MLB: Phillies Enter Season with Optimism and Question Marks
Barry F. Hess
April 05, 2006
The best way to describe the 2006 Philadelphia Phillies is a riddle wrapped inside an enigma surrounded by a mystery.
In years past it was easy, more often than not because they were just that bad, to predict where the team would end up fairly successfully.
But after missing the playoffs by half a game last season the anticipation to finally get over the hump has this team realistically flirting with October baseball for the first time in quite some time.
The line-up has its holes but it also has some real power and talent, the pitching staff has some experience but nothing worth writing home about and compared to the rest of the National League East there is no telling where Charlie Manuel and crew will end up 181 games from now.
In this day and age of baseball a team lives and dies by the success of its pitching, which is probably the Phillies weakest point.
John Lieber won 17 games last season and finished with an ERA 4.20 but it only goes downhill from there.
With lefthander Randy Wolf not expected to make his return from Tommy John surgery until sometime in July the staff is relying on Gavin Floyd and Cory Lidle to have breakout seasons while Bret Myers and Ryan Madson continue to progress in their major league careers.
Despite all their pitching woes, however, it?s hard not to be at least somewhat optimistic about this ball club.
Players like Chase Utley, 28 homeruns and batting average of .291 last year, and Ryan Howard, 22 homeruns and 63 RBI in just 88 games last season, have shown they can make a difference if given the opportunity and veterans like Bobby Abreu, 24 homeruns and 168 hits last year, and Jimmy Rollins, 196 hits last year, are on pace to have another successful season.
Additions like center fielder Aaron Rowan in the off-season were also encouraging.
I like the team we have here,? Rowan said. ?I think the fans are on board and will be supporting us. This will be a great home-field advantage for us.?
Rowan, fresh off a World Series Championship with the White Sox last year, also brings an added toughness and moxy that lacked inside the clubhouse for so many years.
Unfortunately, however, question marks about Mike Lieberthal continue to pop up around every corner.
A batting average of .263 last year is one thing for a 34-year old catcher but his poor game management and locker room skills can only hurt this team and the youthful talent that still need to be surrounded by veteran leaders.
Back-up catch Sal Fasano has shown early signs that he can make a run at the starting job but whether or not Manuel gives him the opportunity is yet to be determined.
But for every positive point made toward the Phillies there is a question mark looming in the distance.
Sure given full seasons to develop even further Howard and Utley will be a driving force both in the locker room and on the field but can Pat Burrell put up similar numbers from last year, if history proves anything the answer is no.
Sure Jimmy Rollins ended the season on a high note and a 36 game hitting streak but does that erase the poor start he?s had in each of the last two seasons and the high strikeout ratio in the lead-off role?
Ed Wade was finally seen the door after his seventh consecutive season failing to make the post-season and veteran general manager Pat Gillick was brought in but does that change the fact that the manager of the team is still learning the ins and outs of national league baseball?
And what about the rest of the league?
Atlanta will continue to be the NL East favorite until another teams knocks them off of their 14 consecutive division title pedestal and the Mets have made dramatic improvements as well.
While Philadelphia matches both the Braves and New York in power both have the edge in both pitching and managing.
The division has the ability to be one of the toughest in all of baseball this season, which, in turn, means it will take at least 90 wins, if not more, to make the playoffs.
Are the Phillies capable of winning 90 plus games with a questionable pitching staff, a line up with gapping holes at the bottom of the order and question marks around every corner?
Absolutely.
Are they capable of winning 85 games or less and missing the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season?
Absolutely.
Fans of Philadelphia have been waiting for a championship parade ever since the 76ers won the cities? last championship in 1983 and since that time, not including 1993, they have never looked to baseball as the opportunity to finally get one.
But to say they have no shot in 2006 would be a gross misstatement.
In all reality they have just as good a chance at making a post-season run as any team in the division and as a fan that is all you can really ask for.
They have a GM capable of making a significant trade at the trading deadline and they have begun to assemble players with the right sort of attitude that has lacked for so many years.
Whether or not they can make the playoffs is a question only 181 games and a lot of blood, sweat and tears can answer but after all, isn?t that what makes baseball so great in the first place?
In years past it was easy, more often than not because they were just that bad, to predict where the team would end up fairly successfully.
But after missing the playoffs by half a game last season the anticipation to finally get over the hump has this team realistically flirting with October baseball for the first time in quite some time.
The line-up has its holes but it also has some real power and talent, the pitching staff has some experience but nothing worth writing home about and compared to the rest of the National League East there is no telling where Charlie Manuel and crew will end up 181 games from now.
In this day and age of baseball a team lives and dies by the success of its pitching, which is probably the Phillies weakest point.
John Lieber won 17 games last season and finished with an ERA 4.20 but it only goes downhill from there.
With lefthander Randy Wolf not expected to make his return from Tommy John surgery until sometime in July the staff is relying on Gavin Floyd and Cory Lidle to have breakout seasons while Bret Myers and Ryan Madson continue to progress in their major league careers.
Despite all their pitching woes, however, it?s hard not to be at least somewhat optimistic about this ball club.
Players like Chase Utley, 28 homeruns and batting average of .291 last year, and Ryan Howard, 22 homeruns and 63 RBI in just 88 games last season, have shown they can make a difference if given the opportunity and veterans like Bobby Abreu, 24 homeruns and 168 hits last year, and Jimmy Rollins, 196 hits last year, are on pace to have another successful season.
Additions like center fielder Aaron Rowan in the off-season were also encouraging.
I like the team we have here,? Rowan said. ?I think the fans are on board and will be supporting us. This will be a great home-field advantage for us.?
Rowan, fresh off a World Series Championship with the White Sox last year, also brings an added toughness and moxy that lacked inside the clubhouse for so many years.
Unfortunately, however, question marks about Mike Lieberthal continue to pop up around every corner.
A batting average of .263 last year is one thing for a 34-year old catcher but his poor game management and locker room skills can only hurt this team and the youthful talent that still need to be surrounded by veteran leaders.
Back-up catch Sal Fasano has shown early signs that he can make a run at the starting job but whether or not Manuel gives him the opportunity is yet to be determined.
But for every positive point made toward the Phillies there is a question mark looming in the distance.
Sure given full seasons to develop even further Howard and Utley will be a driving force both in the locker room and on the field but can Pat Burrell put up similar numbers from last year, if history proves anything the answer is no.
Sure Jimmy Rollins ended the season on a high note and a 36 game hitting streak but does that erase the poor start he?s had in each of the last two seasons and the high strikeout ratio in the lead-off role?
Ed Wade was finally seen the door after his seventh consecutive season failing to make the post-season and veteran general manager Pat Gillick was brought in but does that change the fact that the manager of the team is still learning the ins and outs of national league baseball?
And what about the rest of the league?
Atlanta will continue to be the NL East favorite until another teams knocks them off of their 14 consecutive division title pedestal and the Mets have made dramatic improvements as well.
While Philadelphia matches both the Braves and New York in power both have the edge in both pitching and managing.
The division has the ability to be one of the toughest in all of baseball this season, which, in turn, means it will take at least 90 wins, if not more, to make the playoffs.
Are the Phillies capable of winning 90 plus games with a questionable pitching staff, a line up with gapping holes at the bottom of the order and question marks around every corner?
Absolutely.
Are they capable of winning 85 games or less and missing the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season?
Absolutely.
Fans of Philadelphia have been waiting for a championship parade ever since the 76ers won the cities? last championship in 1983 and since that time, not including 1993, they have never looked to baseball as the opportunity to finally get one.
But to say they have no shot in 2006 would be a gross misstatement.
In all reality they have just as good a chance at making a post-season run as any team in the division and as a fan that is all you can really ask for.
They have a GM capable of making a significant trade at the trading deadline and they have begun to assemble players with the right sort of attitude that has lacked for so many years.
Whether or not they can make the playoffs is a question only 181 games and a lot of blood, sweat and tears can answer but after all, isn?t that what makes baseball so great in the first place?
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