Last season was very unusual for the Philadelphia Phillies. Not only did the Phils miss the playoffs for the 1st time since 2006 while coming off 102 wins in 2011; but Philadelphia also found themselves as major sellers at the trade deadline.
The Phillies surprised a lot of people when right fielder Hunter Pence was traded to the Giants and center fielder Shane Victorino was traded to the Dodgers.
Cole Hamles held his fair share of trade rumors up until the Phillies extended Hamles for 6-years, worth $144M.
Overall though last year, the Phillies main problem was that nobody performed well. Both Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee struggled last season.
Halladay was on the DL for parts of last year, and over recent years we've seen his fastball velocity drop. So far this spring, Halladay has been having a tough time on the mound.
Along with Halladay, the Phillies had plenty of other injuries to deal with including Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Vance Worley, and Placido Polanco all spent time on the DL.
Howard missed a lot of time last season and is hoping to come back strong this year. During Spring Training, the sluggers been hitting very well with a few HR's already this spring.
Carlos Ruis was probably the highlight of the Phillies season in 2012, when hit .325, with 16 HR, and 68 RBI. Johnathan Paplebon in his 1st season in Philadelphia put together a good year with 38 saves and a ERA of 2.44.
As far as the numbers show, the Phillies were just about a middle of pack team in the national league. Placing around 8th in almost every important pitching and offensive category.
The Phillies did improve this offseason with the additions of Michael Young and Ben Revere. Mike and Adams and John Lanhan will join the pitchers to help improve the bullpen.
Carlos Ruiz tested positive for amphetamines and will be suspended for the 1st 25 games of the season. The Phils offense will miss him along with the pitchers.
Like I said, last seasons 81-81 finish was unlike the Phillies of the past. But with a much healthier lineup, it shouldn't be hard for the Phillies to once again be the talk of the town.
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