Philadelphia sports fans have a longstanding reputation as being tough, passionate and as intense as it gets. They’re going to have a challenge maintaining even a passing interest in the 2015 edition of the Phillies.
This has a chance to be a really bad baseball team. The 73-89 2014 record wasn’t good by any means, but even just equalling that mark seems like a long shot at this point.
There’s not much question where the fault lies here. The Phillies front office has been incompetent. There’s just no way to sugar coat it either. And from what I’ve seen since the conclusion of last season, I think it’s fair to say things are not getting any better.
The likely Phillies lineup is unimpressive. Ryan Howard has shown some life this spring, but one can’t help but think wear and tear will impact the veteran 1B as the campaign rolls on. Chase Utley is still a quality 2B, but his best days are likely done. Cody Asche is a little better than replacement level at 3B and Freddy Galvis could well be the weakest starting SS in the game. Carlos Ruiz is a very solid backstop, but he’s also not getting any younger.
The outfield is well below average. There’s always hope that Grady Sizemore gets back to his pre-injury days, but that’s probably not going to happen. Ben Revere can be fun to watch, but at best he’s a poor man’s Juan Pierre. Dominic Brown has gone from blazing prospect to just a shade above replacement level. The bench is middling at best and probably less than that.
The rotation is a mine field. Cole Hamels is a legit ace, but I’m not sure he wants to be with the Phillies at this point and that could negatively impact his performance. The Cliff Lee injury means we’re looking at Aaron Harang as the #2, and what appears to be a Quad-A group manning the last three spots. About the only plus on the staff is the bullpen. So maybe the Phils will have a decent chance to protect their late leads, but that’s not much to hang one’s hat on.
There are surprises and disappointments every year in baseball. I don’t see much possibility of the former here, and in fact, there’s a really good chance this team could be even worse than the projections suggest. Even at 67.5, I see the Under as the only way to play and I can absolutely see the Phillies losing 100 games this year.