By Ed Condran

Raul Ibanez saw his close friend Mike Sweeney come apart at the seams after the San Francisco Giants prematurely ended the Phillies 2010 season last October.

The red-eyed Sweeney, who reluctantly peeled off his uniform after the Phillies were eliminated, realized that his last best chance to win a World Series, expired. He also knew that the odds were against him returning to the Phillies.

This appears to be Ibanez last best chance to win it all. The Phillies elder statesmen has a contract that will expire in October. Chances are that John Mayberry Jr. and Domonic Brown will compete for his left field job adding a much needed injection of youth into the Phillies lineup but leaving Ibanez out of the mix.

"I'm not thinking about next year, " Ibanez said. "I'm just thinking about right now. That's all that matters. Not one person on this team can think about anything but what we're doing at this moment. Now is what it's about."

For now Ibanez is the starting leftfielder on a team that has been the favorite to win the World Series since Cliff Lee signed a long-term deal in the offseason. That hasn't changed.

"There are great expectations with this team," Ibanez said. "People expect us to win. That's a good thing. It's not surprising when you consider how talented this team is. The starting pitching is unbelievable. We have an excellent bullpen and we can put runs on the board. No wonder there are great expectations for this team. I have great expectations for this team and for myself."

Ibanez struggled during the first half of the season but he surged at the right time. After the All-Star break his potential eventual replacement, Mayberry Jr., caught fire. He became an extra base hit machine, who delivered with a number of clutch hits.

However, Ibanez found his stroke and finished the season with a respectable 20 home runs and 84 RBIs. His batting average was just .245 however, 35 points below his career average and his on-base percentage was a sickly .289 compared to his career mark of .342.

"I just kept at it," Ibanez said. "I made adjustments and did all that I could to get my stroke down. I'm constantly working on things."

It helped that Charlie Manuel never lost confidence in Ibanez. "He's a very good professional hitter," Manuel said of Ibanez. "I knew he was going to come around."

Ibanez, who has 245 career homers and over 1,000 RBI, appreciates Manuel's faith. "He's been amazing," Ibanez said. "It's nice to have a manager who believes in you like him. I need to reward him for his belief in me."

The playoffs would be a great time for Ibanez to pay Charlie back.

"I have a lot of faith in Raul," Manuel said. "He's been such a good hitter for a lot of years and he still is a good hitter."

 

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Philliess Slugger Raul Ibanez Back in Swing of Things