him -- I don't want to discourage him after doing such a good job for us." Interestingly, Mackanin also said Herrera could get some time at second base in Spring Training. Herrera played primarily second base in the Minor Leagues before joining the Phillies last season. But the Phillies have other outfielders coming through the system, so if they need to make room for somebody, Herrera could transition to second to keep him in the lineup. "It might come to that," Mackanin said. "I'm not looking to do that right now, but it may happen. But I don't want to. He had such a great showing defensively that I don't want to, like I said, discourage him from making him think it was all for nothing." Bourjos will play: The Phillies did not acquire Bourjos to sit on the bench. The Phillies believe he will perform better offensively if he plays on a more regular basis. "There's a lot of people that feel that he's better than the way he's played the last few years," Mackanin said. "I'm one of them." Franco's D: Third baseman Maikel Franco had a fine rookie season offensively, but he struggled defensively at times. He committed 10 errors in 75 games at third. "I think he got a little careless, and we're going to see a Gold Glove-type performance out of him defensively," Mackanin said. "He felt like he let himself down last year. We know he's better."

One On One With The Manager – At the end of the season, you kind of talked about how getting a full-time job, how you could maybe do some more stuff, implement some things and that you would take some time in the off-season to kind of think about what that would be. Have you given much thought about any specific things or adjustments? Well, I constantly find myself thinking of new things, things I'd like to do, but I keep fighting the urge. I'm trying to enjoy my off-season as much as possible before we start that grind of seven months. But I've got some good ideas about just the way we're going to execute drills. We're going to put a lot of emphasis on baserunning, for one, which is why I eliminated your typical coach who is an outfielder/baserunning guy. Juan is going to remain the outfield guy, and Mickey Morandini is going to take over strictly baserunning and we are going to zero inasmuch as we can. I know everybody talks about fundamentals and how we are really going to pay attention to those things, but this is one way I feel we can really do that. Defense is a very important part of the game, and I'm very happy that we've got some outfielders that can cover a lot of ground and they are sure-handed outfielders. That makes the pitching better which takes runs away. In a couple areas, I feel we've already improved in that respect. A few more things like that, we're going to introduce a few more different ways of going about doing things. You had talked at the end of the season about how you've been in different situations whereas part of scouting, whatever, you talked about you look at free agents and which one are we going to get and sometimes you have to flip the page to lesser guys. How much of a role have you had at the Winter Meetings and looking over free agents? We gather in that suite every day and just hash things out. We just talk about different players, who you run into. You kind of walk around and talk to people that you know and get a feeling of what other teams are looking for. You kind of have an idea, but it's just about schmoozing people and trying to get some information, and they get information from you. As I said, when I was with, for example, the Expos, we would go over in our group, we would go over the list of free agents. And by the time we would flip most pages to the back page, guys we can afford to get. But then when I was with the Yankees as a scout, it was anybody. We could look at anybody. The Phillies, and Matt, they have a certain way they go about doing things. So we are discussing more than anything. I can't really comment much on his attack, so to say. We just all give our input and they make the decisions. Given where the roster is in terms of rebuilding, when you get to Spring Training, how do you convince the players and the fan base, even, that there's any chance to be competitive? The first thing I want to get across to the players is that I'm looking for positive energy. I start with that. I tell them that -- I'll give you an example. Freddy Galvis hit .260 something and he showed some promise there, and I think he's capable of doing better. César Hernández started playing finally, and he showed a lot of promise. We always felt like these guys were going to play well enough and hit well enough to be part of the future, but now they finally have an opportunity to do that. Maikel Franco stepped into his role and showed us that he was going to be a solid middle-of-the-order guy. Now that being said, all I can do as a manager to keep these guys pointed in the right direction is make them feel like how good they are, reinforce how good they are, and explain to these guys that in baseball, it's not necessarily always going to go their way and when you get knocked down, you're going to get knocked down during the course of the season, it's how you get back up, rather than staying down on the ground. So my approach is just to remain positive; at the same time, demand results. How about the fans? The fans, well, let's put it this way: Somebody asked me how I was going to manage the team knowing that we weren't really at the place we want to be. Well, I manage -- I only know one way to manage. I just want to manage each day to win that game. And if I can convince the players to worry about how they compete on that given day, and let the fans know that we are competing and doing the best we can with what we have, I don't see how -- I think the way the players play will convince the fans that these guys are really trying and for real. What's the biggest thing you're looking forward to in terms of next season compared to last season where you had a lot of young guys and a lot of guys showing that they could do things, but what are you looking for in terms of a next step in terms of the guys that were on the roster last year? Well, you take a guy like Galvis and Hernandez and Franco, and Cameron made some strides late in the season, and he's a solid, strong-arm catcher, we've seen Odubel Herrera come out of nowhere to start off pretty good. He faltered a bit and went back to .250, .260, but then he battled back and hosed in right at .300. For me he's going to become a perennial .300 hitter. He's one of the better center fielders in the league in my opinion. That was a plus. Aaron Altherr, he made a good impression. He still needs a ways to go. But he made a great impression, as well as Cody Asche. We feel strongly that he's better than he's shown. We want these guys -- the next step is for Freddy to improve even more, for Hernández to improve. They have to incrementally have to get better. That's what we're looking for all of them to do, get better each year because we are counting on them to be part of the future. You mentioned Herrera defensively. Bourjos, I guess, arguably, is probably one of the guys that might be better than him defensively. How do you see those guys working and in terms of rotation, playing time? You know, I know that I've scouted Bourjos in the past, and I know that he's a premiere center fielder. I'm told, although I haven't seen them play that much, Aaron Altherr is an outstanding center fielder. What I saw out of Odubel this year was very impressive. He made some mistakes, but he outran his mistakes. He's flamboyant. He's not afraid to dive. He takes charge out there. To me a center fielder, my opinion of a center fielder is that he catches every ball that's hit in the air until he can't get it, and then the corners help him out. And that's how Odubel plays. You saw it. If they are all three close to being as good as Bourjos is, we have three center fielders, no matter where they play, it's going to cover ground and help the pitching and take hits away and we have improved that way. Do you see him playing more than Frenchy played last year? Well, under the circumstances with what we have, he's going to get a lot of playing time. There's a lot of people that feel that he's better than the way he's played the last few years. I'm one of them. I like Peter Bourjos. I think he's got an upside to him, and I'm looking forward to seeing him in the spring and have Steve Henderson work with him and get him back on the right track. If he gets enough playing time, that's what players need in order to get some kind of a rhythm going. You made the deal for Hellickson from the Diamondbacks. What do you like about him? He's a solid strike thrower. He's going to give us some innings. He's got some experience. I know he started off extremely well his first couple years and hasn't been quite the same since, but, once again, we feel he's a guy that's going to pitch better than he has the last couple years. I thought Matt made a great deal getting him. When you look at Nola and how he kind of handled things last year, what do you expect from a second act from him going forward? The thing about Nola, a lot of young guys, especially Nola, I recall my first time in the Big Leagues, I was scared to death. When Nola pitched, it's like he knew he belonged there from day one. He never showed fear. He's got a great presence on the mound. He made some mistakes with pitch selection and/or location, but he knew it and he adjusted immediately. The guy, he's a cool customer. This guy really is an intelligent pitcher. The thing he's got going for him the most is his ability to command his fastball to both sides of the plate. And you can't teach that. If you've got that, plus you add in his other things -- and I think his changeup we didn't see as much; that he could have thrown it more. I think once we see that, he's going to become even better. I'm not by any way comparing him to Greg Maddux, but Greg Maddux became a premier pitcher because he figured it out. He read swings. He knew what he had to do to get hitters out, and I think Nola has got the capability of being that kind of a guy. What strides would you like to see Franco make in what will be his second full season? The one thing, the first thing that comes to my mind is, No. 1, he's going to be a solid, three, four, five hitter in my opinion. He's aggressive. He's a run producer. This past season, he did not play the defense we expected him to play. He made some careless errors, and I think the year before in AAA, he made -- it was something like five errors and they were all throwing errors. The guy doesn't miss. I think he got a little careless, and we're going to see a Gold Glove-type performance out of him defensively. He felt like he let himself down last year. We know he's better. Larry Bowa worked with him quite a bit and they both talked, which was a nice sign for Maikel to talk about it and say, I know I'm better than that. So that's the thing I'm expecting from him. How much time, if any, have you really gotten away from thinking about baseball? I'm sure when the season ends, you're thinking about what's coming up. I've been in the game 48 years and you never stop thinking about it because something always comes up. Especially nowadays, every time you turn on the TV, there's another media outlet, MLB and ESPN and all these sports channels and you can't get away from it. I try to avoid it because I'd like to have a week or two where I just don't have to worry about it, because, like I said, once you start that first day of Spring Training, it's all systems go for seven months, hopefully eight months. And you talked a little about Cameron Rupp, a guy that you saw improvement from offensively at the end of the year last year. Is he a guy that can catch a hundred games? What do you see? It's hard for me to project that, but let's put it this way: This guy can catch and throw, he's got plus power, above average power potential, and that's the kind of guy you're looking for at catcher; that cannot only do a good job handling pitchers but he can catch and throw runners out. He's got a bazooka for an arm and he's accurate with it. Now the next thing is getting his average where you'd like it, and he started hitting home runs later on in the season. I think with a few adjustments to his approach, I think he's going to be capable of hitting even more home runs and improve more as a hitter. Once again it, was his first full year in the Big Leagues, so you have to keep that in the back of your mind that it's not that easy just to jump in and hit .280 and 25 home runs and knock in 80 runs. There's an adjustment to be made. Getting back to your previous question, we are expecting these guys to get better than they showed they were last year. And how would you describe so far your relationship with Matt? Obviously it's one that's a very important relationship. How do you think things have gone and what have you learned about him? He's a genuine person. He's very easy to talk to. He's intelligent. And he's congenial. This guy knows how to relate to people. At least he and I get along very well. I can say what I feel to him, and we can banter back and forth. I'm being paid for my opinion, all of us in baseball, at some point or another, we're paid for our opinions, and he solicits those opinions and he makes his decisions based on knowledge of the game. When you first saw him -- Everybody wants to be liked. At some point you like -- you like me, don't you? (Laughing.) Sure, there's always that little anxious moment, but at the same time, I know I get along with people very well, and it is what it is. He's my boss and I try to get along with him, which is easy. Being on the same page with the lineup, do you feel like you already have that understanding of what you guys are aiming for? He's been great. He has not sent me any mandates or made any demands from me or told me who I had to play. Once again, we talked about this earlier, I'm certainly going to discuss the team and what I'd like to do with them and he might have an idea that I might say, you know what, that's a good idea, we'll use it. So far as I'm concerned, I'm making out the lineup and until I'm told any differently, I'm going to continue making it out. There have been a few guys added for the bullpen, or at least potentially for the bullpen. Do you view it as kind of open competition or do you say, hey, I already have Gomez, Garcia, Giles, so now I have to fill in the rest? No question about it. It's open competition. As I said, we've got some speed in the outfield, which makes any pitchers better. Takes away hits. We've got more pitchers with some backgrounds to them, which is going to increase the competitive environment of Spring Training, and these guys are going to know that, hey, if you want to play at the Big League level, we are looking for guys who can help us win. You've got to be better than the next guy. You're going to have to compete to make the team. It's a great environment to be in. So these guys who maybe thought they were doing okay, might get a wake-up call. Are you thinking about Giles as your closer at this point, or is that still pretty much an open question? He's my closer right now. I like what he did last year. You talked about having three center fielders in the outfield potentially at the same time, to cover all that ground, is it Odubel's job or is it going to be an open competition as far as center field itself in Spring Training? We've just been discussing that, and I know as we said, I know how good Bourjos is and I know how good alter can be in center field. But I also saw Odubel play last year. In my mind right now, he's the incumbent center fielder, which doesn't mean it won't change in the spring. As hard as he worked towards accomplishing his goals defensively last year, I want to make him -- I don't want to discourage him after doing such a good job for us. But I'll talk to him. Juan Samuel and I will talk to him, and we'll talk to all three of those guys, and even Cody Asche will be in the mix, and Darin Ruf will be in the mix. I'm just going to talk to these guys. That's the best way I know how to manage is talk to them. Are you going to have Herrera get any reps at second base in the spring or use him solely as an outfielder? We'll probably work him out there. You never know, there's always guys coming up behind him, and, once again, as I said, when you're a three- or four-year player, there's always that young kid that everybody's talking about. So you've got to continue to compete and to keep your job. So let's put it this way: If somebody comes up that has to play center field for whatever reason, then we want -- I certainly want Odubel's bat in the lineup. It might come to that. I'm not looking to do that right now, but it may happen. I don't want to -- he had such a great showing defensively that I don't want to, like I said, discourage him from making him think it was all for nothing. With Matt coming in, he's going to bring more of an analytic angle to the club that's been there before. How will that impact you as a manager? I scouted for the Yankees in 2008 and 2013. We used a lot of the analytics, and really it was the scouting director. We used a lot of the analytics and I used them to write my reports. There was a lot of information in there. I, for one, believe that anything that can help you make a decision on a player and evaluate a player is invaluable. I believe in it wholeheartedly. That doesn't mean that instinct doesn't come in. For example, you can look on an elementary level, during the course of the game as a manager, you look at matchups and so-and-so is 15 or 20 off a pitcher. But your hitter might be in the midst of the worst slump of his career, even though he hits this other guy well, so you might choose not to let him hit for him, because he's in such a bad slump. So the analytics tell you you should use him, but your gut kind of tells you, you know, not right now, he's not going to hit him right now. That type of -- that's not a good example maybe. So you can combine the two. A follow-up on that, data shows that pitchers are far less effective a third time through the order and now there's a school of thought that maybe you shouldn't put most of your pitchers in that situation. That might appear to be a new concept, but over the years that I've managed, starting in 1985, you're always tentative when you get into that sixth inning. It always seems to happen late in the fifth or sixth inning where you have to keep your eye on your starter. It wasn't really one of those things that was written down or talked about, but that's always the time I, as a manager, would start getting a little nervous and be a little bit more -- and watch my starter a little closer and maybe get a guy up throwing. So it makes a lot of sense. It doesn't mean you'll always take your -- you will never let your guy face the lineup three times or four times, depending on how he's pitching. You've seen games where I think Nola went into the eighth inning, he could have thrown nine innings one night, he was just making adjustments as they came along. I think all of that is invaluable stuff, but it's nothing set in concrete for me.

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.

Phillies Make A Solid Addition Via Waivers

PHILS PHACTS:

Taking Advantage Of The Waiver Wire – The Phillies have always liked Peter Bourjos. They finally acquired him Wednesday, when they claimed the outfielder off waivers from the Cardinals. Bourjos' arrival puts free-agent outfielder Jeff Francoeur's potential return into doubt. Bourjos posted a .645 OPS the past four seasons with the Angels and Cardinals. The 28-year-old's name popped up a few times in recent years whenever the Phillies were searching for an outfielder. Former Phillies general managers Pat Gillick and Ruben Amaro Jr. liked the speedy and defensive-minded Bourjos, and it seems new general manager Matt Klentak likes him, too. Klentak knows Bourjos well. They were together with the Angels from 2012-13. Bourjos enjoyed a career-year in 2011, when he hit .271 with 26 doubles, 11 triples, 12 home runs, 43 RBIs, 22 stolen bases and a .765 OPS in 552 plate appearances with the Angels. He has managed just 910 plate appearances since, in part because of injuries (Bourjos had right wrist surgery in September 2013 and hip surgery in October 2014) and in part because he had been passed on the depth chart in St. Louis. He hit .200 with a .623 OPS in 225 plate appearances last season. But Bourjos is known as an elite defender. According to FanGraphs, Bourjos has averaged a 16.1 Ultimate Zone Rating per 150 defensive games since his debut in 2010. That is third among outfielders with 3,500 or more defensive innings played in that span. Only Lorenzo Cain (19.0) and Jason Heyward (18.3) have a better average. Francoeur hit .258 with 16 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs, 45 RBIs and a .718 OPS in 343 plate appearances. The 31-year-old also proved to be a vocal leader in the clubhouse. But with Bourjos in the fold, Francoeur could be squeezed out. There could be more changes coming, but at the moment, outfielders Bourjos, Odubel Herrera, Cody Asche and Aaron Altherr are all expected to make the Opening Day roster. Darnell Sweeney could be considered the team's fifth outfielder at the moment. Darin Ruf also can play left field, although he could get more playing time at first base. The possibility exists that Francoeur could fit somehow, but reduced playing time in a more crowded outfield might not suit him. The Phillies also announced the Marlins claimed right-hander Nefi Ogando off waivers. The Phillies remain at 38 players on their 40-man roster.

Modest Goals For The Meetings – Five years ago at the Winter Meetings, the Phillies became the mystery team in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes. Next week's Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn., are expected to be less eventful unless a team is ready to pay for hard-throwing closer Ken Giles. The Phillies are highly unlikely to invest $100 million or more into a single free agent this offseason, because one player will not push them into World Series contention. No, the Phils have too many holes to fill and too many unknowns regarding the young talent in their system. Instead, they will use the Meetings to make more modest improvements to their roster, with an eye on competing again in another year or two. "We really want to raise the floor and add some depth," general manager Matt Klentak said earlier this offseason. "Kind of at every turn, that's what we're going to be focused on. And in the pitching department, I think we really need to work on just -- again, I say 'raise the floor' -- but kind of establish sort of a firm foundation of pitching. That's not going to end when we break camp at the end of Spring Training. That's something we're going to be committed to for a long time." So far, most of the gains the Phillies have made this offseason are pitching-related. Philadelphia acquired right-hander Jeremy Hellickson in a trade earlier this month with Arizona, and it claimed relievers Dan Otero, A.J. Achter and Michael Mariot off waivers, as well as outfielder Peter Bourjos. The Phils also signed reliever James Russell to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training, and they cut ties with outfielder Domonic Brown and right-hander Justin De Fratus. Expect the Phillies to continue to pursue pitching help. They need at least one more veteran starter. Hellickson, Aaron Nola and Jerad Eickhoff seem like safe bets to make the Opening Day rotation, with Adam Morgan, David Buchanan, Alec Asher and Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez competing for the other jobs. Philadelphia could use a veteran reliever to fortify the bullpen, too. The Phillies have talked with teams about Giles, who could land them a few prospects, but that's the key: They have to be legitimate prospects. The Phils are under no obligation to give Giles away. The Phillies could come to a conclusion about the futures of Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz, the only two remaining players from the 2008 World Series championship team. They also need to find a veteran outfielder. Free agent Jeff Francoeur remains in play, but the Phils are pursuing other options. Not expected to be in play are Justin Upton and Jason Heyward. Think along the lines of Ryan Raburn, David Murphy, Rajai Davis and Alejandro De Aza. Chris Young would have been a good fit, but he just signed with the Red Sox. "Honestly, I think with the present roster, if we needed to field a lineup tomorrow, we generally could do that," Klentak said at the conclusion of the General Managers Meetings in Boca Raton, Fla., earlier this month. "That doesn't mean we're going to stop looking for opportunities to upgrade or add depth wherever we can. But one of the beauties, mostly on the position player side, is most of the team that was on the field that ended the year last year returns next year. So, again, that doesn't mean we're going to stop trying to find alternatives or upgrades or just build depth."

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.