Phillies’ Other Big Four Will Be The Key
Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. Those four names evoke myriad thoughts from Phillies fans on this second day of February. Anticipation, dominance, happiness, wins, the World Series, parades and warmth, just to name a few.
And while having this deep cadre of firepower serve as your starting rotation is uncharted waters in these parts, it does not ensure the Phils will win it all.
Because despite the old cliche, pitching alone does not win championships. You must also hit. The bats used to be the Phillies’ calling card.
They had Hamels and a perfect Brad Lidge and enough pitching to get by in 2008 when Pat Burrell and Elvis rode down Broad Street on Halloween. But it was a ferocious offense that carried them much of that season.
Last year, despite Roy Halladay’s dominance, Hamels’ excellent, run support-deprived season, and the addition of Oswalt, the Phils’ bats went silent for very long stretches of time. They were able to overcome that to win the most regular season games in baseball. They were also able to knock off an inexperienced Reds team in the wild-card round. But the lack of offensive production reared its ugly head against the Giants in the NLCS.
The Phils other “Big Four” of Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Shane Victorino each had down years by their standards in the regular season. And that carried over to the postseason.
Rollins hit .206 while scoring just one run in nine playoff games. That is not setting the table; that’s never reaching it. Utley batted just .212 (7-for-33). Howard’s average of .303 wasn’t bad but zero RBI and homers is unacceptable from your clean-up man. Shane Victorino, who is often left out of these kinds of discussions but will play a much bigger role this year with the departure of Jayson Werth, was not nearly good or consistent enough either. A .216 average did not cut it.
Far too often they waited for the three-run home run. Advancing runners and playing small-ball was a rumor.
Which brings us to the 2011 club. Barring injury, the rotation will dominate. Seventy-one wins from the ”phearsome phoursome” is a low-ball estimate. And if Lidge carries over his August through October “Lights Out” resurrection coupled with Ryan Madson setting up, the arms won’t be the issue. The pitching was good enough vs. San Francisco – not great, but good enough. The hitting is what brought about their demise.
These are very well-compensated men, but they are also very prideful players who know they let the team down last season.
Howard was working out regularly at Citizens Bank Park during the winter before heading south to Florida early. Utley’s thumb injury last year was fluky, not a sign he is breaking down. Victorino took home another Gold Glove, but he needs to understand who he is at the plate – and that is not someone who should be trying to lift the ball. Get on base, bunt, utilize your wheels.
As for Rollins, he is 32 now and in the last year of his contract. That cannot be overlooked. His next deal could be his last major payday. He missed 74 games last year due to various lower-body ailments. And his production has been on the decline since taking home the MVP trophy in 2007.
He changed his offseason approach and aimed at increasing his flexibility and helping his core. He has every reason to be motivated. All four should have bounce-back seasons.
If they do not, the Phils could very easily find themselves watching the Fall Classic at home as they did last season, despite the embarrassment of riches they have in the starting pitching department.
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