When you hear the phrases "four horsemen" and "Philadelphia Phillies" in the same sentence, you're probably thinking about the impending Armageddon for that organization. But that's not what we're talking about today – we're talking about four players who will have a significant impact on the team this year.
Carlos Ruiz
Philadelphia's catcher followed up a career year in 2012 with one of his worst years in 2013. Last season was just a disaster for Ruiz from the get-go. He dealt with a 25-game suspension for Adderall use, a nearly month-long DL stint because of a strained hamstring, and a drop in production off the board. Ruiz finished his year by playing in just 92 games, his lowest ever in a full season in the majors. He only hit .268/.320/.368 with five homers, and his walk rate was the lowest he's ever had. Of course, Ruiz was awarded with a multi-year extension, and the Phillies are locked in to him for the foreseeable future.
The club's catching depth in the minors used to be enviable, but heading into 2014, they're left with Ruiz and veteran backup Wil Nieves as the major league backstops. The minor league depth has been reduced to 25-year old Cameron Rupp, former top prospects Sebastian Valle and Lou Marson, and Tommy Joseph, who may need to move from behind the plate because of a concussion that destroyed his 2013. If Ruiz struggles like he did last year, it could be a long season behind the plate once again for the Phillies unless Rupp's development takes a step forward.
Ben Revere
I legitimately feel bad for Ben Revere. The guy was Ruben Amaro's major acquisition last winter, and he immediately earned the ire of Phillies fans (and not just for his cheesesteak preferences) when he hit a paltry .200/.234/.222 in April. Revere dramatically improved as the season went on, and was playing legitimately good baseball in June and July…until he fouled a ball off of his foot to break it and end his season.
Before the injury, Revere was on pace to have the best season of his career. His 2013 finished with a .305/.338/.352 line, all career highs. If he can build on his abbreviated season, the 25-year old could be a solid building block for the Phillies moving forward – even though he is still looking for his first career home run. There's a very low ceiling for a guy who hits with as little power as Revere, but a player who gets on-base at a .340 clip, plays solid defense in center field, and steals 30 bags has value. If you take away even one of those elements though, you're looking at a guy who may not be more than a bench player.
Marlon Byrd
When the Phillies gave Byrd a two-year contract this offseason, there were a lot of confused people. The contract seemed about right, but the Phillies didn't seem like a good fit for him. The 36-year old Byrd had a resurgent 2013 for the Mets and Pirates, hitting .291/.336/.511 with 24 home runs. However, there were some red flags, like his outrageous .353 BABIP, his high 16.4% HR/FB, and his nearly 25% strikeout rate.
At his age, would anyone be surprised if either his BABIP or HR/FB return to a normal level and his triple slash goes down into the gutter? If Byrd struggles while Darin Ruf, a flawed player that has never gotten much of a chance at earning regular playing time in the majors, rots away on the bench or in AAA, the negativity in Philadelphia could simply shoot off the charts.
Kyle Kendrick
Kendrick is going into 2014 as Philly's third starter, which is a horrifying thing to think about. But Kendrick started his year great – in 33 2/3 April innings, he pitched to a 2.41 ERA, striking out 24 and walking just eight. The rebirth didn't last, and Kendrick's batted ball luck eventually caught up to him as he finished the season with a 4.70 ERA in a career-high 182 innings, including a ghastly 6.91 ERA in 57 1/3 innings after the All-Star Break thanks to nearly 80 point BABIP spike.
But more importantly, Kendrick was shut down in September with shoulder inflammation. Kendrick's velocity fell over the last three months, and if his shoulder issues pop up again, Philadelphia will be in trouble. Miguel Gonzalez could be a godsend if he's everything he's cracked up to be, but he also could end up being a bust that can't even hang in the rotation. Kendrick needs to make 30 starts for the Phillies and not put together an embarrassing performance, or his club's rotation could be in bad shape past Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels.
