Phillies: 8 milestones to watch for this season

Andrew McCutchen: 250 home runs

Coming off a torn ACL the Phillies will handle Andrew McCutchen with extreme care. He won’t be back for opening day, but will hopefully be as close to 100 percent as possible by late April, less than a year after surgery.

The Phillies completely collapsed when McCutchen went down during the early season west coast trip, going from a first place contender to a mediocre bust.

Philadelphia Phillies

For the Phillies to be successful, they need Andrew McCutchen to bounceback.

Having a healthy McCutchen back in the lineup gives the Phillies a steady eye at the plate who can get on base and also provide some power. While he’s not the same power hitter he was in Pittsburgh, McCutchen can still rake.

Going into 2020 McCutchen needs 17 more home runs to reach 250 in his career.

Again, he can still hit for power and getting 17 home runs isn’t out of his reach. Before last season he averaged 22 home runs a season and averaged 25 during his five-consecutive All-Star seasons.

Baseball Reference has McCutchen hitting 15 home runs in about 400 plate appearances, so about 100 games, give or take. The 17 home runs is still an achievable number, but it’ll depend on when he comes off the injured list.

Getting 250 home runs will not put McCutchen into the Hall of Fame. While he had a great peak in Pittsburgh, he hasn’t sustained the success since turning 30 and leaving the Steel City.

McCutchen will be a valuable piece for the Phillies this year and, again, if healthy, he can provide the spark that was lost last season.