Philadelphia Phillies 2010 Primer

It isn't every year that the National League champions begin their title defense by trading away the starting pitcher most responsible for sending them to the World Series, but that's just what the Phillies did this winter. Of course, it also isn't every year that they replace said pitcher with a hurler as well credentialed as Roy Halladay.

He'll be front and center as the Phillies try to become the first National League team to snare three straight pennants since World War II and it should be a sight to see. Halladay has never pitched with this kind of strength behind him on the field and that could make him the fifth pitcher in history to win Cy Young Awards in each league.

The push for a threepeat will come down to more than Halladay, of course, but Doc's first session in the Senior Circuit is the headline grabber entering the season. All of the other pieces are in place and if Halladay does what's expected, there's a pretty good chance he'll be holding his first postseason clinic come October.

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Coming and Going

In: Roy Halladay, SP (trade); Danys Baez, RP (free agent); Jose Contreras, RP (free agent); Placido Polanco, 3B (free agent); Brian Schneider, C (free agent)

Out: Cliff Lee, SP (trade); Pedro Feliz, 3B (free agent); Chan Ho Park, RP (free agent); Scott Eyre, RP (retirement); Pedro Martinez, SP (free agent); Brett Myers, SP/RP (free agent); Matt Stairs, PH (free agent)

Around The Horn

Over the Lidge ...
Brad Lidge has come back from the brink of career immolation before, but can he do it again at 33 after an offseason that featured two surgeries? He looked better in the playoffs before flopping against the Yankees and it's hard to feel too sure about any outcome for the Phillies closer, who will likely start the season on the disabled list. They are lucky enough to have Ryan Madson back as a late-game option and Baez has been a closer in the past. J.C. Romero is also recovering from surgery, however, and several big contributors of the past playing elsewhere which makes the bullpen the most obvious trouble spot for the Phils entering the season.

Old King Cole ...
The good news about Cole Hamels' disappointing 2009 season is that he had largely the same peripheral stats as in 2008. An abnormally high batting average on balls in play helped contribute to his diminished returns, but stats don't tell the whole story. He struggled with some physical issues and just didn't look like the cool, confident customer who paved the way to the promised land in 2008. Halladay is Halladay and the back end of the rotation is solid, so a return to form for Hamels will serve the Phillies quite well.

Rolling With Rollins ...
In some ways, Jimmy Rollins is the lineup's version of Hamels. He saw a precipitous drop in production last season, a good chunk of which could be chalked up to the amount of hits that fell as opposed to previous years. If he regains half of those this year, his numbers will be just fine. But Rollins also saw declines in walk rate and slugging while also hitting fewer line drives, three things that make you wonder if it will be that simple. He needs to figure it out, though, because a .296 on-base percentage doesn't cut it.

Change in Phil-osophy ...
The signing of Polanco to replace Feliz at third base was an interesting move offensively and defensively. Polanco hasn't played more than 25 games at third since 2002, so there's some risk that the Phillies won't be as good in the field as he re-acquaints himself with the position. He'll also bat second, which means Shane Victorino will drop to the back of the lineup. The idea is that his contact skills are a good fit at that spot and that the middle of the order will have more runners to send home. Victorino was most effective hitting second last season, however, and the move isn't without the risk that he'll be less effective in 2010.

Projected Opening Day Roster



2010 Outlook

It's impossible to find a more complete team in the National League than the Phillies. We didn't spend much time on the offensive thunder because there's little left to be said about Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez. The team will score a lot of runs, the starters look good and the management has made it clear they're willing to fill holes as needed during the season. It isn't going to be easy to wrest the crown from their head.