Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
As the New Year is just two days away, it means that a new baseball season is quickly approaching. I am sure that Philadelphia Phillies are looking forward to 2014. This past year was not their best. They finished with a losing record and failed to make the playoffs for the second season in a row. The Phillies disappointed the city of Philadelphia. Who is the one player who needs to change the most for the New Year?
That could bring up a debate. Some people may say Jimmy Rollins, while others may say Ryan Howard. Both players had incredibly disappointing seasons, while they are supposed to bring offense to the team. Hopefully they both figure out what went wrong and start 2014 with a bang.
Rollins is the leadoff man. When he is not leading off he is expected to drive in the base runners. Instead, he only drove in 39 RBI. Rollins is normally an over 60 RBI guy. That just shows something had gone wrong this season. He has never been known to hit home runs, but in a season he can usually hit close to 20. This season Rollins only hit six. Rollins has been with the Phillies his whole career and has become a leader. His teammates count on him to set an example. If he doesn’t step up this year he is going to let his team and the city down.
Howard has turned into a leader. His teammates depend on him for offense, which he failed to give this season. He did suffer a knee injury in early July which could be the reason, but his offense has started to go downhill for some time. Howard needs to arrive at spring training and be the Howard everyone knows him as, the power hitter who can hit home runs like crazy, but also get the small hits when we need them.
The Phillies need 2014 to be a good year for them. They need to get the fans back on their side. They need Rollins and Howard to step up their game. The Phillies just need something to go right for them. 2014 will be a clean slate.
Rebekah is a Philadelphia Phillies writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow her on Twitter and Google+
