Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Players to Look out for this Season

Mar 21, 2016; Lakeland, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies manager Pete Mackanin (45) looks on prior to the game against the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2016; Lakeland, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies manager Pete Mackanin (45) looks on prior to the game against the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
7 of 7
Next
philadelphia phillies
Mar 28, 2016; Dunedin, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Ryan Howard (6) signs autographs before the start of the spring training game against Toronto Blue Jays at Florida Auto Exchange Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports /

This will come as a surprise to most people, but Ryan Howard is one of the most important players to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2016.

Ryan Howard will be the most important player for the 2016 Philadelphia Phillies. Statistically, this spring it has been about what we expect from Howard, a .230 batting average with a .300 on-base percentage and a few home runs. But that’s not what makes him important to the success of the Phillies in 2016. It’s the tough decisions that the Phillies are required to make on Howard this season.

Besides Carlos Ruiz, Ryan Howard is the last starter left from the 2008 world series team (mainly because of his massive contract). Howard has 2 years and 48 million dollars left on his current contract with the Philadelphia Phillies and his on-field performance isn’t coming anywhere near justifying that salary leaving the Phillies with a tough decision to either bench Howard or trade him.

Darin Ruf has shown to be a more effective first baseman than Howard and deserves more playing time but Howards contract is that of a starter. For the Phillies to trade him they would need to eat around 30 million dollars of what is remaining on his contract in order to net a decent return.

Next: Philadelphia Sports: Best 2000's Season of Every Pro Team

The money is important because it could go a long way towards improving the Philadelphia Phillies overall, but tough decisions need to be made. It should be interesting to watch how Andy McPhail handles this situation as the season progresses. Ryan Howard shouldn’t be a member of this team by the end of 2016 (or at least, a starter) and that’s why he’s our top player to look out for in 2016.