Phillies Notebook: Key questions facing Amaro, Phillies this offseason

FOR ABOUT a half-hour, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. addressed the state of his Phillies franchise as it attempts to move past an upset loss to the Giants in the National League Championship Series.

Here is a look at some of the questions he and the rest of the front office face today and will continue to face as they prepare for 2011.

Q: Are the Phillies in need of an identity change?

A: First and foremost, it is important to remember that this team finished with a major league-best 97 wins. They watched Roy Halladay pitch a perfect game and a postseason no-hitter. Despite a litany of injuries and long stretches of impotence, the offense finished second in the National League with 772 runs. Amaro described it as "a successful season with a disappointing finish," which seems accurate. But he also said the offense must improve.

"Frankly, I didn't like the way we approached our at-bats," Amaro said. "We had a 2-month period where we didn't swing the bats well at all. Part of that was we didn't have our guys playing every day and we didn't necessarily have our health, and I think that probably contributed to it. But I think overall, our offensive approach, we kind of have to look at and make sure that we improve in that area. Because talentwise, we're a better club than how we performed during the postseason and during the course of the season."

Q: How can they change their approach?

A: Perhaps the most important question. Most of the Phillies big-money players had subpar seasons. Chase Utley missed close to 7 weeks aftere thumb surgery, but had a down year even when healthy, hitting .275 with an .832 on-base plus slugging percentage and 16 home runs, all of them the lowest in his six full seasons. Ryan Howard hit 31 home runs, at least 14 fewer than in any of his previous four seasons. Shane Victorino, a .282 hitter with a .780 OPS since joining the Phillies in 2005, hit .259 with a .756 OPS. Jimmy Rollins battled hamstring, foot and calf injuries while hitting a career-low .243 in 88 games.

All of those players will be in their 30s next season. Factor in 38-year-old Raul Ibanez, and the Phillies again seem likely to enter the season with the oldest, and most experienced, lineup in the National League.