By Bill Evans

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Yong Kim | {hiladelphia Inquirer | TNS

Time to start the turnaround

It's been a dreadful first half of the season for the Phillies, who seemed destined for the worst record in baseball for the second time in three seasons. But that doesn't mean the last few months of the season are meaningless. Here are 10 storylines to watch in the second half as the Phillies try to start receiving answers for their future.

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Matt Slocum

See what the young starting pitchers can do

Ben Lively and Nick Pivetta have both shown more good than bad in the early parts of their careers but have still been inconsistent. After a strong 2016, Jerad Eickhoff has faltered while Aaron Nola is gaining traction coming off injury last year . Meanwhile, enigmatic Vince Velasquez is on the disabled list. The Phillies would like most of their young pitchers to get 15 starts in the second half, which should give a strong indication whether they can be counted on to hold down a rotation spot in 2018.

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Eric Hartline | USA Today Sports

Find out if Hector Neris is a closer

Neris was a lights out setup man a year ago with closer's stuff. But since being forced into a closer's role because the Philllies didn't have any other options, the right-hander hasn't been the same pitcher. The Phillies need to keep running Neris out there in the ninth. If he continues to struggle, they'll have to move him back to a setup role next year and go find a closer.

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Patrick Farrell | MIami Herald | TNS

Is Velasquez a starter or closer?

Velasquez fits into the young pitcher category, but the Phillies have to find out if the right-hander who once struck out 16 in a complete game but has had trouble in general going deep into games is a top-of-the-line starter or the answer to their closer woes. If Velasquez is struggling in the rotation at the end of August, they may want to take a look at him in the 'pen and give another pitcher a look.

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Laurence Kesterson | AP Photo

Herrera and Franco need to become cornerstones again

Arguably the biggest disappointments of the first half have been center fielder Odubel Herrera and third baseman Maikel Franco who at the beginning of the year looked to be cornerstones of their rebuild. Both have struggled and they need to see both players take big strides in the second half to make the organization feel confident they are still big parts of the future

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Rhona Wise | EPA

Who's the future at first base?

Rhys Hoskins seems ready to come to the major leagues and the first baseman is one of the club's top prospects. But his path is blocked by Tommy Joseph and manager Pete Mackanin has said the players can't co-exist. The Phillies need to figure out who they envision as their first baseman going forward, and if it's Hoskins, that probably means dealing Joseph before the deadline.

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Laurence Kesterson | AP Photo

Williams earns a starting spot

The 23-year-old Nick Williams, who was part of the Cole Hamels trade, has impressed in his first 10 games, hitting .281 with a smooth swing and has quickly been inserted as a middle-of-the-order stick. The Phillies need to see plenty of Williams the next 2 1/2 months to see if he can be counted on as a starting corner outfielder to begin 2018.

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Drew Hallowell | Getty Images

Altherr becomes a star

One of the lone positives in the first half as been the development of Aaron Altherr, who stood to be the Phillies' starting right fielder a year ago before a Spring Training wrist injury short-circuited his season. He came to camp this year projected as the fourth outfielder but has arguably been the Phillies' best player. The Phillies need to see Altherr continue to blossom in the second half and solidify his stature as a middle-of-the-lineup star going forward

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RELATED: Phillies midseason report card

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Hunter Martin | Getty Images

Trade Jeremy Hellickson

This sounds obvious, but it seemed almost a certainty Hellickson would be gone at the deadline a year ago as well. The Phillies ended up holding on to Hellickson figuring the draft pick they would recoup when the pitcher left for free agency was better than what they were offered. Except Hellickson chose to accept the Phlllies' qualifying offer and he came back for a second season. The Philllies need to move on from Hellickson, who has been a solid veteran, if for no other reason than they need the rotation spot to evaluate young pitchers.

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Al Bello | Getty Images

More playing time for Knapp

Rookie catcher Andrew Knapp has played more recently as Cameron Rupp has struggled and the trend should continue. Jorge Alfaro has struggled a bit in Triple-A and could use more seasoning, so the Phillies need to find out if Knapp is a guy who can carry the load in 2018.

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RELATED: Could Yankees, Phillies make a deal?

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Charles Fox | Philadelphia Inquirer | TNS

Win some games

There's going to be no playoff push and a good second half won't salvage much out of this season. But the Phillies need to look like a real baseball team in the second half, maybe avoid 100 losses and establish some culture of winning and set a positive tone for 2018. If the young players on the team continue on the path towards a 52-110 season, then this rebuild could still be spinning its wheels when 2018 starts.

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Matt Slocum | AP Photo

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Bill Evans can be reached at bevans@njadvancemedia.com or by leaving a note in the comments below. Follow him on Twitter @BEvansSports.