Phillies Look To Elevate Offensive Game In 2017 Season
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Last year was step one of the long road back for the Phillies. The ballclub is hoping the elevator will rise a bit faster in 2017.
It was no secret the Phillies began a rebuilding project in 2016. Progress was made as the team's record improved and many of the young players showed promise as key contributors. For Manager Pete Mackanin, the bar will be raised for the upcoming season.
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"I set a goal to play .500," said Mackanin. "By that, I mean I think we should be very capable of playing .500 and the rest depends on how much the players improve during the course of the season. I think they all have learned from last year and from spring training."
The curtain rises on the 2017 season Monday afternoon in Cincinnati. The Phillies will send Jeremy Hellickson to the mound as they open their 2017 campaign against the Reds. For Hellickson, it will be the second straight year he gets the ball on Opening Day.
"I'm very excited," Hellickson said. "It's obviously another huge honor, especially in Cincinnati. They put on an awesome show last year and I'll have a lot of my family there. It's going to be a lot of fun."
One player who will be having fun on opening day is Brock Stassi. The longtime minor leaguer was overcome with emotion when he learned he had made the final cut for the roster. Stassi understands he has to continue to produce, but may take a moment to savor his situation before the game gets underway on Monday.
"It's going to be pretty surreal," said Stassi. "I've tried to think about it, but that's not doing any justice. I know when I get out there, if they have a flyover and they are singing the anthem, I'm going to have some serious goosebumps."
While the Phillies are still largely made up of young players, one veteran will once again be counted on to help lead the way. Catcher Cameron Rupp has been a steady influence both behind the plate and in the clubhouse. The veteran believes the players will benefit after going through the 2016 season together.
"It's huge," Rupp said. "It's only a year, but a year of experience in this league goes a long way. You learn how guys pitch, you learn how guys hit and you learn different things about different players. You take that all and bring that into the next year."
Time will tell just how much the Phillies will improve this season, but after a season of tinkering with the lineup through 162 games, Mackanin believes filling out the lineup carrd will be much easier in 2017.
"I was always at odds to try and put together a lineup," Mackanin said. "I was looking at matchups and who was swinging a hot bat and who wasn't. This year, I find myself going to the same lineup that I've been thinking about since the winter because it seems to be the right lineup at this point."
