2008 was a magical year for the Phillies. Much maligned throughout the season, the team went 17-8 in September to secure their second consecutive National League eastern division championship in as many years and home-field in the wild card playoffs. After handling the Brewers in four games, combined with the Dodgers sweep of the Cubs in the opposing series, the Phillies won the first two games of the NLCS at home en route to a five game series win over the Dodgers to send them to their first World Series since 1993. In the series, the well-rested Phillies split the first two games against the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg before coming home to win the next three games and become, well, we’ll just let “The Man” tell us…
2009 looks to be just as promising for the bunch. Despite the loss of long-time Phillie Pat Burrell, left-field was revamped by acquiring Raul Ibanez from the Seattle Mariners. Ibanez, a free agent, signed a three-year, $31.5 million deal. Other players besides Burrell who were lost were reserve outfielder So Taguchi and former elite closer Tom Gordon. The only other addition of note is right-handed pitcher Chan Ho Park, who was expected to battle pitchers Kyle Kendrick, J.A. Happ and Carlos Carrasco for the fifth starters spot.
EXPECTED LINEUP
- SS – Jimmy Rollins (S)
- CF – Shane Victorino (S)
- 2B – Chase Utley (L)
- 1B – Ryan Howard (L)
- LF – Raul Ibanez (L)
- RF – Jayson Werth (R)
- 3B – Pedro Feliz (R)
- C – Carlos Ruiz (R)
- Starting Pitcher
The expected batting order is one of if not the most left-handed heavy lineup in all of baseball. The first five hitters have the capability of hitting left handed, but Rollins and Victorino are switch hitters. They both recently represented the United States in the World Baseball Classic. Potential MVP Ryan Howard leads all players in spring training home runs, and he looks for his fourth consecutive 45+ home run season. Manager Charlie Manuel has the capability of moving Werth and Victorino around to break up the lefties, which we expect to see at some time this season. Pedro Feliz had a good season last year, his first with the Phillies, but his power numbers were down as he hit a few home runs below his average. Like Feliz, teammate Chase Utley will be coming back from off-season surgery. Both are expected to be starters on opening day. Carlos Ruiz hit well in the postseason last year, and like his teammates at the top of the order, represented his home country in the WBC by playing for Panama.
EXPECTED ROTATION
- Cole Hamels (L)
- Brett Myers (R)
- Jamie Moyer (L)
- Joe Blanton (R)
- J.A. Happ (L) or Chan Ho Park (R)
Pitching appears to be extremely solid for the Phillies, as they are solid one through four. Cole Hamels was named the NLCS and World series MVP for his performance during the postseason, in which he went 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA. During the offseason, Halem re-upped with the Philies to the tune of 3 years and $20.5 million. Brett Myers went 10-13 with a 4.55 ERA last year, but was an entirely different pitcher after being sent to the minors during the summer months. Myers’ postseason contribution won’t be remembered for his arm, but his bat. He went 4-5 in the playoffs with 3 RBI and had the memorable walk against C.C. Sabathia in the NLDS to start the rally that led to Victorino’s Grand Slam in game 2. Jamie Moyer, on the heels of a 16-7 season with a 3.71 ERA, re-signed with the Phillies for two years and $16 million during the offseason. The deal will keep Moyer pitching until the month before he turns 48. Blanton, who was acquired by the Phillies via trade last August, went 4-0 in his brief season with the Phillies and also went 2-0 in the postseason, including his home run in game four of the World Series. The fifth spot is still up in the air, but it appears that Happ will be the man and Park will be in the ‘pen. (UPDATE: I was wrong, Park will be the fifth starter but my not pitch until the second week of the season. Happ will presumably be relegated to the bullpen.)
BULLPEN
- Chan-Ho Park
- Chad Durbin
- Scott Eyre
- Clay Condrey
- Jack Taschner
- J.A. Happ
- Ryan Madson
- Brad Lidge
The bullpen is highlighted by two main stories heading into 2009. One is the absence of seventh-inning man J.C. Romero. Romero was suspended for the first fifty games of the season by baseball for testing positive for a banned substance, which he claims was in a supplement that was legal at the time. The second story is Brad Lidge, who went 48-for-48 in save opportunities throughout out the regular and postseason last year. The streak for regular season games, currently at 44, is third all-time behind Eric Gagne’s 84 and Tom Gordon, who had 54. Lidge will break Gordon’s mark with 11 saves, which he could have by mid-May.
BENCH PLAYERS
- Chris Coste
- Greg Dobbs
- Eric Bruntlett
- Geoff Jenkins
- Miguel Cairo
- Matt Stairs
Even the bats off the bench are left-handed heavy, as just Coste and Cairo are the only right-handed hitters on the bunch. Being right-handed has a lot to do with Cairo’s expected spot of the 25-man roster, as he was a non-roster invitee. We included 26 players in our preview because we believe the Phillies will be making a move with either Jenkins of Stairs if not before the season begins shortly thereafter. (UPDATE: Phillies released Geoff Jenkins on 3/31.)
2009 looks to be a promising year for the squad. They will be defending the crown for the second time in franchise history and look to become the first National League team since the 1975-1976 Reds to win back-to-back titles. We have the Phillies winning 93 games this year and the division for the third straight year. For more on our 2009 baseball prospectus, check back on Monday for out team-by-team expectations.
