While most of the Phillies’ regulars aren’t off to a great start in spring training, Raul Ibanez is really dragging behind.
So far this spring, Ibanez 4-28, a whopping .143 average. While Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino are batting .250 and .273 respectively, Ibanez just can’t seem to get into a groove. He looked badly over matched in an at-bat with Justin Verlander the other day, with Verlander just overpowering Ibanez on a strikeout.
Granted, this is spring training. It’s tough to get into a routine when you’re only getting a few at-bats per game, if that. The Phillies had been working Domonic Brown into the mix up until this point, so that had robbed Ibanez of a few at-bats, but Brow is now reassigned to minor league camp, so that frees up some of those at-bats. However, Ibanez is a 14 year veteran, he should know what he needs to do in order to prepare for the season.
There was a lot of talk during the offseason about what the Phillies will do with Jayson Werth after his contract is up this year. He will probably command a significant raise and the Phillies might not be able to afford him at that rate. A potential solution to that problem would be to trade Ibanez at some point this season and let Ben Francisco or John Mayberry take his spot. Ibanez could be valuable to a contending team down the stretch looking for a veteran left-handed bat.
With a few young outfielders like Mayberry and Francisco waiting in the wings, along with super-prospect Domonic Brown tearing through the minors, the Phillies will have a logjam in the outfield if things don’t change in the next year. Victorino was just signed to an extension in the offseason, so he’ll be around. Werth’s contract is up after this season and Ibanez has a year left on his contract.
There is going to be some turnover in the Phillies’ outfield in the very near future, but it seems as if the Phillies have more than one suitable replacement. It’s hard to think like that when the entire outfield made the All Star team last year, but this is baseball. Young, cheap players are what built this Phillies’ team and they are going to have to constantly develop new talent if they want to stay competitive. The Steinbrenners don’t own the Phillies, so there is a payroll ceiling, albeit one that has skyrocketed the past few years.
Ibanez was brought in to replace Pat the Bat and bridge the gap until the younger prospects were ready. That gap may be getting smaller each day, and it might even close at some point during the 2010 season. If it does, the Phillies are ready, with his replacement already in the fold.
