The Phils Fall Short

Considering the Phillies’ season ended in the NLCS on Saturday night, I can’t make the claim that they were the best team in baseball this season, but I will always believe that they were, and I suspect there are plenty of experts out there that agree with me.  That’s what makes it such a disappointing defeat.  Even with so much of the current roster under contract for next year, and poised to make another run at a title, there are only so many times that you can say, “We have the best team, and we should win it all this year.”  If the Yankees go out and sign Cliff Lee and Jayson Werth this offseason, I’m not sure we can make that claim at any point next season.

But even if the Yankees do load up on high-priced reinforcements, the Phils will absolutely be a contender once again.  And even if the Yankees do hold the title of “Best Team,” that doesn’t mean they’ll win it all.  Phillies fan know that all too well right now.

As long as the Phillies have Halladay, Hamels, and Oswalt at the top of their rotation, still in or near their primes, they will be contenders.  Those guys came through and did exactly what was expected of them this postseason.  The bullpen did even more than was expected, and Lidge and Madson will be back in their same roles next year, as well.

The reason the Phillies failed, of course, was that they simply could not hit.  They could not push runners across home plate enough.  Sometimes complicated games have simple solutions.  You can’t win if you don’t score runs.  Phillie fans found themselves saying that like a mantra this October.  You can’t win if you don’t score runs.  And, in the end, they couldn’t do it.

What’s the solution?  Most fans might not want to hear this right now, but the best solution is really to stay the course.  Baseball is an odd sport.  Players go through lengthy slumps and even entire seasons where they don’t hit at the level they’re capable of.  Not only does this Phillie offense have a track record of success, but they’re also all under contract for next year (excluding Werth).  The offense will look very similar next year, and that’s not a bad thing.

We’ll all wait and see what happens with Werth.  After that performance by the Phillie offense this postseason, it’s tough to think that the guy who was arguably the most productive hitter on the team this season will be leaving.  Werth and Ruben Amaro both say there’s a chance he will be re-signed.  It seems unlikely, but who knows?  Nobody knows where the Phillie organization is willing to go with its payroll.

No matter what happens, the Phillies will open the 2011 season as the favorites to win a fifth consecutive division title, and they’ll be looking to advance to the NLCS for the fourth straight year, and to win a third pennant in four seasons.  It’s an amazing time to be a Phillie fan, even if it doesn’t feel like it this week.