With Opening Day on Monday, it's time to go through the keys to the Phillies 2013 season. If the team hopes to rebound from a disappointing 2012, they will need quite a few things to happen. So with that said, lets move into my keys for the 2013 Phillies.
The biggest problem that has haunted the Phillies in recent seasons has been lack of health for key players. Health will again be of major concern in 2013, as the Phillies will be relying on Chase Utley's knees, Ryan Howard's achilles, Roy Halladay's back and shoulder, Jimmy Rollins' legs, and many other players bodies to hold up over the course of a rigorous season. Coming out of Grapefruit League play, Utley and Howard seem to be completely healthy, which is a good sign for the Phillies. After both players missed the start of the season last year, they struggled to find the success they had in the past. Howard had a torrid spring and looks to be completely healthy, while Utley seemed to move around well and started to come around at the plate as Spring Training came to a close. Halladay's health still remains in question after he struggled with his command and velocity this spring, but all indications from the team are that he is healthy and just was a bit rusty. Delmon Young will start the season on the DL after right ankle surgery in November, and he seems to be in no hurry to get on the field, but as long as the rest of the Phillies can remain relatively healthy, especially their veteran leaders, the Phillies should be able to rebound in 2013.
One of the keys to the Phillies health in 2013, will stem from Freddy Galvis. The young infielder has one of the smoothest gloves you will ever see, and can play second base, shortstop, third base, and also saw time in the outfield this spring. With an infield that is getting up there in age, and have all suffered from injuries in the past, Galvis will likely see plenty of time as Charlie Manuel rests his aging veterans. Galvis is still only 23 and developing at the plate, but has shown promise and had a decent spring, hitting .269 with 12 of his 21 hits being for extra bases. If Galvis can continue to develop at the plate in 2013, that will be an added bonus for the Phillies. With the ability to play multiple positions, Galvis will provide the aging core of this team to get some days off, which in the end could help to keep them on the field in the long run. Look for Galvis to be an important cog in 2013 Phillies machine.
Another young player will make a difference in whether the Phillies regain their previous form, or have another disappointing season in 2013, Domonic Brown. Once a highly touted prospect, Brown has struggled in his time with the Phillies the past few seasons, after getting sparing at-bats. Brown will be a starter in the outfield to start the 2013 season, and the Phillies will need him to step up both in the field and at the plate. After struggling early in his major league career, Brown looks poised to breakout after a great spring. Brown hit .379 in Grapefruit League play, while also smashing 7 home runs. Brown made solid contact with everything all spring long, and it appears he is finally ready to live up to his billing. With Delmon Young out to start the season, the Phillies will rely even more on Brown to provide some offense early on in the season. 2013 could very well be the year in which Dom Brown breaks out, and shows all the promise he once had.
While the offense should be improved this season as long as the players remain healthy, one area that appears to be definitively better on paper than last season is the Phillies bullpen. After struggling in 2012, and blowing many leads, the Phillies added veteran setup man Mike Adams in the off-season to help bridge the gap to Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth. On Opening Day, the Phillies bullpen will feature Adams, Papelbon, Antonio Bastardo, Chad Durbin, Jeremy Horst, Raul Valdes, and Phillippe Aumont. With a nice mix of veterans and young-blood in the bullpen to start the season, it appears vastly improved since last years Opening Day on paper at least. The Phillies 2013 bullpen should definitely be improved at holding leads after the starters hand the ball off, which should account for more overall wins in 2013.
So there you have it, the keys to the 2013 Phillies season. A mixture of health, solid play from youngsters like Galvis and Brown, and an improved bullpen should be what it takes to get the Phillies back in contention in 2013. Will all of these things align perfectly? Probably not, but as long as they work out decently, the Phillies should be alright.
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