Phillies camp report: Looking to fulfill dynastic destiny
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The Phillies think they can win the World Series this year.
And next year. And the year after that.
"We don't want to stop at winning one or two World Series," Cole Hamels said. "We want to win as many as we can, to become that dynasty team that we could be destined to be."
The words might be a little bold for some tastes, a little too brash, maybe. But if you're looking to summarize where the Phillies are as an organization right now, and what they're trying to do, that's about as good a way to put it as any.
The Phillies believe in this group of players, so much so that they've done as much as they can to keep them together, so much so that they've tried to do everything possible to extend the window for this group to win.
And rather than put everything into 2010 with no regard for the years that follow -- say, by having Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee in the rotation together -- the Phillies have operated with the idea of giving themselves as many chances to win as they can.
"There's no question we want to do what we can to keep it together, and try to prolong the success," general manager Ruben Amaro said. "Where they are, age-wise and control-wise, we don't want to put all our eggs in one basket."
Amaro and staff made two significant changes over the winter, replacing Lee with Halladay and replacing third baseman Pedro Feliz with free agent Placido Polanco. Just as significantly, they signed both Halladay and Polanco to three-year contracts (though Halladay's new deal actually begins in 2011), and gave three-year deals to Shane Victorino, Joe Blanton and Carlos Ruiz as well.
 More from Phillies camp |
|
|
| Knobler: Hoping for a rematch |
|
Charlie Manuel wants the Yanks again. Tampa Bay's Joe Maddon has his own dreams. More |
| Phillies videos |
| Phillies schedules & predictions |
|
Spring slate | Regular season starts April 5 Thread: Phillies' expectations! |
 |
THINGS TO KNOW
The effect is that with the exception of right fielder Jayson Werth, every significant Phillies player -- in the lineup, the rotation and the back end of the bullpen -- is already signed or under control through at least 2011, and many are signed through 2012 or beyond.
Many people believe Werth will be gone next year, replaced by top outfield prospect Domonic Brown. But Amaro says that's not a given, and others in the organization suggest the Phillies might try to keep Werth and perhaps trade Raul Ibañez to make room for Brown (and keep the payroll in line).
In any case, the group that has already made it to back-to-back World Series (winning one, losing the other) is basically sticking together for the next two years, and quite possibly more than that.
While first baseman Ryan Howard and shortstop Jimmy Rollins can be free agents after 2011, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Phillies re-sign both of them.
There's a sense of stability, and the players see it.
"It's awesome for us to know that," closer Brad Lidge said. "It feels good to be a part of it. The guys here want to win another World Series."
The Phillies are so comfortable with who they are, what they've done and what they could do that they almost discard what they accomplished last year. All they did then was become the first team to win back-to-back NL titles since the 1995-96 Braves, and the first Phillies team ever to do it.
 |
|
Sleeper ... Brad Lidge: Lidge went from perfect to untrustworthy as fast as Tiger Woods last year. His injury-plagued and disastrous year does actually do something good for his potential Fantasy owners, though: He is far more affordable on Draft Day. Lidge is still hoping to be ready by early April and could easily outperform his draft position. Bust ... J.A. Happ: Happ was one of those gems that qualified as a reliever and was invaluable as a relief-eligibile starting pitcher in Fantasy, especially in those two-start weeks. Many times Fantasy owners jump on a breakthrough rookie expecting continued improvement in Year 2, but we suggest you don't with Happ. For one, we don't believe he is as good as he showed -- a sub-3.00 ERA from a lefty starter is reserved for the elite. Two, while he might look potentially elite, he really wasn't touted that way, i.e., scouts saw a middle of the rotation guy, not an ace. And third, Happ's Draft Day price is going to be high and tough to outperform, even with a decent year. Breakout ... None: Here is the thing in Fantasy about a veteran team that is an annual contender: They have a lot of guys highly sought on Draft Day. They also have a lot of players who have already peaked. We see a team full of players who have already broken out, like Jayson Werth did a year ago. We don't see a single player who can go from good to great here, save for a rebound from Cole Hamels or a huge season out of whomever fills the shaky closer's spot. -- Eric Mack Top Phillies Prospects (2010 destination) 1. Domonic Brown, OF, Double-A 2. Phillippe Aumont, SP, Double-A 3. Joe Savery, SP, Triple-A 4. Trevor May, SP, Class A 5. Tyson Gillies, OF, Double-A |
| Phillies outlook | 2010 Draft Prep Guide |
They'll get rings, and yet shortstop Jimmy Rollins said the other day: "If you don't win [the World Series], who cares? You don't walk away with anything more than the team that lost 100 games."
People in the organization compare the Game 6 loss to the Yankees last November to the first-round playoff loss to the Rockies in 2007, and say the players are just as determined to make up for it as they were then. Manager Charlie Manuel has even said he wants to play the Yankees again, and many of his players have said they feel the same way.
"It'd be fun," Rollins said. "It could be like Lakers-Celtics all those years."
It's still amazing to think that a Phillies team can think like that. This is an organization, remember, that played in just two of the first 75 World Series, never won one until 1980, then never won another until this group did it in 2008.
The Yankees, they're not.
"When I got drafted by the Phillies [in 2002], you never dreamed this would happen," said Hamels. "They weren't the best team then."
They are the best team now, or at least one of the best. And there's no reason to think we won't be saying the same thing about them next spring, and perhaps for several more springs to come.
With Hamels having perhaps his best spring, Halladay leading the rotation and Polanco adding versatility and depth to the batting order, the Phillies believe they're better than they were in 2009.
They believe they're good enough to win it all, perhaps that they should win it all.
And then they believe they'll be good enough next year to win it all again.
