The Philadelphia Phillies may not be ready to contend in 2016, but they've had a nice spring training with their promising young roster, which looks like it's built to compete in subsequent seasons. So who has been the most impressive during the spring?
Philadelphia seems to have some good continuity with their young up-and-coming guys and manager Pete Mackanin, who just signed a new contract that guarantees him two years with the team. The Phillies are ready to officially put the rebuilding process in full swing for the 2016 season, so here are those to look out for this year.
Maikel Franco
He already made an impact at the MLB level last season, but was sidelined for nearly two months with a wrist injury. The 23-year-old hit .280/.343/.497 with 45 runs scored, 14 homers and 50 RBI in 80 games and has kept the ball rolling this spring with a .295 average, 1.060 OPS, eight home runs and 20 RBI in 61 at-bats.
Former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, who now serves as a senior advisor to general manager Matt Klentak, said that Franco has the potential to hit 30 home runs and 100 RBI in 2016. He'll just need to polish up his defense at third and the youngster could be in line for a big breakout campaign.
Vincent Velasquez
The Phillies made a great trade this offseason when they sent closer Ken Giles to the Astros for a package of young players. One of them was Velasquez, who owns a 2.25 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with 25 strikeouts in 20 innings this spring. He threw six scoreless innings against the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this week.
Mackanin named the right-hander the Phillies' fifth starter already and he should make an impact in his second MLB season. Velasquez split time between the rotation and the bullpen last season with the Astros, but he performed better as a starter. In seven starts (38 innings) he was 1-1 with a 4.03 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 38 strikeouts. He really only logged one bad start, which was the second of his career against the Colorado Rockies (4.2 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 2 BB).
Philadelphia will keep an eye on his innings total, but Velasquez should be a bright spot in the young rotation.
Odubel Herrera
Herrera's rookie campaign was arguably overlooked. The 24-year-old hit .297/.344/.418 with 64 runs scored, 8 home runs, 41 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 147 games and played well in center field (keep in mind he logged most of his games during his minor league career at second base and shortstop).
This spring he has yet to take his foot off the gas pedal. Herrera is hitting .405 with a 1.000 OPS in 37 at-bats (he dealt with a bruised finger for a little while). He'll have to cut back a bit on striking out, as he was fanned 129 times in 495 at-bats last year and eight times in those 37 at-bats this spring, but overall the Venezuelan will be a key contributor to this Phillies team.
These three have been the team's top performers this spring, but don't forget about starters Aaron Nola and Jerad Eickoff, prospect Jorge Alfaro, shortstop Freddy Galvis, utility man Darnell Sweeney and others who are expected to make an impact in 2016.
