Philadelphia Phillies add Much Needed Pop to the Lineup

The outfield was one of the biggest weaknesses for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2016. In 2017 it may be their biggest strength.

This offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies have added Michael Saunders and Howie Kendrick into the corner outfield positions. Those positions were offensive black holes for the team so even just adding league average talent would be an upgrade. But the Phillies did one better, adding Saunders after a career year in which he hit 24 home runs and adding someone who hits wherever they go in Howie Kendrick.

While these deals don’t come without risks most of that is mitigated by their contracts. Kendrick is on a one-year deal for ten million dollars and Saunders is on a one-year deal for nine million dollars with a club option for a second year. That’s pretty good business from Matt Klentak and the Philadelphia Phillies. They’re set up so that they can easily cut ties with Kendrick and if Saunders has another injury plagued year, they can just decline the option.

Last season was Saunders’ first season fully healthy since 2013 and it was a mixed bag. In the first half of the season Saunders was one of the best hitters for the Blue Jays but in the second half his production tailed off and he only hit .171.

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The two new additions will join the incumbent Odubel Herrera (who will man center field) to hopefully combine for an offensively and defensively solid outfield. All three grade out as plus defenders so that part shouldn’t be much of an issue. If the Philadelphia Phillies get Howie Kendrick from 2015 and first half Michael Saunders, the offense will be better than it has been in a while.

Likely they’ll get some in between combination of the two but even that will be a significant improvement for the Phillies. Couple that with Hererra’s growing offensive prowess and the outfield is set to be a force in 2017. Adding in that Saunders is a lefty in a majority right handed power hitting lineup and now the Philadelphia Phillies have a drastically different offensive look heading into the year.

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While no one will mistake the Phillies offense for the Cubs in 2017, it has made significant strides this offseason. If the pitching staff falls in line behind the bats, this could be an exciting year for baseball in Philadelphia. The Phillies may not make the playoffs, but they’ll be fun to watch again and with the talent in the wings, that’s all that we can ask for.