Philadelphia Phillies Outlook in Outfield For 2013

Article Written By Kyle Richardson

Many questions remain about the upcoming season for the Philadelphia Phillies. Are any of these questions being answered thus far in spring training?

Who will be the starting outfielders?

Domonic Brown has looked very good and revamped so far, making good contact and looking energized. With Delmon Young likely to spend sometime in the beginning of the season on the disabled list, Brown will likely start the year in the corner outfield and have all the opportunity to keep that starting position. In my opinion this is his time to shine, if Charlie Manuel lets him go out there and play a steady position everyday I think he will do a good job. It may not be Hunter Pence out there but he is ready to start and hopefully get better and learn as the season progresses.

With Ben Revere in center, Which I am extremely excited about. He may not have the power as Shane Victorino but he is faster and can cover just as much and if not more ground in center. If a ball is hit anywhere near center he will track it down, this is great because all of the Phils corner outfielders don’t even come close to the range Ben has. Revere will be covering a huge range in the outfield that is for sure. This brings me to a platoon of Darin Ruf/John Mayberry Jr./Laynce Nix.

I personally hate the idea of a platoon because they never work. But I would really like to see Darin Ruf get some more playing time this year, there is no doubt the kid has a lot of power which is something this Phillies line-up is lacking. He still is a raw when it comes to playing outfield but hopefully he can come out of training camp comfortable enough to play. With Charlie being a hitter himself back in the day I can see him finding a way to get Ruf the playing time. I have always been a John Mayberry fan as well, but he has become a one trick pony. He can hit the fastball a mile but other than that he is so-so. Solid defensively with a decent arm and doesn’t make too many mistakes so I’m sure Charlie will find him some playing time as well.

Then there is Laynce Nix who is a waste of space in my opinion, but will ultimately get playing time against right hander’s because he bats Left Handed. That’s just blah to me. But a player to keep your eye on is Canadian Tyson Gillies,is a a speedy outfielder with good range and is still only 24 years of age. If he continues to impress in the spring he could be a dark horse to make the roster, especially with Young to start the season on the disabled list. He was part of the trade that sent Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners, along with another roster hopeful relief pitcher Phillippe Aumont

Aumont in my opinion will definitely make the roster out of camp, but I will save that another day, when I talk about the pitching. In my opinion the opening day starting outfielders will be Ruf in left field, Revere in center and Dominic Brown in right field. With that being said.. Is it opening day yet?

Kyle Richardson is a huge Philadelphia Phillies, Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres fan. You can reach Kyle via email Richardson@alfred.edu or on Twitter @RichardsonKMR.