NL East already a war of words
Posted: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 11:44 PM
For several years I went to spring training in Florida preparing for a season of Mets’ telecasts and I remember thinking each year that the Phillies would finally mesh and produce a brand of baseball over the course of six months that would end the Braves’ annual run as NL East champions.
The Phillies had a stretch where the 3-4-5 combination in their lineup was Bobby Abreu, Jim Thome, and Pat Burrell -- and in a hitters’ paradise, how could that trio fail to hit 150 homers?
But we know the City-of-Brotherly-Love teams with that threesome making up the heart of their order never knocked the Braves from their throne. The Phillies ended up breaking up that title-less trinity and instead it was the Mets of 2006 that ended Atlanta’s remarkable streak of 14 straight division titles, including 11 in a row since its move to the NL East.
And the Phillies were still symbols of frustration and unrealized promise until the last two weeks of last season. A magical two weeks it was – a run that silenced boos, and calmed the negative vibes so common to Philadelphia professional sports teams, especially the Phillies. Their new ballpark was a colossal love fest as the Phillies won 13 of their final 17 games while the Mets lost 12 of their final 17. A seven-game Mets lead disappeared in that stretch and the Phillies stole a division title from the Amazin’s – who were anything but that coming down the stretch.
For much of this winter, the Phillies were able to enjoy their turn of fortune. After all, they had their core players intact: Jimmy Rollins, whose MVP year backed up his preseason claim that the Phillies were the team to beat in the NL East; Ryan Howard, the 2006 MVP; and Chase Utley, who drove in 100 runs despite missing 30 games last season. Plus, Cole Hamels had arrived as a top starter while a young unknown named Kyle Kendrick sauntered in from Double-A in June and proceeded to win 10 games.
But then on the brink of the start of spring training, the Mets struck – throwing down a late offseason lightning bolt to grab Johan Santana in a trade with the Twins – a move that makes the Mets relevant again, goes a long way towards washing away the lingering aftertaste of their horrid 2007 collapse, and gives them a huge dose of the adrenaline of hope entering this season. So much so that Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran, a man of very few words, issued a boast when talking to reporters at camp that the Mets were the team to beat in the NL East. And he addressed the words directly to Rollins. In other words, take that Jimmy – what goes around might well come around in 2008.
Well, you can imagine how Beltran’s words were received by the Phillies as they began to prepare for this season. So the first gauntlet of 2008 was thrown down and that doesn’t even count the talk of Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino, who recently mentioned as being a division factor – the Braves. (Although Victorino needs to remember that, despite his quotes, Greg Maddux is still in San Diego, not in Atlanta). But the Phillies claimed to take Beltran’s words personally, which is good for the business of baseball -- a little Family Feud will never hurt fan interest throughout the long summer.
Here’s why the Phillies can feel confident about this season: they have three quarters of a Hall-of-Fame caliber infield (Howard, Utley, and Rollins) -- and all three players are still shy of their 30th birthday. Howard and Rollins have already won an MVP while Utley would have finished in the top five in voting for the award this season had he stayed healthy. Howard has an arbitration hearing that will determine how insanely wealthy he will be this year. (The Phillies hired Tal Smith, arbitration expert, to represent the club. A smart move as Smith’s reputation is to argue a team’s position without angering the player. But, an aside, Smith is president of the Astros. How does that fly without any conflict of interest)?
Added at third base for the Phillies is Pedro Feliz, a limited offensive player who only needs to field his position. With the all the offense around him, Feliz can bat eighth since the Phillies don’t need him to hit. One significant loss was Aaron Rowand, but the Phillies feel the answer was in-house for them as they will shift Victorino to center field. Geoff Jenkins comes from Milwaukee to get a shot in right field with Jayson Werth and So Taguchi as depth.
Burrell is the only member of the team’s aforementioned power trio who is still with the Phillies. Even his role was diminished in the club’s remarkable September run. Often removed for defense later in games, Burrell is no longer a main cog and must hit to retain his spot. This is also the last year of his contract, and likely his last season in Philadelphia.
Also, think about this? Jamie Moyer is 45. He won 14 games last year while pitching half of those starts in a bandbox of a ballpark and he is only the fourth starter in Philadelphia’s rotation. Adam Eaton, coming off a very poor season, is the No. 5 starter – if he wins the job. So the Phillies have some pitching depth, particularly if Brad Lidge – who comes over from the Astros -- can regain his form as a top-flight closer. Any success by Lidge allows Brett Myers to leave behind the closer role and be part of the rotation. As Tom Gordon is 40 and can’t be counted on to pitch injury-free all season, the bullpen blueprint could be thrown into chaos if Lidge can’t hold the job of the closer.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel was supposed to be fired three years ago. He was the guy that, supposedly, was only hired to keep Thome happy. Two years after Thome left Philadelphia, the Phillies win the division and Manuel is a rare man who has managed two different teams to division titles. Keep count of how many times that fact is mentioned this year.
Spring training for the Phillies began with a reminder that as great as their September surge was, their October consisted of a deeply disappointing and brief three-and-out playoff series against Colorado. The Phillies still have goals to reach and a hell of a division race facing them -- especially if my feeling that the Braves are the NL’s best darkhorse is accurate.
