The Philadelphia Phillies became famous because of a developing young core that included Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard and others. As that contingent has aged, a transition process has also begun. Withing a few seasons nearly the entire team will have been transformed.
By the time the 2014, or 2015 season begins it's possible that only Hamels and Howard will remain from the 2008 World Series squad. Change is part of life and must be sewn into the seasonal flow of every franchise that wants to be competitive.
If all goes well, “Babe Ruf” (otherwise known as Darin Ruf) projects to be the Phillies new left fielder this season.
Looking down on the farm, Cody Asche is the next prospect to watch. He performed well in Single-A and Double-A in 2012 and truly has the potential to be the Phillies first home grown third base star since Scott Rolen.
Behind the plate, Tommy Joseph impressed everyone in the organization to such a degree that they obtained him from the San Francisco Giants in the Hunter Pence trade last summer. This young man, who joined Asche on the Reading Phillies in August, has the physical and mental makeup to be a major league field general.
Considering that Carlos Ruiz is 34-years-old, Joseph appears to be the odds-on favorite to replace “Chooch” behind the plate in the relatively near future.
These three men represent part of a group of promising players who may come to form the new Phillies' frontier in the second half of this baseball decade.
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