Philadelphia Phillies
2016: 71-91, fourth place. Manager: Pete Mackanin (third season). He’s here: LF Howie Kendrick, RF Michael Saunders, RHP Clay Buchholz, RHP Joaquin Benoit, RHP Pat Neshek, OF-INF Chris Coghlan, OF Daniel Nava, C Ryan Hanigan, LHP Sean Burnett, SHP Pat Venditte. He’s outta here: 1B Ryan Howard, OF-3B Cody Asche, OF Peter Bourjos, 1B-OF Darin Ruf, RHP Charlie Morton, RHP David Hernandez.
Projected lineup: 2B Cesar Hernandez (.294, 6 HRs, 39 RBIs, 11 3Bs, 17 SBs), LF Howie Kendrick (.255, 8, 40 with Dodgers), CF Odubel Herrera (.286, 15, 49, 25 SBs), 3B Maikel Franco (.255, 25, 88), RF Michael Saunders (.253, 24, 57 with Toronto), 1B Tommy Joseph (.257, 21, 47), SS Freddy Galvis (.241, 20, 67, 17 SBs, 25 BBs, .274 OBP), C Cameron Rupp (.252, 16, 54). Rotation: RH Jeremy Hellickson (12-10, 3.71 ERA), RH Jerad Eickhoff (11-14, 3.65), RH Clay Buchholz (8-10, 4.78 with Boston), RH Vince Velasquez (8-6, 4.12), RH Aaron Nola (6-9, 4.78). Hot spot: Offense. The Phillies finished last in the majors in runs, second-to-last in batting average, second-to-last in on-base percentage and seventh-worst in homers. They added veterans Kendrick and Saunders to improve the lineup and are looking for more production from Franco in the middle of the order. Joseph gets a full season to prove himself as a slugger, Galvis hopes to improve his OBP while maintaining his power numbers, and Hernandez and Herrera look to take another step forward. Several of the organization’s top prospects are waiting in the wings to step into the starting lineup if anyone falters. Outlook: After four straight losing seasons, the Phillies have modest expectations. They’re still rebuilding and probably a year away from thinking postseason contention, but Mackanin has set an 81-win goal and players believe they can win now. The team added three veterans in Kendrick, Saunders and Buchholz who have postseason experience and should help Philadelphia win games while holding down a few spots until some of the youngsters are ready. The starting rotation is pretty deep, though it lacks a true ace, and the organization has several pitching prospects close to being ready for the majors. A bunch of young hitters are also knocking on the door and could get the call to the big leagues this summer, including shortstop J.P. Crawford, catcher Jorge Alfaro and outfielders Roman Quinn, Nick Williams and Dylan Cozens.