DALLAS -- Charlie Manuel did not arrive at the Hilton Anatole for the Winter Meetings until Tuesday morning, but right away it was as if he was the most popular guy in the lobby. He talked shop with Tigers manager Jim Leyland, told a few fishing stories including one about a man-sized grouper former Phillies manager Jim Fregosi allegedly caught.
Manuel also talked about a text he received from Roy Halladay, though he didnt text him back.
I would have texted him back, but I don't do it. I can't do it, Manuel said. I didn't think about calling him, but he texted me a message and said that he was ready to go back and try it again. He says, if we keep doing this we're going to win one of these days. I kind of look at it that way. We have got guys that want to win and we've got guys that want to play and want to win.
In fact, Manuel even appeared on the MLB Network alongside his predecessor, Larry Bowa, in what was surely an entertaining bit of television. Bowa and Charlie on the same TV wow.
Where Manuel found his most rapt audience, though, was during his media session in the Coronado Ballroom on Tuesday afternoon. And while he believes Jimmy Rollins will be his shortstop next season (see story), Manuel also understands that there are a few adjustments his players and the coaches have to make in order to improve the clubs offense. Two seasons in a row, the Phillies were eliminated short of the World Series because the bats abandoned them. Thats two straight seasons where the Phillies finished the regular season with the best record in baseball, but were out of it before the biggest stage of all.
Manuel says its not so much about the overall approach to hitting as much as it is keeping his players healthy. Last year, the Phillies won 102 games even though every player in the lineup missed a chunk of the season with injuries. Only Ryan Howard appeared in more than 150 games, and he did that despite an ankle injury late in the season.
Meanwhile, even Hunter Pence, who appeared in 154 games for the Astros and Phillies last year, had off-season surgery for a sports hernia. Only Raul Ibanez, the second-oldest player on the team, escaped serious injury amongst the regulars.
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Most notably, Chase Utley appeared in 115 and 103 games the past two seasons, respectively, because of injuries. What would have happened if the former All-Star could play a full season?
I think Utley is going to bounce back and he's going to come back and be a player like he used to be, and I think he's definitely capable of hitting .300 and hitting 25 to 30 homers, Manuel said. In the last three years he's missed time, and I think it kind of set him back and seems like it pushes him back even farther. With the rest he's getting this winter and the fact that he's going to be ready to go when he comes into spring training, I think he's going to end up having a big year for us.
Manuel will also have Pence in right field for the entire season, which should help deal with the loss of Howard for the first month or so of the season. Hell also have the deepest and most versatile bench since 2007 and 2008, when Manuel used platoons at third base and right field.
This off-season the Phillies offense added Jim Thome, Ty Wigginton and likely will announce the signing of Laynce Nix shortly.
Wigginton can play first and third base and has some outfield experience. Nix is primarily a corner outfielder, but played a handful of games at first base last season. Manuel says Thome will brush the cobwebs off his first basemans mitt and will get some action a day or two a week in the field. In fact, Manuel says hes going to send Thome over to the minor league camp during spring training so he can handle a lot of ground balls.
Regardless, make no mistake about it, Wigginton, Nix and Thome are late-game threats to blast a homer as a pinch hitter. Certainly pitchers will be aware if one of those hitters is lurking on deck.
Still, with an aging core of players, Manuel knows hes going to have to mix in his bench players more.
Thats one of the reasons why we got Ty Wigginton, Manuel said. He gives us a strong bat with some power and things like that. And I look at Wilson Valdez as one of the top utility guys in baseball. He can play all nine positions, but Ty would give us more stick and more thump, and if we need to, we can defense for Ty late in the game.
Notably, Manuel is going to start spring training with the idea that John Mayberry Jr. is the starting left fielder until proven otherwise. Mayberry batted .299 with 10 homers after the All-Star break last season and split the left-field spot with Ibanez down the stretch. With Ibanez likely gone and Dom Brown likely slated to start the season at Triple A, Mayberry gets the chance to show and prove.
John has improved a lot, Manuel said. If he can play regular and hold his own and play like he did the second half of the season, then he's going to be a top notch player. But that's what we have to find out.
There is a lot to learn about the Phillies before spring training begins. The team still needs a shortstop and they could be looking to add some power to the starting lineup. For now, Manuel and the Phillies want the offense to finish the season strong for a change.
E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com