A Phillies Preview

Yes, this is a story about baseball with snow falling in bunches.

But it’s nice to dream of summer days at the ballpark, right?

BREAKING: the 2016 Philadelphia Phillies will not win the pennant. No surprise there, as they probably will be on the couch come mid-October, but this season isn’t going to be as bad as the last two.

They might not win more games, but the signs of hope over the last few months are enough for this team to reel in some of the fans that fell off the bandwagon over the last few years.

The addition of youth and the doing-away with the old is enough to bring smiles back to the faces of the Philadelphia-faithful, and this season, fans will likely see some new names on the backs of the red-pinstriped jerseys.

Now don’t get ahead of yourself.

Some of the young guys that have been brought in over the last few months will not be starting right away. You may have to wait until September to see some of them, and a few will not be around until 2017.

Either way, the guys on the roster at this very moment paint a better picture on the future of the organization.

Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz will likely be the oldest players on the roster, and they are likely to be gone after 2016, as their replacements are waiting in the minors.

Let’s take a walk around the field to glance at some potential starters for the Phils.

In the outfield:

It’ll likely be Odubel Herrera in centerfield with Aaron Altherr in left-field and Peter Bourjos in right-field. Herrera, the former Rule 5 pick, has shown that he can play in the majors on a regular basis. Altherr hit .241 in 39 games, posting five homers, four triples and 11 doubles. The 25-year-old recorded 33 hits and 16 walks in 137 at-bats. Bourjos holds a career average of .241, but should be a solid top-of-the-lineup guy, either leading off or hitting behind Herrera.

Taking a look at the infield, the first base position will likely be a day-by-day decision, according to Pete Mackanin. The skipper said that if Howard can’t hit well on a consistent basis, he will be relegated to the bench. That’s good news for Darin Ruf, as he is the only other player on the team that has significant first base experience.

Second base will be much like first, likely a platoon of a few younger guys that are trying to make names for themselves. Darnell Sweeney, who was acquired in the Chase Ultey deal last August, can play infield and outfield, making his value that much higher. He, along with Freddy Galvis and Cesar Hernandez, will see a lot of action. (On a side note, I think that Hernandez has run his course with the big-league team. He has had enough time with the team and hasn’t shown that he is reliable as an everyday player. It would be wise for the team to move on, in my opinion.)

At short, it’ll likely be Galvis, with someone like Andres Blanco to give him a day off. Galvis has shown sparks, but with J.P. Crawford waiting in the wings, this could be Galvis’ last season as the everyday shortstop.

The only no-brainer in the infield is Maikel Franco. If he can stay healthy, he’ll be at the hot-corner every day, hitting cleanup. In just 80 games, the top prospect hit .292 with 14 home runs and 22 doubles.

Carlos Ruiz will be the catcher, with Cameron Rupp as the backup.

Now for the fun part. Who will be in the starting rotation for the Phillies? Aaron Nola, Jared Eickhoff and Jeremy Hellickson are safe write in the rotation with ink. As for the last two spots, it’ll be a battle between both young and old players. In that group will be young-guns Jake Thompson (Hamels trade), Vincent Velasquez (Giles trade) and Adam Morgan. In the old-guys group it’ll be Brett Oberholtzer (Giles trade), Matt Harrison (Hamels trade) and Charlie Morton (free agent).

Gun to my head, I’d say two of the older guys make the team, and the young guys all go back to the minors.

Others that could see some action throughout the year are Alec Asher, Severino Gonzalez, Jesse Biddle, David Buchanan and Mark Appel, amongst others.

The bench will be a mix of younger guys and vets. Cody Asche may finally find his role as a utility guy. Tyler Goeddel will likely stay with the team, being that he was the team’s Rule 5 pick. Blanco will most likely be your infield-depth guy, along with Hernandez and Ruf, who can play both infield and outfield.

Again, don’t start planning your N.L. East celebration parties yet, because this season will likely be as bad as the last few, but maybe just on paper. The youth that was added to the organization over the past eight months is starting to find its way into the League, with the highly-regarded prospects right behind them.

You just have to be patient.