When people ask what my biggest concern is in regards to the Phillies as they prepare to defend their title as World Champions, my usual answer has something to do with Cole Hamels. The total number of innings he threw in 2008 dwarfs the total of 2007. Typically, when a player has an increase like that, the likelihood of arm troubles the next year similarly increases.
I suppose that is still my main concern as the spring wears on, but a rapidly approaching close second is the health of Jayson Werth. Like Hamels, Werth has a long case history at the doctor’s office, with wrist problems causing him to miss significant time over his career. So far in March, as Werth tries to defrost from his native Illinois’ winter, he’s missed games due to shoulder and groin problems. Each time, the injuries are described as minor tweaks, but still, it makes you worry and wonder a bit about his durability.
To make matters worse, the Phillies are quite shallow in outfield depth. Shane Victorino’s backup in centerfield is none other than Jayson Werth and Werth’s backup in right field is the left-handed batter Geoff Jenkins, who is coming off the worst season of his long career. So, if either Victorino or Werth go down for any significant amount of time, the Phillies lineup will get even more left-handed heavy and possibly weaker, depending upon how well Jenkins rebounds from last season.
All if this makes the progress young slugger John Mayberry, Jr. has shown this spring even more important. He’s not a centerfielder, but he is a right-handed bat with big-time power. He’s got the most at-bats of anyone in the Phillies organization this spring (34), and he has a .618 slugging percentage to show for it (.942 OPS).
However, even though he appears to be close-to-ready if not ready for big-league pitching, the Phillies should send him to AAA Lehigh Valley to start the season no matter how high his slugging percentage goes in Clearwater. Mayberry needs regular at-bats so as to be ready when/if Werth goes down, and if he makes the Phillies, it will be as a fifth outfielder, buried on the bench.
