Roster Breakdown: The Outfield

The next position featured on our roster breakdown is the outfield. The loss of Jayson Werth to the Nationals certainly hurts the team offensively as well as defensively. Werth was a five tool player who could get it done at the plate and in the field. But the guys that are still here like Victorino and Ibanez as well as the emergence of young players like Dom Brown, make this position still a very strong and dangerous group of guys. Let me break down the outfield for you player by player.

Shane Victorino: Victorino is one of my favorite players on the Phillies. He is a class act on and off the field, and he is a leader who plays hard every night. Last year Victorino hit .259 with 18 HR and 69 RBI's. From a power standpoint, Victorino had his best year last year but his batting average of .259 was a career low. I really like Victorino with his agressive approach at the plate but you simply can't hit .259 in the lead off position, it's not good baseball. I think that Charlie needs to find a better spot in the lineup for Victorino by possibly placing him in the 5th spot. Victorino showed last year that he can hit for power and I think he could fit nicely into that 5th spot behind Ryan Howard. If you look at Victorino's numbers last year compared to Werth they are not that far off. Werth had 8 more HR and 14 more RBI's but Werth also played in 9 more games than Victorino. The only significant difference in their numbers is Werth hit .296 compared to Victorino's .259. I think that if Victorino can get his average up, then he will be a likely candidate for the all important 5th spot in this line up. Defensively, Victorino continues to amaze me. He is a speed demon who can get to just about any ball hit his way. Victorino is an important part of this team and I think were gonna see a big year out of the Flyin' Hawaiian this season.

Raul Ibanez: Ibanez is heading into the final year of his contract with the Phillies. Ibanez has a solid couple of years in Philadelphia including an All-Star game appearance in 2009. Although Ibanez didn't match his 2009 All-Star season, he did mangage to hit .275 with 16 HR and 83 RBI's last year for the Phils. In addition to having a solid year offensively, Ibanez was also one of the few Phillies last year who did not see significant time on the disabled list. Other than that there's really not all that much to say about old Raul. He is a solid player offensively and defensively but a guy the Phils will probably not re-sign due to his age. While some people could possibly see him batting 5th in this line up, I like him to continue to hit 6th where he has had a lot of his success. I think that his average in the .270's is a little low to be hitting 5th. I expect Raul to have another solid year for the Phils and continue to help his team win ball games.

Domonic Brown: If it were up to me, Domonic Brown would start every game in right field. He is a young explosive guy who has the talent to be a super star in this league, and all he needs is the time and the at-bats to show what he can do. And with the best starting rotation in baseball, this Phillies team can certainly afford to have a guy in their line up who maybe doesn't do so well in the early parts of the season. Unfortunately, the decision is not up to me. The decision is up to Charlie who will likely go with a platoon of Ben Francisco and Dom Brown in right field. Don't get me wrong, I really like Ben Francisco. I think that he has the potential to be a solid player in this league and people don't realize how good he truly is. But on the other hand, Dom Brown has star potential written all over him and I want to develop him and get him as many pro level AB's as he needs. In 35 games last year, Brown hit just .210 with 2 HR and 13 RBI's. But in just 93 minor league games last season between AA Reading and AAA Lehigh, Brown managed to hit .327 with 20 HR and 68 RBI's. And when the Phils called him up from Lehigh, Brown was hitting a whopping .347. So how does a guy go from hitting .347 to a dismal .210? I think it has a lot to do with the fact that he wasn't playing everyday for the Phils. I think that it messed up his rhythm and timing and to get the most out of Dom Brown you have to play him everyday. Getting Brown a solid amount of playing time is crucial during the early stages of his career. I know Brown is not going to win the starting position outright, but hopefully Brown can have a strong spring and maybe take over as starter as the year progresses.

Ben Francisco: As a right handed hitter in a lefty dominated batting order, Francisco is sure to see a good amount of at-bats this season. The platoon of Francisco and Brown will likely hinge on whether the Phils are facing a left handed or right handed pitcher on any given night. In 179 at-bats last year, Francisco hit .268 with 6 HR and 28 RBI's. It will be interesting to see how much playing time Francisco gets with young Domonic Brown right behind him eager to make his mark. I really like Ben Francisco and I think he has the ability to surprise a lot of people.

Others: John Mayberry Jr. and Ross Gload will be used as outfield reserves and pinch hitters through out the course of the season. Ross Gload had a pretty solid 2010 and he can also be used at first base if Ryan Howard needs a day off. As much as I like John Mayberry Jr., I see him as potential trade bait in July if the Phils want to add more depth to their bull pen.

In the long run, I think the departure of Jayson Werth is going to benefit this team. Domonic Brown is young and has the potential to be a superstar which really excites me. I expect big things from Victorino this year who is really developing into a leader. All in all I'm very excited about this outfield and I look for them all to have a strong spring and a successful 2011.