Phillies look for super rotation to lead them to glory

by UK American Sports Fans

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With a starting rotation that includes Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels, it is difficult to see how the Phillies wont make it to the post-season yet again. Add to that mix the signing of free agent closer Jonathan Papelbon and a potent line-up that features the likes of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, and you have yourself a very, very good ball club.

The Phillies will be looking for their fifth consecutive NL East title, and are the preseason favourites to be hoisting the World Series trophy above their heads come late October. It’s difficult to argue either point. The Phillies had, by far, the best pitching staff in 2011, convincingly leading the league in team ERA with 3.02 and fewest runs conceded with 495. The major problem with the pitching staff was the 16 blown saves, but with Papelbon bringing his electric stuff from Boston, don’t bet on that being the case this time round, while the return of Jim Thome will add a bit of power to hte lnie-up. It will be a brave man to bet against the Phillies to take the NL title.

IN : Pat Misch (RP – N.Y. Mets), Lou Montanez (OF – Chicago Cubs), Laynce Nix (OF – Washington), Jonathan Papelbon (RP – Boston), Juan Pierre (OF – Chicago W.S.), Joel Pineiro (SP – L.A. Angels), David Purcey (RP – Detroit), Chad Qualls (RP – Houston), Brian Sanches (SP – Miami), Jim Thome (INF – Cleveland), Raul Valdes (RP – N.Y. Yankees), Ty Wigginton (INF – Colorado), Dontrelle Willis (RP – Cincinnati)

OUT : Danys Baez (RP), Jack Cust (OF – Houston), Ben Francisco (OF – Toronto), Ross Gload (INF), Raul Ibanez (OF – N.Y. Yankees), Brad Lidge (RP – Washington), Ryan Madson (RP – Cincinnati), Brandon Moss (OF – Oakland), Roy Oswalt (SP), Juan Perez (RP – Milwaukee), Wilson Valdez (INF – Cincinnati)

Catchers : A veteran catching corps is lead by 32 year old Carlos Ruiz, who is as steady as they come at that position, but has a history of back problems that could mean significant playing time for his back-up Brian Schneider. The 35 year old is a reliable defensive catcher, who has had 250 at-bats in his two years at the Phillies. Erik Katz is another option, but with just eleven MLB appearances and now safely into his thirties, it’s highly unlikely Katz is going to get any better. Youngster Sebastian Valle is a highly touted prospect and could even beat out Katz on the depth chart come the end of Spring Training.

Infielders : Another area of the roster with great veteran talent, the infield will be manned by Ryan Howard (first), Chase Utley (second), Jimmy Rollins (shortstop) and Placido Polanco (third). The starting quartet have combined for 745 career home runs, along with 3,144 RBIs, 13 All-Star appearances and two NL MVP Awards. Talk about talented! Then there’s the small factor of Jim Thome being on the bench with his 604 home runs and 1,674 RBIs. The Phillies infield has the perfect blend of power, speed and finesse, with Howard being capable of hitting one out of the park on any pitch, Rollins having stolen at least 30 bases every season he’s been healthy and Polanco being the only play in MLB history with two Gold Gloves in different positions. Ty Wigginton is hardly a slouch either and is another solid veteran that Charlie Manuel can call upon. Michael Martinez played 88 games in 2011, but hit just .196, while youngsters Freddy Galvis, Harold Garcia and Cesar Hernandez will do well to see any game time, but they don’t half have terrific mentors.

Outfielders : John Mayberry figures to be the biggest benefactor from the departure of Raul Ibanez, as he seems set for the starting job in right field, having waited patiently for the opportunity. He featured heavily last season for the first time in his career and hit 15 homers in just 267 at-bats. Hunter Pence arrived from Houston and is expected to put up great numbers again, while Shane Victorino remains a largely under-appreciated player outside of Pennsylvania. Pence hit .324 and 15 homers in just 54 games for the Phillies last year, and if he puts up numbers like those for the full season, it will spell misery for many a pitcher. Domonic Brown, Laynce Nix and Tyson Gillies are the other outfielders on the roster, but are all lefties. Brown and Nix should see decent game time, although Canadian Gillies is yet to make a big league appearance and is very much the last option on the roster. However, the veteran duo of Juan Pierre and Scott Podsednik are non-roster invites that can certainly add something to the Phillies roster.

Starting Pitchers : What’s not been said about the greatness of the Phillies rotation? The front three pitchers are the Smoltz, Glavine and Maddux of this era and all three are probably in most people’s top ten current pitchers list. Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels combined for a 50-23 season last year, with a 2.51 ERA in 95 starts. The fact that nobody would bat an eyelid if it happened again this season just goes to show how impressive the trio are. Hamels had the 6th best ERA in the NL last year, two of the five pitchers above him were his teammates, while Vance Worley is hardly a slouch. He went 11-3 with a 3.01 ERA in 21 starts as a rookie. Not bad for someone that didn’t make the Opening Day rotation. Joe Blanton figures to be the fifth pitcher, but is coming off an injury hit year that saw him pitch in just eleven games, with an ERA slightly north of 5.00. Should one of the quintet suffer an injury, or mysteriously suffer a loss of form, Kyle Kendrick is the next man up, although he could also figure to be a key cog in the bullpen. Considering he was effectively the seventh choice starting pitcher last year, I guess a 3.22 ERA in 114.2 innings is somewhere bordering acceptable! Joel Pineiro and Brian Sanchez are non-roster invites, but it’s the hardest rotation in the game to break into.

Relief Pitchers : Obviously, the big signing is Jonathan Papelbon from the Red Sox, who arrives following a remarkable Fenway career. His 219 saves as a Red Sock is fully 87 ahead of second place Bob Stanley. A key benefit of having such a breathtaking rotation is the knock on effect it has on the bullpen, which will often be well rested and under limited pressure. Last year, only the departed Ryan Madson and Michael Stutes threw more than 60 innings, while all those returning had sub 3.90 ERA seasons. 40 year old Jose Contreras is still going strong, while the humorously named Antonio Bastardo will be another key figure. Joe Savery impressed in a very small sample size and could get the lefty specialist role, while the enigmatic Dontrelle Willis could be in last chance saloon and Chad Qualls is a very solid veteran. Other names likely to feature heavily in the Phillies bullpen are David Herndon, Justin de Fratus and Michael Schwimer.

PREDICTION : The main challenge with the Phillies isn’t predicting whether they will win the NL East (hint – they will), but whether they can win 100 games and a World Series. They have the strongest rotation possibly in the modern era, accompanied by a strong bullpen and line-up. Halladay, Lee and Hamels are all genuine Cy Young possibilities and if they remain healthy there’s no way the Phillies win less than 95 games. First place and World Series champions.