Who Will Play First Base?

One of the big question marks surrounding the Phillies this spring is who will play first base.  According to reports, Ryan Howard has suffered a set back that could push his possible May return to much later in the season.  To start out the season the Phillies are going to have to find a suitable replacement at first base.  The Phillies need someone who can fill in both offensively and defensively.

A lot of people are under the impression that Jim Thome is going to be the Phillies starting first baseman to start the season.  But people have to remember that Thome is 41 years old and hasn't been an every day first baseman since 2005, his last year with the Phillies.  After Philadelphia, Thome then saw a lot of time as DH with the White Sox, Dodgers, Twins, and Indians.  While it certainly wouldn't be out of the question for Thome to return to an everyday role, he is more than likely going to be used as a much more reserved bench player.

I think the Phillies would be better off with John Mayberry Jr. at first base to start out the season.  Mayberry proved his value at the plate last year hitting .273 with 15 HR and 49 RBI's.  Mayberry had a lot of pop off the bench last year and he would be great right in the middle of the Phillies lineup.  Defensively Mayberry subbed for Howard at times last year, and with his overall athletic ability, he will have no problem handling first base.

Overall the Phillies infield could look drastically different to start the season.  Howard is out with his achillies injury, Utley is being limited in his spring participation, and Polanco seems to be healthy but he could be in and out of the starting lineup all year as well.

Thankfully, the Phillies added a lot of bench players during the off season to help with these kinds of situations.  The starting pitching and the offensive contributions of guys like Mayberry, Pence, and Victorino will hopefully propel the Phillies to early season success.