Phillies: New Lineup Will Lean Heavily To The Left

Lineup construction a key: One of the biggest challenges facing manager Charlie Manuel and the Phillies this season will be striking a balance with a lineup that's going to be leaning even deeper to the left side of the plate. Pat Burrell, their former right-handed anchor, was allowed to walk when the team set their sights on free agent leftfielder Raul Ibanez, who is historically not very good against lefties, despite some decent production against them last season. With the addition of Ibanez, Manuel must figure out a way to even out Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Ibanez to minimize the effects of a situational southpaw or tough left-handed starter. Manuel is locked into batting Utley third and Howard fourth, so look for Jayson Werth, who destroys lefties, to break apart Howard and Ibanez. For fantasy baseball owners, this could have a negative impact on Ibanez's typically robust RBI totals. Continue Reading

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Injuries could have early impact: Two areas worth watching are second base and third base where Chase Utley and Pedro Feliz are recovering from offseason surgery. All signs point to an Opening Day return for Utley, who appears to be weeks ahead of schedule in his return from hip surgery. But if he doesn't make it, the Phillies have several backup plans. The most intriguing of these is top prospect Jason Donald, 24, a career shortstop who scouts believe is better suited for second base. In the longterm, this does the Phillies no good with Utley locked in through 2013, so the Phillies have been auditioning him at several positions, including third base, where Feliz's own recovery from back surgery has taken longer than expected. In addition, the club added cheap veteran depth, including Marcus Giles, Pablo Ozuna and Miguel Cairo, all of whom could be tapped for a bench role in case Utley, Feliz or both start the season on the disabled list. Eric Bruntlett, who filled the utility role last year, is still considered the favorite to resume that role this season, while Greg Dobbs, who started over 40 games at third last season, could be the guy they go with at third against righties.

As Jimmy goes: They say as Jimmy goes, so goes the Phillies. And while they still managed to win the World Series, the offense definitely sputtered at times, crippled by what was considered a down season from reigning 2007 MVP Jimmy Rollins. J-Roll finished with just 11 homers, 19 less than his MVP season, but still managed some above average on-base and stolen base totals compared with previous seasons. It's reasonable to assume he'll never match 30 homers again, but will still provide all the other ingredients a table setter provides. Behind him, Shane Victorino tries to build on a fine season in which he led the team in hitting (.293).

Howard trims 25 pounds: For those making the trip to Clearwater, be on the lookout for a more svelte version of Ryan Howard, who had been working out in Florida weeks before the official report date. Hoping to stay nimble in the field, Howard, who had a brutal season defensively and slumped through the early months of '08, has been working hard with new third base and fielding instructor Sam Perlozzo.

Spring battles: Veteran outfielders Geoff Jenkins and Matt Stairs are holdovers from last year's club, but could be shopped if the Phils can find another right-handed bat for the bench. As of this writing, Nomar Garciaparra has had discussions with the club, but is mulling retirement.

J. Weitzel covers the Phillies on his blog Beerleaguer.