Philadelphia Phillies: 3 Ways the Phils Can Return to Prominence Next Season

The Philadelphia Phillies cannot wait for the conclusion of the 2012 season.

Merely saying this was a lost season would not do justice to this unfortunate campaign.

The Phils were not anywhere near prominence due to—well, most prominently to a rash of injuries. Franchise players Ryan Howard, Roy Halladay and Chase Utley missed over a combined seven months of MLB action.

Teams simply cannot overcome those types of injuries, not to mention the other factors that will be discussed later.

Also, the quality of the top teams in the NL East compounded the injury-plagued Phillies’ 2012 campaign.

The Nationals are the absolute class of the league—with or without Stephen Strasburg. And second-place Atlanta is an 89-win club that dominated the Phils in a 12-6 fashion.

If the Phillies had been operating on all cylinders, they would have been at least as good, if not better, than the Braves. Superior bats, superior pitching—simply put.

So, with a fully functioning squad next season that goes beyond injuries, let’s highlight the three reasons the Phils can return to prominence in 2013.

More Than One Qualifier for the Batting Title

In 2011, the Phillies had five sluggers qualify for the batting title.

This year they had one.

Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and Placido Polanco combined for 58 home runs and 250 RBI last season. In 2012, Howard didn’t make his debut until July 6, Ibanez didn’t debut at all (signed with the Yankees) and Polanco played in just 90 games, contributing little—if anything—offensively.

Also contributing to the dearth in offensive production was the injury to Carlos Ruiz and trades of Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino.

Ruiz was inactive from August 3 to September 9 due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot. He was batting .335 with 14 home runs and 58 RBI at the time of his injury. His absence also affected the Phillies’ pitching because of his established mastery with the staff.

Moreover, the team traded Pence and Victorino at the deadline for reasons to be discussed later.

They sorely missed the “Flyin’ Hawaiian’s” 17-home-run, 16-triple production and defensive prowess in center field from 2011. Pence’s 17 bombs and 59 RBI left a void in right field as well.

Not to be forgotten, Chase Utley, one of the most productive second baseman in recent years, has just 271 at-bats on the season.

He, along with a healthy Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz, will team up with Jimmy Rollins for the makings of a fully potent lineup in 2013.

This is the first of a handful of reasons why the Phillies will be back on track next year.

No Lee Aberration, Healthy Halladay

What a curious year it has been for Cliff Lee.

Aside from a poor month of July, Lee has produced quality start after quality start the majority of the season.

He has been the recipient of extremely poor run support and plain bad luck. He didn’t earn his first win until July 5, despite posting an ERA in the mid-three’s before that.

Lee’s outing on April 18 against the Giants was purely emblematic of his misfortune. The strike-throwing southpaw pitched 10 innings—yes, 10 innings—of shut-out ball with seven strikeouts and merely 102 pitches.

He received a no decision.

Even with two fewer starts, Lee’s innings pitched, strikeouts and ERA are all essentially as good as Cole Hamels’. Yet Hamels is 16-6, and Lee is 6-8.

Don’t expect this pitching aberration to occur next season.

As for Mr. Doc, well, a Halladay-less season was not what the Phillies had in mind.

The right-hander missed nearly two months after late May. He posted a stellar April campaign before succumbing to a strained lat the next month.

At the time of his move to the disabled list, he had suffered two consecutive losses and had given up nine runs in eight innings.

The ever-reliable Halladay finally experienced a lost season. And the Phillies couldn’t take it.

The man who averaged 8.4 Wins Above Replacement the last two seasons and 236 innings over the past six was not a loss the Phillies could overcome. He was—and is—simply too good.

Halladay will return to form and advance his 32-plus-start average in 2013. Lee will perform in a similar way.

As the post-August 17 Phils have indicated—with both Halladay and Lee winning four of five starts—they can win when these guys are on.

And win in a hurry.

Payroll Maneuverability, Future Hope

There’s a reason why certain teams start shedding payroll.

It usually involves underachievement.

That came to a head for the 2012 Phillies in the form of a relative unmitigated disaster.

The Phils hit rock bottom just after the All-Star break, when they found themselves 14 games below .500 after losing five consecutive. They were still 11 games under a month later into mid-August.

GM Ruben Amaro Jr. orchestrated two trades at the deadline in response to the free fall. He sent Hunter Pence to the Giants and Shane Victorino to the Dodgers for a bevy of prospects.

Pence will be owed upwards of $13 million next season through arbitration, and Victorino will be a free agent. Philadelphia saved substantial capital and set themselves up well for future moves.

After doling out so much to Halladay, Lee and, most recently, Hamels with the second-most lucrative contract for a pitcher in the history of the sport, Amaro had to cut payroll.

He did so, and now the Phillies stand to benefit. So with nearly $100 million owed to those boys and Ryan Howard combined, how much can they really benefit with payroll flexibility?

Well, it’s hard to say exactly how the Phils will orchestrate their future. That said, star prospect Domonic Brown will certainly represent the future direction in the outfield. And the $20-plus million they saved via trades will allow them to address a number of different areas, including potential insurance behind Howard and Utley.

One way or another, the Philadelphia Phillies are fully set to return to prominence if things evolve in their favor.

Worry not, Philly fanatics—your time will come soon enough.

A rise to a 78-77 record should serve as an indication.

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