Is this the Phillies' year?

February 18, 2007 | By Josh Rutledge | Discuss

New year, same story. Optimism abounds amongst
Philadelphia baseball fans, who show unwavering faith
in an organization that has once again reaffirmed its
resolute commitment to mediocrity. A frank assessment
of the Phillies' roster should have us all
anticipating yet another
good-but-not-quite-good-enough season. The bullpen is
a mess. The starting rotation is hardly what it's
cracked up to be. The outfield is thin. Catcher and
third base are huge question marks. Yet somehow,
someway, we believe. This is finally gonna be our
year. It's GOTTA be, right?

Hey, aren't we supposed to be the most negative fans
in all of American sports? What the heck happened?

In this, the darkest and longest winter that Philly
sports has known in my lifetime, hope is the only
thing we've got. The Sixers and Flyers are the midst
of disastrous seasons, and the thrill of
the Eagles' storybook late season run was tempered by
the bitter disappointment of their heartbreaking
playoff defeat. Surely the Birds will be expected to
be one of the NFC's top teams next year, and one has
to be at least a little excited about the potential
superstars; our struggling Flyers & Sixers will have
the opportunity to draft this summer. But for now, the
Phillies are our brightest, most immediate hopes. We
should know better.

The Freddie Garcia trade bolsters the starting
rotation, yet not a single quality reliever has been
brought in to upgrade one of the shakiest bullpens in
the majors. Closing duties are once again in the hands
of an aging, injury-prone Tom Gordon. Ryan Madson,
coming off two poor seasons in a row, is your likely
workhorse. That big right-handed bat who was going to
be brought in to protect Ryan Howard? Nope, it didn't
happen. By default, the job goes to Pat Burrell, whom
the Phillies have been trying desperately to deal
since last summer. Dave Dellucci and Jeff Conine exit;
in come Jayson Werth and Karim Garcia. How can anyone
be happy with that swap? And to fill their void at the
hot corner, the Phillies have turned to...Wes Helms?
It seems like I've heard this song before. The
Phillies go into to off-season with glaring weaknesses
- and come out of the off-season with none of them
sufficiently addressed. Grilled by the press, Pat
Gillick will tell you that he's tried his best to
acquire bullpen help, but, you know, things just
haven't worked out.

It makes you wonder...What good is it to bring in a
new general manager if he's stuck working under the
same inept front office that oversaw Ed Wade's failed
regime?

But in spite of all the question marks, all the
worries, all the unfilled holes, it's hard to not be
optimistic about this Phillies team. Why? Because of
what the players have shown us on the field. Dismissed
as notorious underachievers back in 2003 and 2004, the
Phillies really gave us more than we could have
expected from them the past two years. Manager Charlie
Manuel, savaged by fans and media pundits for his
strategic miscues and bumbling persona, gets more out
of his players than any Phillies manager in recent
memory. Just look at the pitching numbers. Honestly
look at them, and try and tell me the Phillies had any
business making runs at the wildcard in '05 and '06.
Yet there they were, when it mattered in September,
playing inspired, tenacious baseball, taking it down
to the wire. Both wildcard runs were ignited by clutch
play from a young, outstanding nucleus: Ryan Howard,
Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins. It's impossible to not
be excited by the thought that those three should be
the heart of this team for the next decade. And the
supporting cast ain't too shabby either. Shane
Victorino looks like he's going to be one heck of a
ballplayer. Aaron Rowand is the kind of fearless, blue
collar hustler that Philadelphia fans have always
adored (Please don't trade him, Pat!). Chris Coste
isn't just a feel-good underdog story: the guy can
flat-out hit! And Burrell, criticized as he is,
remains a proven run-producer (and that infamous
contract no longer seems so problematic in the wake of
this year's exploding free agent market).

This team should have no problem scoring runs. And the
starting pitching should be decent enough. So it all
comes down to the bullpen. Forgive me for choosing me
to see the glass as half full, but I can't help
myself. Maybe Tom Gordon has another 30-plus save
season left in his right arm. Maybe Ryan Madson
regains his 2004 form. Maybe Fabio Castro is ready for
prime time. Maybe Pat Gillick swings a spring deal for
a reliable middle reliever. That's an awful lot of
"maybes", but this is the time of the year when
positivity prevails.

Even in Philadelphia.

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