Philadelphia Phillies offseason strategy and plans about 2013 Major League regular season-MLB Part 3
Undoubtedly, the Phillies have been successful so far in letting the rest of the baseball world know that they are set to dethrone the Washington Nationals in the East division.
By addressing discrepancies in the bullpen, which was arguably the greatest reason of their failure last season, the fans have been made hopeful by them.
What unfortunately fans do not know is the kind of preparations that the rest of the teams in the Division are making.
By fixing the bullpen the Phillies can expect better shows from relievers but they cannot stop the rejuvenated Nationals from wreaking the damage on them.
The Nationals and the Atlanta Braves are far different teams today from what they were a couple of years ago.
Cosmetic measures such as induction of some veteran relievers are not going to work against them, even if these are worth solacing the disgruntled fans of the Phillies.
Similarly, these steps cannot guarantee the halt of the series of hitless outings that their main players such as Ryan Howard, Utley and Young are poised to experience next year.
The Phillies have missed looking deep into the way both Utley and Howard performed at the latter half of the last season. Occasional flair ups at the plate apart, they were far from what they used to be for the club.
Just the same way, Young did not do anything special for the Texas Rangers, despite the fact he played the whole season.
These are some of the players that have a high symbolic value, thanks to incredible past records.
However, expecting them to produce even a fraction of what they did in their years of presence in the Major League Baseball comes with a lot of question marks.
To the misfortune of the fans, these are the same players that occupy the whole infield of the team, besides being the core of the offence.
In essence, the entire optimism of the management stems from their presence on the roster.
"When a guy is down for two years and doesn't play full seasons in the two years prior, you have to be a little concerned," Amaro said. "But we think Chase has learned and we have learned to manage whatever he's got going on in his knees pretty well. I don't
know how close he'll be when spring starts. But typically it takes a full year to gain your full strength capacity with an injury like that. From what Ryan was doing prior to his wedding and his honeymoon, he was doing well."
Why Young was unloaded by the Texas should not be ignored, especially considering the fact he played for them since doing his major league debut.
Any club that gives a player a place in the team for such a long time rarely parts ways with him, unless he is about to become totally worthless.
Thus, an increase in the expectations of the officials of the Phillies due to the acquisition of Young demands explanation.
Irrespective of the outfielders, relievers and a starting pitcher obtained by the Phillies so far, there is nothing which makes us believe that they are going to improve seriously next year.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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