The Philadelphia Phillies 2016 season will get underway Monday in Cincinnati as the Phils enter another rebuilding year, but possibly the last.
Early Storylines
Pete Mackanin enters his first full year as manager of the Phillies, and the skipper has plenty of young talent to work with. This will also be the first full season for third baseman Maikel Franco, who is coming off a stellar Spring campaign which included 9 homers and 23 RBIs.
http://gty.im/483048224
On the other hand, many expect this to be the last season in red pinstripes for Ryan Howard, the 36 year old is entering the final year of his monster contract. The same is true for long time catcher Carlos Ruiz, the other remaining member of the championship team also enters the final year of his contract.
The story of the offseason was the deal that sent closer Ken Giles to Huston for a group of pitchers that included Vincent Velasquez and former first overall pick Mark Appel.
First year GM Matt Klentak also added Jeremy Hellickson (the opening day starter) and Charlie Morton for veteran leadership in a rotation that includes three pitchers 25 years old or younger.
http://gty.im/512468374
The biggest question is when each top prospect will break through in the season. With one of MLB’s best prospects in JP Crawford leading a group that boasts 8 prospects in the top 100 prospect list, there’s plenty of names to look for.
Who will the first pick be? The Phillies hold the first pick in June’s draft and Klentak knows he can’t mess this one up, because we’re sick of our GMs making bad decisions.
Roster
The following 25 players will be on the Opening Day roster
Starting Pitchers
Jeremy Hellickson (RHP)
Aaron Nola (RHP)
Charlie Morton (RHP)
Jerad Eickhoff (RHP)
Vincent Velasquez (RHP)
Relief Pitchers
David Hernandez (RHP)
Dalier Hinojosa (RHP)
Jeanmar Gomez (RHP)
Brett Oberholtzer (LHP)
James Russel (LHP)
Daniel Stumpf (LHP)
Hector Neris (RHP)
Catchers
Carlos Ruiz (R)
Cameron Rupp (R)
Infielders
Ryan Howard (L)
Maikel Franco (R)
Freddy Galvis (S)
Cesar Hernandez (S)
Andres Blanco (S)
Darin Ruf (R)
Emmanuel Burriss (S)
Outfielders
Odubel Herrera (L)
Peter Bourjos (R)
Tyler Goeddel (R)
Cedric Hunter (L)
Ryan Howard and Darin Ruf will platoon at first base, with Ruf getting the starts against lefties. Cameron Rupp should take over as lead catcher, that is until either Andrew Knapp or Jorge Alfaro are called up. The pitching rotation will be the same order as they appear above. Mackanin is yet to name a closer, but many believe it will be David Hernandez.
http://gty.im/508172986
With Aaron Alther on the shelf for the season with an injury and Cody Asche on the 15 day DL, rule 5 selection Tyler Goeddel along with veteran Cedric Hunter will be big contributors in the outfield. Hunter will most likely start in right with Herrera in center and Bourjos in left. Goeddel is able to play all three outfield spots, which makes him very valuable off the bench.
http://gty.im/518261842
The Opening Day roster will not look the same come September, many prospects should break through at different times throughout the season. The first seems to be outfielder Nick Williams, the dominos will fall from there.
Schedule
The Phillies will open the season on Monday in Cincinnati, the first home game will be a week later as the Phillies face the Padres. The full schedule is available in the link below.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/schedule/_/name/phi/philadelphia-Phillies
http://gty.im/486336405
Projections and Predictions
Early on in the season, the Phillies will struggle to score runs. With a lineup that includes veterans nearing their end or under achieving players, there’s only two names to remember in the lineup…… Maikel Franco and Odubel Herrera.
http://gty.im/487322158
Herrera hit .297 with 8 homers and 41 RBIs in 2015, while Franco hit .280 with 14 homers and 50 RBIs in only 80 games. In 2016 I expect Herrera to bat with an average around .300 while hitting 10 homers and 25 doubles and stealing 20 bases. For Franco, I’m expecting big things, 30 homers and 85 RBIs. His RBI total will be low, considering the talent that will be batting ahead of him to start the season at least.
From a pitching standpoint, Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff, and Vince Velasquez will all be entering their first full season in the majors. Nola possess the highest upside of the three, and could very well become the Phillies’ ace if Hellickson is dealt during the season. Nola and Eickhoff both have a chance to have ERAs around 3.50 this season, but their win/loss total will be up to the offense and a bull pen full of uncertainty.
http://gty.im/486249958
Opening Day starter Jeremy Hellickson is entering his first season with the Phils. Hellickson has a career ERA of 3.94, he is coming off three straight seasons with an ERA over 4.50. The Phillies are hoping the change of scenery will help Hellickson get back to when he had a 2.95 ERA in 2011 with the Rays. Right now I’ll say he’ll have an ERA close to 4.00 this season.
The Phillies’ bull pen is the great unknown. There is no more Jonathan Papelbon or Ken Giles, instead the bull pen is full of a lot of veterans trying to get a second chance in the majors. David Hernandez seems to be the lead man to win the closer’s job. Hernandez is no way comparable to the two closers from last season, fans should hold their breathe when the starter is pull, because there’s no telling how this group may preform.
http://gty.im/513345506
From a prospect standpoint, I expect Nick Williams to be the first called up in late May or early June. He should immediately compete for a starting job, and hold a starting job by season’s end. The next prospect to break into the majors should be catcher Andrew Knapp. The 24 year old exploded onto the scene last year with his impressive performance in the second half of last season in Reading when he hit .360 with 11 homers, 21 doubles, and 56 RBIs in only 55 games with Reading.
http://gty.im/518261786
After those two, is when prospects making their debuts with the Phillies will be a common thing. Pitchers Mark Appel and Jake Thompson should both be in the rotation at some point in the season. Speeedy outfielder Roman Quinn could be up by the later part of the summer, the same goes for power hitting catcher Jorge Alfaro. The biggest question is when will top prospect, short stop J.P. Crawford put on the red pinstripes and the answer seems to be September. Crawford’s bat could have him starting on Monday, but the Phillies would like to see his defense improve. The Phillies will err on the side of caution when it comes to their top prospect.
I predict that Maikel Franco will be the only all star for the Phillies, despite playing in a National League loaded with talented third basemen, Franco will be impressive enough to win the fan vote.
As far as the draft is concerned, I see Klentak and company taking 17 year old left handed pitcher Jason Groome out of New Jersey. Groome is said to be the best high school left hander since Clayton Kershaw, which is why the Phillies would have a hard time passing up on him, his commitment to play for Vanderbilt would be the only red flag.
As far as records and standings are concerned, I see the Phillies ending the 2016 campaign with a 72-90 record and finishing 4th in the NL East. I believe the Phillies will play a little better than most expect, they’ll be competitive and committed as long as Pete Mackanin is the manger. The Phillies rebuild is further along than the Braves, which is why the Phils should be able to pass them in the standing in the division.
http://gty.im/483743112
From a national standpoint, I’m taking the Cubs to win it all against the Blue Jays.
Last Thoughts
Let’s be honest, the 2016 Phillies will not make a run at the second wild card spot or make moves at the trade deadline to try to make a run. Instead, 2016 can be looked at as a transition year, this year will bridge the Phils past 4 years of struggle to years of a very bright future. 2016 will be the year that many young studs like Franco and Nola will get to play in their first full season, while fans will get their first glimpses of young players they hope can bring home a championship one day.
http://gty.im/478128558
The team will get better as the season goes on. A team that is full of a lot of new faces will take time to gel, but it will happen. The talented prospects will only help both the rotation and lineup as they are called up. The Phillies will surprise people in 2016, there’s no question about that, they will play everyday to win. Playing the Mets 10 times in the last 16 games to end the season will be something to look forward to as the Phillies will look to play spoiler.
2016 is also expected to be the last year a member of the 2008 championship team will be a member of the organization. The last two remaining players, Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz are both not expected to be resigned by the team following this season.
http://gty.im/484857755
This season will be a breathe of fresh air, and the fans should enjoy every minute of it. They should celebrate the careers of Howard and Ruiz this year, while also enjoying the play of many of the young talented players that were brought to this organization to win a championship, and 2016 will be the first step in the right direction of achieving that goal.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
