"I mean, people are talking about our bench not being very good, but I will tell you that our bench played a lot last year and we won 102 games, so it can't be that terrible," he said at the general managers' meetings. "I was actually pretty pleased with the work that they did. When they had the opportunity to play, they actually had some pretty big base hits for us and did some good things."
The exact makeup of the bench could depend on how the Phillies address the departure of Raul Ibanez from leftfield. The team recently met with free-agent corner outfielder/infielder Michael Cuddyer, but it remains to be seen whether the two sides can match up on a multiyear contract. Cuddyer, who will be 33 next season, earned $10.5 million while hitting .284 with 20 home runs, a .346 on-base percentage and a .459 slugging percentage for the Twins in 2010.
In addition to rightfield, the high-energy veteran has spent time at first and third base, although his defense has prevented him from being an everyday player at third. Yesterday, manager Charlie Manuel said Cuddyer told him he would be willing to play any position necessary for a team to win. That could mean filling in at first base if Ryan Howard's recovery from a ruptured Achilles' tendon extends into the regular season. When Howard is healthy, Cuddyer likely would slot into leftfield, although Amaro said he thinks John Mayberry Jr. has earned the chance at an everyday job. The absence of Howard likely would enable both players to get regular action, with the results dictating the playing time once the Phillies' $125 million first baseman returns.
