5 Q's Phils must answer before Opening Day

PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies are headed to Clearwater, Fla., for Spring Training, but when they get there, they’ll need to put a team on the field. Here are five questions for an organization hoping to make the postseason for the first time since 2011:

1. What is their No. 1 priority before Opening Day?
The Phillies’ most glaring need is in the eye of the beholder, isn’t it? But obviously they need a left fielder, a center fielder and more bullpen help. Like every team, the Phillies could use more pitching depth. They need a well-rounded bench, too. But those things are secondary to the holes in left, center and the bullpen.

As the Phillies fill those holes in the outfield, they’ll hope to solve two lineup issues: better production in the leadoff spot and more protection for Bryce Harper in the middle of the order. Can they solve both of them externally, or will one of them have to come internally? The Phillies might have to get creative there, or just hope that Alec Bohm, Didi Gregorius, etc., return to form.

Before the lockout, Philadelphia was linked to free agent left fielder Kyle Schwarber and Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, who could be traded. Schwarber is a power bat, but he thrived atop the lineup last season in Washington and Boston and would provide manager Joe Girardi some lineup versatility. Kiermaier is a human highlight reel in center field but weaker with the bat, with a career 98 OPS+. But if everybody else does what they’re supposed to do offensively, it could work.

2. Who will be the shortstop?
The Phillies re-signed Gregorius to a two-year contract before last season, so how many people would have predicted that he would be competing with Bryson Stott for the everyday job in 2022? It will be fascinating to watch how this competition unfolds in the spring. Gregorius suffered the worst year of his career in 2021, slashing .209/.270/.370 with a 71 OPS+. But he also battled health issues. If he is healthy, he would seem to have the advantage, but clearly the club wants Stott in the mix.

3. How many more relievers do the Phillies need?
The Phillies signed Corey Knebel to a one-year contract just before the lockout, and they believe he will be their closer. They added Jeurys Familia on a one-year deal Saturday, according to sources. But they lost Héctor Neris to Houston, and Archie Bradley and Ian Kennedy remain free agents. They still need help.

José Alvarado, Connor Brogdon, Sam Coonrod and Seranthony Domínguez are projected to be in the bullpen, although nobody really knows how productive Domínguez will be. He has pitched only one inning in the big leagues since the summer of 2019. The Phillies need to find probably one or two more bona fide late-inning relievers. Fortunately, relief pitchers are generally easy to acquire.

4. Will they address their defense?
It seems unlikely. Unless they find somebody who can run down baseballs in center field (i.e. Kiermaier), the defense is pretty much the defense at this point. Unless there is a trade, we know that J.T. Realmuto will be behind the plate; Rhys Hoskins, Jean Segura, Bohm and Gregorius/Stott will be in the infield; and Harper will be in right field. Those positions are set, so unless infield coach Bobby Dickerson works some magic with the infielders or the analytics department finds a better way to position players in the field, there is only so much they can do.

If the Phillies are going to win, they will have to make up for any defensive shortcomings by both hitting and pitching well.

5. Any injury updates?
The last we checked, the Phillies said Rhys Hoskins should be ready to roll for Spring Training. Hoskins had surgery on Aug. 31 to repair a torn lower abdomen and injured left groin. He said late in the year that his recovery is expected to be close to eight weeks.

The Phillies still hope that Zach Eflin will be back in the first half of the 2022 season. Eflin had surgery on the patellar tendon in his right knee on Sept. 10. The team estimates his recovery to be six to eight months, which means he could be pitching for the Phillies as early as March or as late as May.