The Phillies finished last season with the best record in baseball, winning a whopping 102 games, but a lot has changed. The 
starting staff, which was this teams biggest advantage over everyone in baseball remains more or less intact and is still the best in the game but the offense has taken more than a few lumps. Philadelphia will start the season without their best two hitters, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard and will likely struggle to score runs. The bullpen is also rebuilt with mainstays Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson replaced by pricey closer Jon Papelbon. The Phillies are still the team to beat in the NL East but the competition has improved greatly and it’s unclear whether or no they have.
Projected Lineup: (Opening Day)
- Shane Victorino (Cf)
- Jimmy Rollins (ss)
- Hunter Pence (Rf)
- Ty Wigginton (1b) (Jim Thome is also an option)
- Placido Polanco (3b)
- Carlos Ruiz (c)
- John Mayberry (Lf)
- Freddy Galvis (2b)
Starting Rotation:
- Roy Halladay
- Cliff Lee
- Cole Hamels
- Vance Worley
- Joe Blanton
Strengths:
Obviously, starting pitching is at the top of this list. Halladay has struggled a lot this spring and that is concerning but he’s still a former Cy Young award winner and one of the most dominant and reliable starters in the game. Lee is another of the best in the business with his pinpoint control and effortless motion and can also dominate on any given day. Next, Cole Hamels is one of the premiere young lefties in baseball and is set to rake in the millions once he hits the open market. Together, the three are baseball’s version of the Miami Heat and make up one of the most formidable playoff rotations in history. Add in Vance Worley, who went 11-3 with a 3.01 ERA in 21 starts last season and this is a tough rotation and definitely a strength.
Veteran Presence: With an average age of 30.4, this is the oldest team in baseball (I’m not sure that’s a strength). They are certainly filled with veterans who can serve as leaders and step up when needed to keep this team afloat until Howard and hopefully Utley return.
Weaknesses:
Offense: At first blush, this lineup doesn’t look so bad. Jimmy Rollins is still there, as is Placido Polanco, Shane Victorino, and Carlos Ruiz. Hunter Pence is one of the best outfielders in baseball. That’s kind of where is stops however. When you start to put a lineup together without Howard, who tore his Achilles Tendon on his last swing in the playoffs last year, and Chase Utley, who may have a degenerative knee condition, you inevitably see the holes. Rollins just got a nice contract but he’s aging and hasn’t been overly productive in recent seasons. Same goes for Polanco, who is a couple of years removed from being one of baseballs peskiest hitters. Ty Wigginton is a good utility man but he’s not a starting first basemen and Jim Thome hasn’t played the field regularly in forever, and for good reason. There just isn’t much depth or consistency here.
Storylines;
Jon Papelbon was given more than $50 million to be the closer on this team. His numbers in Boston were spectacular and I guess he’s sort of endeared himself to the Philly phans by insulting Red Sox nation. How will he fare in his first season in the NL?
What is with Chase Utley? He and the team have been oddly quiet about his injury situation and I suspect that it is way more serious than we think. The Phillies are infinitely weaker without him but I think they will be without him for a while. In fact, I wouldn’t be all that surprised if Chase Utley doesn’t play again. And that’s really sad because I really like Utley.
When does Ryan Howard come back and how effective is he?
Prediction:
93-69, first place, NL East. The Phillies are definitely weaker than they were last year and they’re not going to win 100 games but everyone in this division is going to beat up on one another and the Phillies pitching is going to put them on top again.
Bold Predictions:
- Jim Thome will hit .255 with 18 homers in some pretty substantial time
- Cole Hamels will win 17 games
- Cliff Lee will win 15 games
- Roy Halladay will win 16 games
- Vance Worley will win 14 games
- Joe Blanton will win 4 games
-Max Frankel
