The 5 Most Important Phillies for 2011

Baseball is a team sport, but as with all teams, some players have the potential to influence a team’s success more than others. The Philadelphia Phillies will begin the 2011 season tomorrow. They enter the season as the odds on favorite in many people’s book to not only win the NL pennant, but also to win the World Series. Others have lost a little bit of faith in the Phillies because of the rash of injuries that struck the team in Spring Training. Several weeks ago I predicted that the Phillies would win 101 games this season. I am not backing off of that number. This team won 97 games last year with a pitching staff and bullpen that were not as good as they are this year. Last year also saw almost every regular spend at least SOME time on the disabled list. If that team can win 97 games, then there’s no doubt in my mind that this team can manage 4 more.

In order for the Phillies to hit that mark, they will need good years from several key players. Here is my list of the 5 most important Phillies for 2011. Without solid contributions from these players, the Phillies will have a major struggle on their hands.

Philadelphia Phillies Pitcher Roy Halladay celebrates his Perfect Game against the Florida Marlins

Roy Halladay – Roy Halladay is the Ace of this staff of aces. I list Roy Halladay first, because to me, it is Roy Halladay that will set the tone for this pitching staff and the rest of the team. Roy Halladay is a relentless competitor whose grueling between start workouts are designed to keep him at his best all the time. He is probably the hardest working pitcher in all of baseball. Whether the rest of the staff wants to admit it or not, there will be some form of friendly competition between them. That competition begins with Roy Halladay, since he is, in fact, the best pitcher in baseball.

Jimmy Rollins – Everyone knows what a down year from Jimmy Rollins can do to the club. With Rollins in and out of the lineup for large portions of the season, and his slump in 2009, the Phillies struggled to score runs with frequency and ease that they have become (and gotten the fans) used to. With Chase Utley out of the lineup for who knows how long, the Phillies will need to turn to Jimmy Rollins for a little extra pop. Rumor has it that Rollins will bat third in the lineup. Rollins will not replace Utley’s power, but he may be able to get some things going in other ways. That’s not to say that J-Roll doesn’t have any power, he certainly does. And the threat of that power may just be what the Phillies need in order to get Ryan Howard some pitches to hit. Another bad year for Jimmy Rollins could spell doom for the Phillies and Rollins himself. After all, this is a contract year. If he doesn’t produce, the Phillies may be inclined to let Rollins walk.

Raul Ibanez – Raul Ibanez is another key for the Phillies. He does not need to be the guy that we saw at the beginning of 2009, (though no one would complain if he was) he just needs to be more…well…Raul Ibanez-like. In Ibanez’s career, he has batted .284 and has averaged 22 Home runs and 94 RBI in over 162 games. If Ibanez puts up those kinds of numbers, the Phillies will be just fine. Anything less, and the Phillies will really miss Chase Utley and Jayson Werth. Personally, I think Ibanez is fully capable of putting up those kinds of numbers. He works hard, he’s healthy, and he’s very driven to silence the critics who are saying that there is no place in baseball for a 39 year old Left Fielder.

Shane Victorino – Shane “Flyin’ Hawaiin” Victorino batted .259 in 2010. His career average is .279. In 2009, Victorino batted .292. That’s quite a dip in production from the multi-faceted Victorino. Victorino plays solid defense (evidenced by his 3 straight Gold Glove Awards), can hit for power, steal a base and get some timely hits. Victorino can also be hot-headed, impatient and undisciplined at the plate. If Victorino is going to be the lead-off batter for this team (and he should be), than he needs to be smarter at the plate and really set the table. He has all the skills necessary to be a successful major league lead-off hitter, he just needs to be able to put them all together.

Ryan Howard – Ryan Howard is one of the best pure sluggers in all of baseball. Yes, he strikes out. That’s what sluggers do. Sluggers also produce runs in a number of ways, and that is exactly what Ryan Howard has done in his career. If Howard can stay healthy for the entire season and he is afforded even a little bit of protection by the #3 and #5 hitters, he will have another huge year. 31 HRs for Howard was a bit of a downturn for the Big Piece, but I’d fully expect him to hit over 40 this year if he stays healthy.

The 5 players mentioned above will be very influential on whether or not the Phillies can find their way back into the postseason and World Series. I’m sure that it could be argued that Carlos Ruiz or Cliff Lee or any number of other players may play just as big a role as the 5 I have mentioned here, but I really do believe that the Phillies success will lie with my picks. And I would certainly welcome some debate if you disagree.

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