The Philadelphia Phillies: Slow Starters, or Overrated?

The Philadelphia Phillies have turned out starting slow again. With multiple picks in the first two or three rounds it would seem that we drafted them backwards. In almost all drafts the order went Howard, Utley, and Rollins as the top three Phillies drafted. Here at the end of week 2 it would appear that the production between the three of them doesn’t reflect their draft picks. Rollins has been the most productive, with Utley at second and Howard at third. Let’s break this team down.

A lot of fans and people around baseball felt the Phillies were going to be a force in the National League. This team was expected to beat the Mets in their division. However, the only thing that everyone forgot to look at when saying that the Phillies are a team on the rise is their bullpen. A bullpen that features very little as far as relief is concerned. I feel like their closer can still get the job done, but will need a couple of days rest between appearances in order to be effective. Guys like Ryan Madsen, Geoff Geary, Antonio Alfonseca, Matt Smith, Jon Lieber, and Francisco Rosario will continue to struggle, and they do not solve the puzzle on how to get to the ninth inning and Tom Gordon in the long run.

After the bullpen comes the rotation. Brett Myers has great potential to be a leader at top the rotation. Just a few seasons ago, he was the fourth or fifth starter, and now is the number one guy. With being the man at the top of the rotation you have great responsibility, which Myers has yet to grasp this season. He had a great year with ERA and was very durable, pitching in almost 200 innings last year. This season he is off to a 0-2 starts with an ERA of 9.39. Not what you want from your number one. These numbers have to come down if the Phillies want to be competitive this year. Adam Eaton is coming off of injury this year and has gotten off to a 1-1 record with an ERA of 6.94. He is their number four guy in the rotation. Eaton is an interesting pickup in the offseason. I feel like he is struggling to be a part of the rotation, and it will take him a few more months to get him to the top of his potential, however I wouldn’t know how good that would be. He hasn’t been very good in his recent seasons and you shouldn’t expect that much from a guy who is coming off of injury this past season. Cole Hamels is the future of the Phillies rotation. He has arguably been the best guy in the rotation so far this season with a 1-0 record and a 3.32 ERA. With 18 strike outs in 19 innings pitched so far this year it would seem that he is going to be the anchor of the rotation. There is nothing bad yet to concern yourself with when it comes to Hamels. He will be the anchor of the rotation for seasons to come. Jamie Moyer is the senior citizen of their rotation; however, he just isn’t pitching like it. His numbers’ are better than Eaton and Myers, and are currently second best in the rotation. He is 1-1 with a 3.55 ERA. I expect his ERA to go up a little bit and the record to be around 500 all year. His numbers have always been solid so there is no reason to worry about his production. As far as Freddy Garcia is concerned, the “X-Factor” in the rotation of the Phillies, we have yet to see him pitch. He will be good, just not dominate. Nobody should be really intimidated by what he is capable of. At this stage in his career the numbers he has put up over the past few seasons will more than likely be repeated this season too. Their good numbers, but he isn’t a guy that will single handedly be the deciding factor in winning the NL East.

Finally, let’s look at the Phillies offense. What’s there to say, outside Jimmy Rollins being one of the top hitters in baseball, their offense hasn’t lived up to the expectations. Victorino has been struggling at the plate, and on the bases. He is fast; he just needs to learn what to do what his speed. Utley and Howard have been nothing short of being cold. Utley had a good game on Saturday, and hopefully it means that he will start to turn it on. Howard on the other hand has been ice cold. Fantasy owners are impatiently waiting for his bat to finally catch fire. He has yet to hit a home run in five games that they have played in Citizen’s Bank Ballpark this year. The reigning MVP is also struggling with his batting average; it’s at .237. He has done nothing for both the Phillies and fantasy owners. He is a major reason why both the Phillies and fantasy teams around the country are struggling. Question marks will rise again in June and July when talking about Pat Burrell. I can see him being traded by the trade deadline this year. He has simply worn out his welcome with the team and will be better suited for a new one. If he doesn’t improve offensively, or doesn’t get traded, he will more than likely be demoted. As far as everyone else is concerned, there is no power production from Helms, Rowand, or Barajas which plays a major role is the lack of production for the guys at the top. This lineup was built to be circular and they are so far from it.

These reasons alone should give you an idea that the Phillies are a team that has a lot of question marks. They have given up 8 unearned runs, which are most in the Majors, and they have a team ERA that is close to 6. It looks like it’s going be a long April once again for a team that is supposed to win their division. I can see them being in contention at the end; however, they will more than likely fall short of a wildcard berth.