Young starters key to Phils’ success in 2017

PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies enjoyed some modest improvements in 2016, finishing with more wins this season than they did in 2015, when they had the worst record in baseball.

So what is next in 2017?

Much of the team’s success next year will depend upon the continued production and development of the team’s young players in the big leagues and top prospects in the Minor Leagues. That means everybody from Vince Velasquez and Roman Quinn to J.P. Crawford and Nick Williams.

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Of course, the Phillies will need to acquire some complementary talent from outside the organization, too. So as the Phillies’ offseason is about to begin, here’s a quick look at where they stand at each position:

Arbitration eligible: Outfielder Cody Asche, infielder Emmanuel Burriss, shortstop Freddy Galvis, right-hander Jeanmar Gomez, second baseman Cesar Hernandez, right-hander Frank Herrmann and outfielder Jimmy Paredes.

Free agents: Infielder Andres Blanco, outfielder Peter Bourjos, catcher A.J. Ellis, right-hander Jeremy Hellickson, right-hander David Hernandez, first baseman Ryan Howard (club option) and right-hander Charlie Morton (mutual option).

Rotation: The Phillies have made starting pitching a top priority, and they should feel better about it than they did at this point last year. They expect to lose Hellickson to free agency, but they are likely to acquire another veteran starter to replace him. Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff, Velasquez, Jake Thompson, Zach Eflin, Alec Asher, Adam Morgan and Ben Lively make up a good base to fill out the rest of the rotation with Nola, Eickhoff and Velasquez considered locks if they are healthy.

But Nola’s injured right elbow, which ended his season in July, is a legitimate concern. Can he come back and stay healthy next year? Eflin will be returning from a pair of knee surgeries, too.

Bullpen: The Phillies’ bullpen ERA ranked among the worst in baseball, but could they really have expected much after trading Jonathan Papelbon, Ken Giles and Jake Diekman last year? Gomez became the closer by default, but he is not guaranteed the same job next season. If Gomez isn’t the closer, Hector Neris …

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