Organizational report: When will the Phillies be competitive again?

Sports Weekly takes an in-depth look at each major league organization during the offseason, from the major leagues to the farm system. We start with teams with the worst records and move up.

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Less than a month into his new job as Philadelphia Phillies general manager, Matt Klentak has gotten used to the pointed question: When will the Phillies be competitive again?

With the organization coming off a major league-worst 99-loss season, Klentak, hired in October to join a revamped front office that features Andy MacPhail leading the baseball operations department as team president, maintains the same philosophy no matter how often he’s asked it.

“We’re going let the players’ performance dictate that,” says Klentak, a former assistant general manager with the Los Angeles Angels. “The model is out there. There are a lot of examples of clubs that have done it. None of them have done it exactly the same way, and that’s good in the sense that we can sort of carve our own path to contention.”

It’s not all doom and gloom at the big-league level for the Phillies. The 2015 season featured an emergence of a young core, including right-hander Aaron Nola and center fielder Odubel Herrera. After trading away most of the team’s best players since the last offseason — only Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz remain from the organization’s dominant run from 2007 to 2011, and both are essentially untradeable with their pricy contracts — the team has replenished the minor league system and suddenly has talented prospects who have the potential to make an impact. Shortstop J.P. Crawford, right-hander Jake Thompson and outfielder Nick Williams could all reach the majors in 2016.

The Phillies won’t be major players for the top free agents this offseason. As of Dec. 11, their only signing is right-handed reliever David Hernandez. There is a need to create rotation depth, though, after 14 different pitchers started a game for them in 2015. The Phillies’ 4.69 team ERA ranked 29th in the majors.

Expect the Phillies to continue to target players such as right-hander Jeremy Hellickson, whom they acquired in a November trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks. On Dec. 9, the Phillies traded their closer Ken Giles to the Astros for right-hander Vincent Velasquez, left-hander Brett Oberholtzer and another prospect.

Ideally they want players who are trying to rebuild their value, perhaps flipping them at the trade deadline for prospects.

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Where the Phillies stand at each position (*prospect):

Catcher: Ruiz began the season as the Phillies’ starter behind the plate, but his offensive struggles paved the way for Cameron Rupp to eventually take over the everyday job in his first full big-league season. Ruiz produced the worst offensive season of his 10-year career. Although Ruiz has one guaranteed year left on his deal, Rupp will get the chance to be the starter and is a defensive upgrade behind the plate. Rupp threw out 37.7% of baserunners on stolen base attempts, trailing only the Washington Nationals’ Wilson Ramos and the St. Louis Cardinals’ Yadier Molina among National League catchers who appeared in at least 80 games. Prospect Andrew Knapp could get an opportunity in the majors at some point in 2016 after crushing opposing pitchers in Class AA.

Depth chart: Rupp, Ruiz, * Knapp, *Jorge Alfaro.

First base: Howard is entering what will be his final season with Philadelphia. The Phillies would like to trade him in the offseason, but he is owed $35 million. He slowly was relegated to being part of a platoon at first base with Darin Ruf getting starts against left-handers, Howard’s nemesis. Manager Pete Mackanin hasn’t ruled out using the same strategy in 2016 at the position, as Howard’s production hasn’t warranted him being in the everyday lineup. Ruf posted the best on-base-plus-slugging percentage (1.107) against lefties in the NL and can provide the lineup with power, which was sorely lacking. Defensively, Ruf is slightly better than Howard.

Depth chart: Howard, Ruf, Maikel Franco.

Second base: For the first time since 2004, the Phillies don’t have Chase Utley as the everyday second baseman. Cesar Hernandez is in position for the job after he took over while Utley was injured and subsequently traded. Hernandez is recovering from surgery on his left thumb and is expected to be ready for spring training. Despite seeing his season end prematurely, Hernandez surprisingly led the Phillies in walks (40) and had the second-best on-base-percentage (.339) among the team’s regulars. His defense was shaky at times. Darnell Sweeney, who was acquired in the Utley trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, impressed the Phillies. Eight of his 15 hits were extra-base hits.

Depth chart: Hernandez, Darnell Sweeney, Andres Blanco, Freddy Galvis.

Third base: Franco was among the top NL rookies until an errant pitch in mid-August resulted in a fracture in his left wrist that cost him 45 games. A mid-May call-up, the 23-year-old put his talent on display in June against the New York Yankees, delivering back-to-back games with five RBI, a franchise first, to open the series while hitting three home runs. The Phillies missed Franco’s bat while he was sidelined. He will be a staple in the heart of the lineup in 2016. Boasting a cannon for an arm, he also regularly helped out his pitchers by snaring hard-hit balls to either side of his positioning and handling soft rollers.

Depth chart: Franco, Blanco, Cody Asche, Sweeney.

Shortstop: A combination of injuries, inconsistent chances and poor performance had limited Galvis’ opportunities in the majors. Jimmy Rollins’ departure gave Galvis his shot at starting, and for the most part he gave the Phillies what they needed from the position. Galvis had a knack for making difficult plays, especially on balls hit up the middle, look routine. Although he cooled off after a hot first month at the plate, Galvis isn’t in jeopardy of losing his starting job. At least not until top prospect Crawford is deemed ready for the majors. Barring injury, Crawford should debut at some point in 2016, which would shift Galvis to second base, where he offers better defense and athleticism than Hernandez.

Depth chart: Galvis, Blanco, *Crawford.

Left field: Franco’s promotion forced incumbent Asche to move to a new position. He was adequate defensively in left, though he must deliver more offensive consistency. Asche, in his third season in the majors, hit two more home runs (12) than he did in 2014, but his batting average, on-base percentage and on-base-plus-slugging percentage all fell a few points from the previous year’s levels. It’s not a guarantee Asche will be the Phillies’ starting left fielder to open 2016. Aaron Altherr will get a look in the corner outfield spots, while Williams, one of the Phillies’ best prospects after being acquired in July in the Cole Hamels trade with the Texas Rangers, is steadily progressing through the minors and is coming off a successful season in Class AA. Ruf could get some spot starts in left field to get his power in the lineup.

Depth chart: Asche, Ruf, Altherr, Sweeney, *Williams.

Center field: Rule 5 pick Herrera far exceeded expectations after never playing above Class AA. His defense was stellar in center field. His range and speed often made up for the team’s defensive deficiencies in left and right. He also led the Phillies in doubles (30), batting average (.297) and OBP (.344). Herrera, 23, will enter 2016 as the starting center fielder and will be a candidate to hit among the top three spots of the batting order. The hope is he will hit double-digit home runs.

Depth chart: Herrera, Altherr, *Roman Quinn.

Right field: Altherr took advantage of a mid-August call-up. Of his 33 hits, 20 went for extra bases. He is also a defensive upgrade over free agent Domonic Brown. The Phillies will likely sign a veteran outfielder, perhaps Jeff Francoeur again, to compete for a roster spot and give them an experienced bat on the bench.

Depth chart: Altherr, Sweeney, *Williams.

Starting pitchers: In the final month of the season, the Phillies had four rookies in the rotation: right-handers Nola, Jerad Eickhoff and Alec Asher and left-hander Adam Morgan. Nola, Eickhoff and Morgan will be among those in contention to open the 2016 season. Hellickson immediately becomes one of the best pitchers on the staff alongside Nola. Eickhoff and Asher were also part of the Hamels deal, and Eickhoff was particularly impressive. Nola, 22, lived up to the hype after earning a call-up, allowing three runs or fewer in nine of his 13 starts. David Buchanan and Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez will also be in the rotation mix, while prospects Thompson and Zach Eflin are on the rise in the minors.

Depth chart: RHP Nola, RHP Hellickson, RHP Eickhoff, LHP Oberholtzer, LHP Morgan, RHP Asher, RHP Buchanan, LHP Matt Harrison, RHP Severino Gonzalez, RHP Gonzalez, *RHP Thompson, *RHP Eflin.

Bullpen: The bullpen was a work in progress and featured notable changes at the back end after Jonathan Papelbon and Jake Diekman were traded in July. Ken Giles took over as closer and thrived in the role. In the offseason, he was traded to the Astros. David Hernandez, a free agent signing, expects to be his replacement and the leading candidate for the closer role. Right-handers Luis Garcia and Jeanmar Gomez were elevated into more high-leverage situations in the second half of the season and were frequently successful in bridging the gap to Giles. Elvis Araujo became Mackanin’s go-to lefty, and Dalier Hinojosa emerged as a waiver-wire steal. Dan Otero, claimed off waivers, tries to return to his 2014 form after an inconsistent season with the Oakland Athletics. Left-hander Mario Hollands is returning from Tommy John elbow surgery but should be ready to pitch in the spring. The Phillies have been encouraged by prospect Tom Windle’s performance in the Arizona Fall League as he transitions from starter to reliever.

Depth chart: RHP Hernandez, RHP Garcia, RHP Gomez, LHP Araujo, RHP Otero, RHP Dalier Hinojosa, LHP Hollands, *LHP Windle, *RHP Nick Pivetta.

Montemurro writes for The (Wilmington Del.) News Journal.

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Top five prospects

Excerpted from BaseballHQ.com’s 2016 Minor League Baseball Analyst.

1. J.P. Crawford, SS: One of baseball’s top prospects, he has the instincts and field awareness to stick at shortstop. Crawford, 20, also shows an advanced hitting tool and pitch recognition skills. His smooth left-handed swing should result in moderate power, though he’s still maturing. His stolen-base totals (12 in 2015) come from technique more than speed. He will open at Class AAA but could see major league time in the second half.

2.Nick Williams, OF: Williams, 22, is a pure hitter with exceptional bat speed that produces above-average power. His aggressive, swing-at-everything approach might need taming at the major league level. He plays all three outfield positions now but likely will end up in left. He could see big-league time late in 2016.

3. Jake Thompson, RHP: Thompson, 21, seemed to stall at Class AA early in the season but flourished after the trade to Philadelphia. His arsenal is highlighted by a heavy, low-90s fastball and a plus slider, but he also uses a changeup and curveball for a four-pitch mix. He walks too many and has trouble with lefty bats but has a durable frame (6-4, 235) and projects as a midrotation starter.

4. Jorge Alfaro, C: Acquired with Williams and Thompson in the Cole Hamels trade, Alfaro, 22, lost significant time in 2015 with a June ankle injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season. He has an elite arm behind the plate, but his receiving skills lag. With tons of raw power and athleticism, he could end up as a prototypical right fielder. A catcher for now, he’s likely to get more reps at Class AA.

5. Roman Quinn, OF: Injures have limited him to one 350-at-bat season so far. But when he’s healthy, his stolen bases pile up. Quinn, 22, has sting in his bat despite a small frame (5-10, 170 pounds), as well as a discerning eye at the plate. He is progressing in center but likely won’t make his major league debut until 2017.

Brent Hershey