CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Phillies, as Pete Mackanin liked to describe it this past winter, were "last in the world" in almost every offense category. Improvement, even if it is incremental, is likely. The coaches will stress patience, ask that at-bats not be wasted, and hope for better luck.
Their swings against fastballs will serve as the best barometer.
Consider this: The Phillies return just three players from a season ago who posted slugging percentages against fastballs that were better than the league average: Tommy Joseph (.492), Cameron Rupp (.475), and Freddy Galvis (.452).
The Phillies saw 63.