For a decade, the Philadelphia Phillies have been associated with a particular core group of players: Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Ruiz and Cole Hamels. Now, only two of that group remain, and they might be out the door sometime in the next year as well.
Though this generation of stars brought the franchise undeniable success in the form of two National League pennants and a World Series championship, the last few seasons have not been kind to the Phils. Since 2012, the team has gone 290-358 (.448), culminating in last year’s 99-loss debacle.
Former general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. took a lot of heat for hanging onto the old guard for too long, allowing the roster to deteriorate and not cashing in on assets while they still had value. As 2016 Spring Training gets underway, new leadership is in place, headed by longtime MLB front office veteran Andy MacPhail as team president and new GM Matt Klentak.
Many of the players roaming the Phillies’ spring home in Clearwater, Florida should look unfamiliar as well. The goal for the new regime this season is clear: lay the groundwork for the franchise’s next core group of talent.
The Phils got a taste of that transition last year with the debuts of players like Odubel Herrera and Maikel Franco. The results were encouraging. The 23-year-old Herrera slashed .297/.344/.418 with eight home runs, 41 RBIs and 16 steals in 147 games. Franco, at age 22, flexed some of the power that made him one of the Phillies’ top prospects. Though his campaign was limited to 80 games, he posted a .280/.343/.497 slash line while belting 14 homers and driving in 50 runs.
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It was a solid early showing for a minor league system that has surged through the ranks in the past year or so. MLB.com’s Jim Callis ranked the Phillies’ farm seventh overall in his August rankings, pointing out that the franchise effectively used the Cole Hamels trade to stock a once-thin system with highly-rated prospects.
Not all of those prospects figure to make it to the big stage during 2016, but several should be seen on the Opening Day roster, and more could arrive as the season progresses.
Aaron Nola, the Phils’ first-round (seventh overall) draft pick in 2014, made 13 starts last year to promising reviews. He managed a 3.59 ERA over 77.2 innings. Expectations are high for the 22-year-old right-hander in his first full major league season, with some feeling he could establish himself as the club’s ace as soon as this year.
Nola should be joined in the rotation by fellow righty Jerad Eickhoff, one of the players acquired from the Rangers in the Hamels deal. He put up some impressive numbers over eight outings at the end of last season. Eickhoff generated a 2.65 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 3.77 K/BB in 51 innings. Though the 25-year-old just suffered a thumb injury in the opening days of Spring Training, the Phillies don’t expect it to be much of an issue and Eickhoff is still on track to be a significant contributor this year.
Philadelphia’s offseason trade of closer Ken Giles to the Astros could also pay some dividends this year. The Phils obtained 23-year-old right-hander Vincent Velasquez in the transaction, along with former first-overall pick Mark Appel.
Velasquez made 19 appearances last year as both a starter and reliever, and though his numbers weren’t particularly great, scouts have praised his fastball and changeup and believe he could develop into a solid mid-rotation arm. Appel hasn’t nearly lived up to the hype, but the talent that made him the class of the 2013 draft is worth taking a gamble on.
A variety of positional prospects will also receive a close look during the spring, like shortstop J.P. Crawford (currently the system’s top-ranked player per MLB.com), outfielder Nick Williams (also acquired in the Hamels trade and praised for his power) and catcher Jorge Alfaro (yes, another addition from the Hamels exchange).
The 2016 season at Citizens Bank Park will be more about progress and development than on-field results. Fans often roll their eyes when they hear something like that, but considering how bad things got for the Phillies over the past couple years, a degree of patience is in order.
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While you could certainly argue that it should have started sooner, a full-scale rebuild is finally underway in Philadelphia. And there’s enough talent in the pipeline to believe in a brighter future ahead.