MLB Philadelphia Phillies: Picking Up the Pieces and Moving on

Though it finished with one painful groundout to second, the end of the Philadelphia Phillies’ season will be remembered as a dream that disintegrated slowly in front of a stunned, sell-out crowd. Deflated, broken and let down, 46,000 red-clad Phillies fans trudged out of Citizens Bank Park to join a dejected city that was only guilty of falling into the trap of high expectations.

As the NLCS carries on without the favored Phillies, the team’s faithful are left a week later wondering what could have been had any of the Game 5 balls hit to the warning track been picked up by a gust of wind. With defeat so fresh, it’s only natural to look back at failure instead of thinking ahead to next time this ball club will play a meaningful inning.

Six days after 2011 came crashing down, the organization and its followers are picking up the pieces of a best-of-five gone horribly wrong. But when your star player hand-delivers the best team in baseball to rock bottom with one tendon-tearing swing, what pile of wreckage do you sift through first?

Blame. Someone has to be the fall guy for Phillies’ fans to close the book on the premature ending to such a fine season. Much like last year, however, there is more than enough culpability to go around in Philadelphia’s clubhouse.

Coming off of a regular season where fans could choose a new hero on a nightly basis, the aftermath of the NLDS loss to the St. Louis Cardinals has transformed that positive attitude into a rousing round of finger-pointing. This time, failure lands on the shoulders of a number of offensive stalwarts, including Ryan Howard, Placido Polanco and even Carlos Ruiz.

Was is the subpar starting pitching of their historically dominant rotation, or did Charlie Manuel lose the chess match to St. Louis mainstay Tony LaRussa. Even with two key hits in important situations during the series, is it fair to say the Phillies shed their label as a team that couldn’t hit when it mattered?

In truth, it was a combination of each that led to the Molotov cocktail that burned down Philadelphia’s playoff hopes, a perfect storm that built the ideal brand of bad baseball. But after a six-month layoff, 162 games will rise from the ashes and serve as the end point for 2011’s disappointment.

As Phillies’ nation counts down the seconds until Roy Halladay throws the first pitch on Opening Day 2012, there is a considerable amount of work that needs to done in order to prepare the team for a run at redemption. Buried in the rubble are the expiring contracts of Raul Ibanez, Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Madson, the options for Roy Oswalt and Brad Lidge, and the recovery of their much-maligned first baseman.

The City of Brotherly Love likely won’t lose much sleep over the departure of their aging left fielder, as John Mayberry, Jr. and Domonic Brown seem poised to step into the role. Platooning the two young stars is not out of the question for Manuel, who may look to capitalize on nightly matchups depending who takes the mound.

Rollins is an interesting case as the offseason draws closer, representing the loyalty-vs.-compensation debate with a pinch of age thrown into the mix. The veteran shortstop has been the team’s outspoken leader during their string of five straight NL East titles, backing up his talk with an MVP season in 2007. It would be tough to see the Bay Area-native walk away for a deal that takes him into his late-thirties. Reportedly seeking a five-year agreement, Rollins will not give Philadelphia a hometown discount and could suit up for another team next year.

The smart money would say that the Phillies are going to drop the inconsistent Lidge and hand his paycheck over to Madson, a lifetime Philadelphia reliever who has finally become comfortable with the ninth-inning duties. Keeping a top bullpen intact will be crucial to another hot start in 2012.

The largest source of optimism for Phillies fans is certainly the return of their three aces for the 2012 campaign. The new season could see Kyle Kendrick take the place of Oswalt, who may be bought out of his contract for $14 million less than his salary. If the pitching is there, Philadelphia will once again be a top club when Opening Day rolls around.

In baseball, there are no guarantees or givens, evidenced by the greatest Phillies team in franchise history being shown the door after just five October games. The front office can put the best talent on the field, making upgrades around the infield if necessary, but success is had by the teams that can come through when it matters most.

With the ability up and down the roster locked in for at least another year, Philadelphia can take comfort in knowing they still have one of the most feared squads in Major League Baseball. Picking up the pieces is much easier when you are being led by three Cy Young candidates and a dugout full of hustling fan-favorites. 

But when October rolls around in a little less than 12 months to the day of when the Phillies’ Achilles heel was exposed, talent will be far outweighed by the team’s ability to come through in the clutch.

For a team and fan base that was left speechless by monumental disappointment and unexpected defeat, another chance at the ultimate prize can’t come soon enough.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com