2015 Preview: Philadelphia Phillies

When we look at the 2015 Philadelphia Phillies, on the surface, it doesn’t look good.

A lot of overpaid, aging players.

Obviously the missed opportunities last summer by Ruben Amaro, Jr. to get some of these contracts moved for at the least, pieces that could help them in the future.

And now injuries that are starting to mount that really make the immediate future even less appealing.

And while all those negatives and questions are going to likely put the Phillies towards the bottom of the NL East in 2015, I think we could easily be getting a glimpse of what the future looks like for this organization by the end of the summer.

For the present though, one guy that has stayed the course with Philadelphia through thick and thin, has been Chase Utley. I know Ryan Howard took the MVP award in 2006 and has crushed 300-some odd home runs. I know Jimmy Rollins has been a big piece to the puzzle as well, with an MVP and tons of other accolades, but to me, the steady hand through all these years has been Chase Utley.

I know one man can’t carry a franchise, nor am I suggesting he will, but every year, through the incredible run the Phils had in the mid-2000s, Utley was always in the MVP conversation, being overshadowed by the guys on his team that were having incredible seasons’.

What I like about Chase Utley, is despite his age, he’s been so consistent and is, in my opinion, one of the toughest guys in the league. I know he hit a rough patch a few years ago when he wasn’t on the field much, if Utley can have a good season, as things move closer towards the trade deadline, I think he could have exceptional value on the trade market, I actually thought he’d have great trade value last year, but that obviously didn’t happen.

To me, this is the make or break year for Dom Brown. His all-star appearance in 2013 was questioned across the country, but his 27 home runs for the year were undoubtedly a preview of what this kid could do. Then he hits hard times again last year, and struggles some more with only 10 homers in 144 games.

Philadelphia is caught between a rock and a hard place with this guy. At just 27 years old, it’s very feasible he could have another big year, but do you trade him? He could be that guy that anchors a rebuild, and maybe when he’s 29, he could lead this team to the promised land again.

But, if he starts slow, where do you go? His trade value isn’t going to be worth a hill of beans, but he’ll be appealing to someone, given he’s under team control until 2018. If you can’t move him, do you relegate him to the bench as your 4th outfielder?

Like I said, rock and hard place, and Philadelphia could be forced to a tough decision on this promising young player.

Coming off two very good campaigns, the Phillies have tapped into something special with Ben Revere. Undoubtedly a bonafide leadoff guy, you hope Revere can stay healthy and be a foundational piece the Phillies need. I look for another great year out of Revere, and if he can stay on the field, I fully expect him to start getting some real attention as one of the premier leadoff hitters in our game.

By the end of the season, there are two I guys we will be watching that will cornerstone pieces to the future of this franchise.

The first is Aaron Nola. The big right hander out of LSU once again demonstrates why I advocate for elite college pitchers early in the draft. Nola is going to make an impact on this pitching staff at some point, and when he does, I do believe he’ll be around to stay.

If I may be so bold, the way Nola throws reminds me a lot of Roy Halladay. Full disclosure, I’m not saying he’ll be Roy Halladay, but he has a lot of similar attributes the Doc possessed, and if the Phillies get even fractions of Halladay from Nola, they could, and should, be in for something special with this guy.

Maikel Franco is going to be a very good player in Philly as well. The third baseman was a career .275 hitter and has great upside with his power. He likely won’t ever be Ryan Howard, driving out 35-40 home runs a year, but Franco should hit for a better average and could easily be a 20-25 homer guy this year if he gets the playing time.

Between Nola and Franco, Philadelphia has the foundation set, now all they need to is figure out what they’re going to do with guys like Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels and Chase Utley.

Amaro cannot go into another offseason with those guys still on the books. Philadelphia is in full rebuild mode, and to not take action this year will only make that rebuild all the more difficult.

Still, better times are definitely on the horizon in the City of Brotherly Love.