CLEARWATER, Fla. – A couple of weeks ago, I made an off-the-cuff statement that attracted a decent amount of reader email. After an offseason in which the Phillies managed to incrementally upgrade at least two spots in their lineup, they would at least have a chance at finishing in the middle of the National League pack in runs scored at the end of the season.
It was a rather lazy assertion that I did not back up with any sort of evidence, and many readers did not agree with the quantum leap in reasoning I'd made: Michael Saunders + Howie Kendrick + Chris Coghlan = a potential improvement of 0.