Health, defense key to playoff hopes for Phillies

• The 2012 season was anything but easy for the Phillies.
• A lack of production upon Utley and Howard's return hurt the Phillies in 2012
• Lee and Halladay struggled — in comparison to their standards

The 2012 season was anything but easy for the Philadelphia Phillies. Having won National League East titles the five previous seasons, they entered the year all but convinced they remained the elite team in the division and that October baseball was in their destiny, if not their right.

But the Phillies had a host of reasons why they failed to live up to their own lofty expectations, finishing 81-81 and 17 games behind the Washington Nationals.

The fact is the Phillies are hoping to get younger this offseason while their window of opportunity for a second World Series title in five seasons remains open. A lot of the things that went wrong in 2012 will need to go right this time.

The injuries. A seemingly endless parade of players found their way onto the disabled list. Two of the most important pieces, first baseman Ryan Howard and second baseman Chase Utley, appeared on target as late as mid-February but didn't start the season on time. Their time away, and lack of production upon their return, led to offensive struggles that never went away. Utley hit .256 in 83 games; Howard hit .219 with 14 homers in 71.

"I think the power's still there," manager Charlie Manuel says of Howard. "I think it's just a matter of him getting some at-bats and playing. Ryan definitely can improve on his strikeouts. I look for him to have a big year."

As for Utley, Manuel has no expectation he will play 162 games, but "if he gets 500 or more at-bats, I think you're going to see a very productive year out of him. He hit into some tough luck, and I don't see no reason in the world why he can't bounce back."

The bullpen. They had a lock-down closer in Jonathan Papelbon, but a combination of age, injury and inexperience left no bridge to the closer from the rotation, which featured Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. Lest we forget, Lee and Halladay struggled — in comparison to their standards — which only compounded the issues of the offense and bullpen.

The defense. It was the quiet rock on which those five division titles had been built, and its decline might have been as damaging as anything else last season.

"We didn't talk much about our defense, but our defense was very good (in past years)," Manuel says. "I think that we definitely need to limit mistakes, and I think it's very important that we get somebody that can go catch the ball for us."

While Manuel spoke specifically about finding a center fielder, his viewpoint can be seen throughout the team on the field. It's also why the Phillies traded away young and valuable pitchers in Vance Worley — who went 18-13 over the last three years before his 25th birthday last September — and top pitching prospect Trevor May to the Minnesota Twins for Ben Revere. It's why a healthy Utley and Jimmy Rollins — still one of the top defensive shortstops in the game — remain so important to the team beyond what they bring offensively, although they must produce at the plate as well.

It might not seem like much, but Utley made seven errors in 2012 in 81 games for a fielding percentage of .981. That's two more errors in 19 fewer games for the five-time All-Star. Rollins, meanwhile, made 13 errors in a 156 games as his fielding percentage dropped one point.

The Phillies entered the offseason with a list of things to cover before spring training. They needed production at third base, and a trade with the Texas Rangers brought them Michael Young. They needed to improve their outfield, and it remains to be seen if Revere is their only move, but that seems unlikely for an organization that has been aggressive over the last four offseasons under the guidance of general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.

They addressed a need to improve their bullpen and find back-of-the-rotation starters over the weekend by agreeing to terms with starter John Lannan and reliever Mike Adams.

"We're definitely going to put the best team we possibly can on the field," Manuel says. "If it's not the perfect team, what's wrong with us going out and overachieving or whatever?

"I was watching the Giants last year probably going to the playoffs. They definitely weren't the favorite to win, and I see teams like the Yankees and the Tigers and Washington and those teams, they fall out and, all of a sudden, the Giants are sitting there and they play the best baseball and they execute the best, and they definitely deserve to win."

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Where the Phillies stand at each position

Catcher

The worst news of the Phillies' offseason came in early December when it was announced Carlos Ruiz, coming off the best offensive season in his career with a .325 average, 16 home runs and 68 RBI, was suspended for 25 games after violating Major League Baseball's drug policy. Erik Kratz filled in admirably as an injury replacement for Ruiz last season, but the Phillies need to make it through April before Ruiz is back in the lineup.

First base

Ryan Howard will be paid $20 million in 2013 and $95 million over the next four years, which makes the 33-year-old the key to the Phillies offense. The biggest issue is whether he can stay healthy after Achilles tendon surgery last offseason and a broken toe that prematurely ended his 2012 campaign. He played in 71 games and hit .219 with 14 home runs. Howard is the biggest puzzle in the aging offense.

Second base

Much like Howard, Chase Utley has been affected by injuries over the past several seasons and isn't getting younger. Reports have been encouraging about Utley's problematic knees, but reports were encouraging last season until March rolled around and Utley found himself on the disabled list. Utley is in the final year of his contract, and the 33-year-old says retirement is not in his near future.

Third base

The Phillies looked to improve their bullpen, back end of the rotation, outfield and third base. To that end, they acquired veteran infielder Michael Young from the Texas Rangers to play third. The question is, can Young — at 36 and two years removed from playing third base full time with Texas — give the Phillies what they need to emerge as a division contender? Young's numbers dropped last season, but the Phillies hope new scenery will revitalize his career.

Shortstop

Jimmy Rollins signed a three-year extension last December as he appeared to be the best option of a not-so-great free agent shortstop crop. The fact is, Rollins remains one of the best defensive shortstops in the game and had a solid 2012 campaign. It also is easy to see that Freddy Galvis and Cesar Hernandez are not quite ready to take over the middle infield at Citizens Bank Park.

Left field

The Phillies had been rumored in the news media to be in the hunt for Josh Hamilton, but that didn't come to fruition, which means they will have to figure out a way to get the most production they can out of Darin Ruf, who is making the transition from first base to left field. Not your basic recipe for success. The rookie has 21 major league games under his belt.

Center field

The Phillies entered this offseason hoping to get younger while their window of opportunity for a second World Series title in five seasons remains open. The Phillies left the winter meetings in Nashville with a much-needed center fielder in Ben Revere. Defensively, this is easily the right move, but Revere will need to improve on a .319 on-base percentage.

Right field

Domonic Brown, Laynce Nix and John Mayberry Jr. are the Phillies' best options for now. The are still waiting on Brown, 25, to lay claim to a starting job, and this is his best chance yet.

Starters

Cole Hamels signed a six-year, $144 million deal with the Phillies in July. Roy Halladay is looking to rebound from what for him was a bad season (11-8, 4.49 ERA). It included concerns about his health and if he can return to the heights that made him one of the most sought-after pitchers in the last decade. Cliff Lee, another of those pitchers who once was highly coveted by other teams, gives the Phillies a strong top three in their rotation. After that, the Phillies have signed former Washington Nationals pitcher John Lannan to compete with Kyle Kendrick and Tyler Cloyd. Lannan was limited to six starts at the big-league level in 2012 because of the Nationals' surplus of quality starters. The strongest part of the Phillies system is their starting pitching, but the likes of Jesse Biddle and Brody Colvin remain a year away.

Bullpen

It was clear that the rest of the bullpen, the bridge from the starting rotation to Jonathan Papelbon, was a major undoing last season. The Phillies addressed that by signing veteran setup man Mike Adams, who has a 2.28 ERA in 358 career games. The Phillies hope a year of work for a young group of relievers that includes Antonio Bastardo (2-5, 4.33 ERA) and Phillipe Aumont (0-2, 3.68) will be beneficial in 2013. Left-hander Jeremy Horst (1.15 ERA in 32 games) was one of the gems of the group in 2012.

Closer

Papelbon did his job as the closer after signing a four-year, $50 million deal last offseason, saving 38 games in 42 chances.

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Prospects to watch

3B Cody Asche: Asche, 22, struggled after he was drafted in 2011 because of a position change to second base. Now Asche is back at third, and with the Phillies' recent trade for Michael Young, who has one year left on his contract, the young infielder can build on a strong Class AA season (.300 average, .873 on-base-plus-slugging percentage) and hope he gets a shot at the big leagues soon.

C Tommy Joseph: The key component in the trade that sent Hunter Pence to the San Francisco Giants last year, Joseph, 21, will see extra time in spring training as the Phillies prepare for an opening month without the services of Carlos Ruiz, who will be serving a 25-game suspension for violating MLB's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Joseph hit .250 in 28 games after joining ClassAA Reading (Pa.) and is rated in the top 10 of catching prospects in baseball.

2B Cesar Hernandez: With the middle of the Phillies infield aging — Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley are over 30 — the need for depth is apparent. Along with Freddy Galvis, who struggled with a back injury and a 50-game suspension for testing positive for a PED — Hernandez, 22, looks to be part of the Phillies' future.

LHP Jesse Biddle: The Phillies' top prospect is still more than a year away but went 10-6 with a 3.22 ERA last season with high-Class A Clearwater (Fla.). Biddle, 21, likely will take the step up to Reading in 2013.

OF Darin Ruf: The Phillies will try to turn the first baseman into a left fielder next year after he hit .317 with Reading this year. Of course, the numbers that stood out were 38 home runs and 104 RBI, which earned him a promotion to the major leagues. With the Phillies, Ruf, 26, hit .333 with three home runs in 12 games.