Ryan Howard Injury: 4 Reasons It Could Help Philadelphia Phillies in 2012

No one thought that the St. Louis Cardinals, a team that crept into the playoffs after the Atlanta Braves suffered a catastrophic meltdown, would dismantle the pitching powerhouse that is the Philadelphia Phillies.

The team with 102 wins overall, 70 wins by the starting rotation and a litany of perennial MLB All-Stars ended its season with disappointment on Friday with a 1-0 loss to the Cardinals at home.

As St. Louis rushed to the mound to celebrate its playoff series win, Phillies’ slugger Ryan Howard lay in a crumpled heap on the first base line, clutching his leg. Howard swung for the fences and hurt himself in the process, rupturing his Achilles tendon. “The Big Piece” will have to undergo surgery and preliminary reports indicate that he may miss six to nine months.

It’s entirely possible that Ryan Howard will start his five-year, $125 million contract extension on the disabled list next year.

With Howard’s injury looming and the contracts of players like Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Madson, Raul Ibanez, Brad Lidge and Roy Oswalt on the table, things are starting look a bit nightmarish for the Philadelphia “Dream Team.”

Does Ryan Howard’s injury help the Phillies in any way? 

4. A Chance to Get Some Younger Players

A year ago when the Phillies lost in the playoffs, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. made a promise to the Philadelphia fanbase. He wanted to make sure that filling the roster with youth to ensure future success was a priority for the team.

Easier said that done.

The right field position was the only spot filled by a player younger than the year before with Hunter Pence, Dominic Brown and Ben Francisco splitting time.

Howard, the 31-year-old slugger, has seen better days but still puts up solid numbers. Still with his stats in decline, this may be the time to find someone younger and on the rise to fill the position.

3. A Chance to Get a Better Fielding First Baseman

Ryan Howard’s offensive numbers are consistently high, even when the Big Piece is in a down year.

Beyond that, Howard’s fielding has been pretty mediocre. He holds a minus-nine defense runs saved per inning. This stat lands him in the bottom two of all qualified first basemen.

While Howard’s offensive numbers will be missed, this may be a chance for the Philadelphia Phillies to pick someone up who can play consistently well on both offense and defense. 

2. A Chance to Develop John Mayberry Jr.

John Mayberry Jr. could be the easy fix for the vacant first base spot on the Phillies’ roster.

Even though Mayberry only had nearly a quarter of the at-bats that Howard had this season, his numbers were pretty solid. Mayberry’s batting average was high above that of his fallen slugger teammate, coming in at .273. He also knocked in 15 home runs and 49 RBI.

Expectations have been high for this prospect ever since he came on the team, but he hasn’t been giving the playing time to come into his own development. This could be the time to give Mayberry the playing time to fulfill his potential.

Mayberry offers the big production possibility that Howard does, which could come in handy next season.

1. Reality Check

Before the first pitch was even thrown, the Phillies’ starting pitching rotation was the most talked about commodity in baseball. However, this attention didn’t come without a giant chip on the collective shoulder of the Phillies.

At times during the season, and certainly during the Phils’ losing streak late in the season, it seemed as if there was a lack of determination throughout the roster. While some players fought hard throughout, a few seemed to expect their talent to crystallize into a World Series crown.

Now that the Phillies know that they are mortal, it may spark a fire under them and propel them into the postseason next year with or without Ryan Howard.