The Phillies dealt starting pitchers Vance Worley and Trevor May to the Twins for 24-year old lefty swinging CF Ben Revere on December 6th, 2012.  Revere has been a big disappointment so far for the Phillies in 2013.  Revere has played in 22 games for the Phillies so far this year and he is 18 of 87 (.207 avg, .472 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 0 homers, 4 RBIs and 5 stolen bases.  The Phillies want him to get back to the player he was with the Twins last year, when he played in 124 games in which he was 150 of 511 (.294 avg, .675 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 0 homers, 32 RBIs and 40 stolen bases.

With veteran outfielder Delmon Young on a rehab assignment right now, 25-year old lefty swinging outfielder Domonic Brown better step up if he wants to stay in the starting lineup much longer.  Brown has played in 18 games for the Phillies so far this year and he is 13 for 57 (.228 avg, .663 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 2 homers and 6 RBIs.  Brown has now played in 165 games in his first four years with the Phillies and he is 115 of 490 (.235 avg, .698 OPS) with 63 runs scored, 14 homers, 64 RBIs and 5 stolen bases.  The Phillies have resisted dealing Brown in the past despite many overtures, because of his “potential”.  It’s time for Brown to step up if he wants to keep playing a lot for the Phillies.

The Phillies worked 33-year old lefty swinging 1B Ryan Howard and 34-year old lefty swinging 2B Chase Utley hard in spring training to get them ready for 2013.  That was smart as Howard (71 games) and Utley (83 games) didn’t play many games for them last year due to injury.  Howard is off to a slow start, as he has played in 3 games in which he is 1 for 12 (.083 avg, 237 OPS) with 1 RBI.  Utley has been much better so far this year, working in 3 games in which he is 5 for 11 (.455 avg, 1.462 OPS) with 2 runs scored, a double, a triple, a homer and 6 RBIs.  Howard and Utley’s health are a huge key for the Phillies in 2013.

25-year old lefty swinging outfielder Domonic Brown has continued to struggle this year for the Phillies. Brown has played in 31 games for the Phillies so far this year and he is 24 of 101 (.238 avg, .649 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 1 homer and 12 RBIs. He has now played in 122 games in his first three years with the Phillies and he is 82 of 347 (.236 avg, .683 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 8 homers, 44 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Brown needs a strong September to get back in the good graces of the Phillies’ organization.

With the Phillies dealing off Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence, they need some outfielders to step up. #1 on that list is 28-year old righty swinging John Mayberry. Mayberry has played in 95 games for the Phillies so far this year and he is 58 of 250 (.232 avg, .656 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 8 homers, 25 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Mayberry has now played in 249 games in his first four years with the Phillies and he is 147 of 586 (.251 avg, .765 OPS) with 77 runs scored, 29 homers, 88 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. The Phillies had high expectations for Mayberry coming into this season, so they hope he steps up.

31-year old switch-hitting CF Shane Victorino is likely going to get dealt later this month. He has been ice cold in July at the plate for the Phillies. He has played in 9 games so far this month and he is 6 for 36 (.167 avg, .516 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 0 homers and 2 RBIs. Victorino has now played in 89 games for the Phillies so far this year and he is 84 of 343 (.245 avg, .690 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 8 homers, 38 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. The Phillies are floundering right now at 39-51, which has them in last place in the N.L. East, 14 games behind the Nationals. Victorino is in the last year of his contract, and I don’t see them bringing him back for 2013 or beyond……so look for him to be wearing a different uniform in the very near future.

The Phillies re-signed 33-year old switch-hitting SS Jimmy Rollins over the winter, and he isn’t repaying them for their confidence so far this year. Rollins played in 31 games for the Phillies this year and he was 27 of 121 (.223 avg, .539 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 0 homers, 5 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. The Phillies expect much more out of Rollins’ bat and they need it soon, as they are wasting a lot of good pitching due to a lack of offense.

28-year old righty swinging OF/1B John Mayberry had a breakout year for the Phillies in 2011. He played in 104 games for the Phillies last year and he was 73 of 267 (.273 avg, .854 OPS) with 37 runs scored, 15 homers, 49 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. The Phillies had high hopes for Mayberry in 2012. Mayberry has played in 17 games for the Phillies so far this year and he is 9 for 44 (.205 avg, .455 OPS) with 0 runs scored, 0 homers and 2 RBIs. He has been completely lost at the plate so far this year as he has whiffed 14 times without walking. The Phillies better hope that Mayberry gets into gear because the offense has been horrible so far this year.

The Phillies took 28-year old righty swinging infielder Michael Martinez over the winter in the Rule 5 Draft away from the division rival Washington Nationals. They didn’t expect him to play much for them in 2011, but injuries have dictated otherwise. Martinez has played in 66 games for the Phillies so far this year and he is 33 for 155 (.213 avg, .550 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 2 homers, 20 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. The Phillies really need Martinez to start hitting better if they are going to continue giving him P.T. going forward.

With Shane Victorino on the D.L., the Phillies are likely going to turn to 29-year old righty swinging Ben Francisco in CF until he’s ready to return to action. Francisco has played in 71 games for the Phillies so far this year and he is 46 for 199 (.231 avg, .712 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 6 homers, 31 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. The Phillies really need Francisco to step up both offensively and defensively as Victorino is the only outfielder on the team having a good year.