Philadelphia Phillies: 25 Ideas for Getting Younger over the Next 5 Years
March 30, 2012 by Greg Pinto
Filed under Fan News
“It sucks getting old.”
We’ve all heard someone lamenting their young years spew that bit of harsh reality over the years. We may have even caught ourselves saying those words, or at least thinking it. In recent weeks, no one has thought about that statement more than the collective organization that is the Philadelphia Phillies.
Spring Training has been like playing word association with a psychiatrist. If Phillies’ trainer Scott Sheridan were to hold up a card with the word “injury” written on it, my response would be something along the lines of, “Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Placido Polanco, Laynce Nix, Domonic Brown, Freddy Galvis, and Jose Contreras.”
At times, the Phillies’ clubhouse has looked more like a M.A.S.H unit than a team of baseball players. If there was a single resolution as to why these injuries were occurring, the Phillies would be leading the league in quick recoveries, but there isn’t.
One of the numerous reasons is the simple fact that the Phillies aren’t getting any younger. They are a team of veterans with a lot of mileage on their bodies. There has been an outcry for the front office to reduce the overall age of the roster, and that isn’t an easy thing to do if a club like the Phillies wants to remain competitive.
But it can be done.
This slideshow will attempt to prove that fact. A couple of months ago, I wrote a similar slideshow expressing some outside-of-the-box methods to reduce the roster’s age, but now, I will attempt to prove that the Phillies don’t have to be so creative to do just that.
Thy have to be methodical.
For news, rumors, analysis and game recaps during spring training, check out Greg’s blog: The Phillies Phactor!