2010 Season Preview

Partially because people have requested it, but mostly because I loved doing it, the blog is back this year (and with a slightly new look). I decided it was time for a fresh start. I obviously couldn't use the same URL this year since the repeat of '09 never fully happened. If you're interested in reliving any of the old stuff, you can check out www.repeat09.blogspot.com. But the future is now.

So with all of that being said, I am glad to be back, and I could not be more ready for baseball season. It has been quite the offseason for the Phils, making it seem like MLB higher-ups should simply let us use September as a warm-up month before we start the playoffs. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. On to the preview:

Predicted 25-man roster (when healthy):
SP Roy Halladay (R)
SP Cole Hamels (L)
SP Joe Blanton (R)
SP J.A. Happ (L)
SP Jamie Moyer (L)

RP Danys Baez (R)
RP Jose Contreras (R)
RP Kyle Kendrick (R)
RP Chad Durbin (R)
RP JC Romero (L)
RP Ryan Madson (R)
RP Brad Lidge (R)

C Carlos Ruiz
1B Ryan Howard
2B Chase Utley
SS Jimmy Rollins
3B Placido Polanco
LF Raul Ibanez
CF Shane Victorino
RF Jayson Werth

C Brian Schneider
INF Juan Castro
INF Greg Dobbs
INF/OF Ross Gload
OF Ben Francisco

To start the season, Blanton, Romero, and Lidge are on the disabled list. That means that Kendrick will be our 5th starter for a little while, and we'll have Antonio Bastardo and David Herndon in the bullpen.

The pitching staff for this season looks very strong with the addition of Roy Halladay. He is widely regarded as the best pitcher in baseball and with good reason. Plenty of people were upset about losing Cliff Lee, but Halladay is definitely better. On top of that, it is easy to remember Lee's first and last 5 games for the Phils last season, and I will not in any way ever downplay what he did for us in the playoffs; however, he was pretty average in those games in between. I expect Halladay to be consistently dominant throughout the season. If you need to know anything about him, read this great article from the most recent issue of Sports Illustrated http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1167875/index.htm
That is the biggest new news for this season in Philadelphia. The rest of the pitchers I plan on talking about as they make their first starts or do something relevant out of the bullpen.
The rotation as a whole looks very strong. As much as Jamie Moyer struggled to start last season, he ended up being very consistent and it is an absolute pleasure to have him as a 5th starter.
The bullpen is by far the biggest question mark on this team. Madson is really the only one that we can come into the season with high expectations for, and Durbin should not be a real concern either. Other than that, Contreras, Baez, and Kendrick are all pretty much new to the Phillies' bullpen. Lidge and Romero will be coming off of injuries and disappointing 2009's. It will be interesting to see how all of these guys do in the 2010 season. Luckily, we don't have to worry about them at all in 20% of our games. Thank you, Roy.

The biggest change to our batting order comes in the form of Placido Polanco. If, by some miracle, the Phillies can figure out a leadoff hitter that can get on base, Polanco could end up being the team's MVP this season (I know, I know, but he'll definitely be important). He is a prototypical number 2 guy in the lineup, someone who can put the ball wherever he wants to and knows how to advance runners when he needs to. He puts the ball in play and simply gets his job done. We haven't had someone like this the past 2 years. Werth struck out too much for a #2 hitter, and Shane popped out too much. Polanco should be perfect for that spot. I didn't know we had a hole in our lineup until Polanco filled it in perfectly. The Phillies scoring less than 4 runs in a game this season would be like any other team scoring less than 0 runs. It should be impossible.

The Division:

It is clear that the Phillies should run away with the NL East this season again. But, we can look at what we're up against anyway.

Florida Marlins - I'm still convinced they are our biggest threat for the division. Hanley Ramirez is an unbelievable player, and their starting rotation now only has more experience. Whether they look good on paper or not, they always find a way to put together enough wins to be in some kind of playoff hunt toward the end of the season. ESPN the Magazine simulated the season 100 times and had the Marlins winning the East 0 of those 100 times. It had the Nationals winnings it once. That's complete crap. Watch out for this team.

Atlanta Braves - I feel like their entire season is resting on the shoulders of 20-year-old Jason Heyward. He could be fantastic. He's also only 20 years old and could completely choke. They do have a solid lineup and pitching staff, so they are another team that the Phils will need to keep an eye on. I think if Heyward is successful, the Braves will be. If not, I don't see them as much of a threat, although they definitely will compete.

Washington Nationals - They are looking more promising this year than they have in awhile, but their success will also ride on their top prospect. I am excited to see Stephen Strasburg in the majors, but you can never count on the success of a young pitcher. Plus, a starting pitcher only covers 1 out of every 5 games. They'll definitely struggle again this season, but I would say not nearly as much as last year.

New York Mets - Hilarious

It should be a very fun and exciting season. I'm excited to be following it on this blog, along with anybody who decides to follow with me. Baseball is back. Get excited.