Phillies’ Pitchers and Catchers Report
Phinally! Spring training for the 2012 MLB season has now begun! Today, the pitchers and catchers for the Philadelphia Phillies are reporting to Clearwater, Florida to begin their pre-season workouts in preparation for the upcoming season. Tomorrow, Sunday February 19, is the first official workout for the players.
The pitchers and catchers were two of the strongest areas for the Phillies last season. The starting rotation boasted four aces with Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt. All four pitchers had a solid season, but only three are returning this year. After a constant battle with injuries last year, Oswalt did not re-sign with the team. He is still a free-agent as of this morning. Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has said that there is “…no room…” for Oswalt in the 2012 Phillies rotation. I believe Amaro when he says that, so don’t expect Oswalt to be back in Philly this season. A surprise last season was the rise of rookie starting pitcher, Vance Worley. Worley gave consistent, solid outings for a major part of the season. He will be back in the starting rotation. Joe Blanton, who rode the bench in the 2011 season due to injury, will round out the starting rotation.
Most teams in the MLB are envious of the Phillies catching situation and rightfully so. Starting catcher Carlos Ruiz is one of the elite backstops in the professional leagues. “Chooch”, as he is commonly referred to in Citizens Bank Park, is very intelligent behind the dish. All pitchers in the rotation or the bullpen respect Ruiz tremendously and rarely shake off his pitch calls. Ruiz can also hit pretty well which makes him an even bigger asset to manager, Charlie Manuel. Even the back-up catcher for the Phillies, Brian Schneider, is dependable. He is a great replacement for Ruiz. Schneider is obviously not on Ruiz’s level, as Ruiz hits better and is better defensively, but Schneider is not far off. Chooch has also remained injury free for the majority of his career (knock on a Louisville slugger). Hopefully that stays the same this season.
The bullpen is an area that Amaro is always tinkering with. The bullpen components of today look a bit different than the bullpen of 2011. Last year, the main closer for the Phightins was Ryan Madson. Madson is now in Cincinnati and to replace him, the Phillies hauled in Jonathan Papelbon. “Lights out” Lidge’s bulb has burned out in Philadelphia, as he is not returning. The rest of the members of the 2012 bullpen are as follows: Jose Conteras, Antonio Bastardo, Chad Qualls, Dontrelle Willis, Kyle Kendrick, Mike Stutes and David Herndon. I expect the bullpen to be solid, as it has been in recent years. If Contreras is fully recovered and healthy, he will be a good situational guy that could be stretched an inning or two. Bastardo is a younger arm that is also situational, as he is a lefty. He is a late-game guy that can give two innings of work. Chad Qualls is new to the Phillies’ pen this season, after spending last season with the San Diego Padres. Qualls is another mid to late game arm. The “D-Train”, Dontrelle Willis, is an experiment. He has had an up and down professional career. The Phillies are giving him a chance and are going to see what he can do coming out of the bullpen. He would most likely be a long-reliever that can serve three or more innings. Kendrick is returning this season and is back in the bullpen. I personally think this is where he belongs. Kendrick has no business being in the rotation. Kendrick will be another long-reliever who can spot-start in case of injury. Stutes is a younger guy. He should fit nicely in to the set-up role. Hopefully he can dominate the eighth inning, do his job and pass the lead along to Papelbon. Last is Herndon. He has been with the Phillies for the last few seasons. He is a ‘utility’ reliever. He can be a set-up man, long-reliever, or a situational pitcher. Herndon is very versatile and that will definitely be helpful in 2012.
The 2012 MLB season is looking promising again for the Phillies. They are not the overwhelming favorite to win the World Series, like they were last season, but definitely one of the top contenders to take it home. If key players stay healthy and a few other pieces fall in to place, it should be a successful season. It is Philadelphia, so it is World Series championship or bust here. Hopefully they can take advantage of their premier arms and bring another trophy home!
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