1. On paper, the Phils starting pitching seems to be the strongest in the National League. Brett Myers and Cole Hamels are poised to be number 1 guys. Freddy Garcia is a solid starter and is in a contract year. Jamie Moyer is tremendous bottom of the rotation guy. Adam Eaton was a questionable signing for that kind of money, but if he can give the Phils 12 wins and eat up 5+ innings a start, that would be a great accomplishment.
2. That leads me to Jon Lieber. Lieber is the 6th starter. He has decent stuff and had a nice end of the year. He makes 7 Million and I believe this is the last year of his contract. Teams seem to have lukewarm interest in him for now, but as the season draws closer, more interest is bound to happen. If Lieber stays, what happens with the rotation? Lieber isn't a good fielder and would be a liability in the field. He does have a cool truck thats the size of Rhode Island.
3. The Phillies Bull Pen needs a little help and most people think that either Jon Lieber or Aaron Rowan could be dealt to help bolster the pen. Tom Gordon is a decent closer and Geary, Smith, Alfonseco are decent set up men. Ryan Madsen didn't have it in him to start, but he's ok out of the bullpen. The Phils starters need to get into at least the 6th inning on most nights.
4. The Phillies have one of the best infields in baseball - Howard, Utley and Rollins are amongst the best, Third Base is a question. They signed Wes Helms and Greg Dobbs this off season and have Abe Nunez returning. The Phils need someone who can field the position and be a solid offensive contributor. There is definitely less pressure on the third baseman than the rest of the infield.
5. When the Phils let Mike Lieberthal go, it was with the assumption Carlos Ruiz and Chris Coste will take over the catching duties full time. When they signed Rod Barajas, it was kind of a head scratcher. Why wouldn't you bring Lieberthal back for another season? He seemed to be great when it came to calling a game. His experience seems more important than his numbers, can Barajas do the same?
6. Charlie Manuel is on a very short leash this year. Simply put, if they have a slow start, he is done. This is the first year in a long time, the Phils are one of the favorite in the NL. The Phils have waiting in the wings Minor League Manager John Russell from Reading.
7. Who is going to hit behind Ryan Howard? Pat Burrell is the first choice, but there is a lot of pressure on him to produce and he has yet to step up. Jason Werth and Wes Helms are also choices, but both of them seem to fit better in the 6th or 7th spot in the line up.
8. Speaking of Ryan Howard, now that he has two sensational seasons behind him, will there be a third? The 2005 Rookie of the Year and 2006 NL MVP can only get better, but teams also have a better idea how to pitch him. Howard has the potential to hit 315 and 45 home runs a year and outshine Albert Pujois as the top NL First Basemen.
9. The Phillies Bench needs a little boost, either in house or through a trade. Chris Coste, Jason Werth, Karim Garcia and Abe Nunez are nice players, but can they step up and be extremely productive as bench players? or will the Phillies need to make a move to bolster their bench.
10. The NL East will over take the other divisions as the most competitive division. The Mets improved their line up and if their starting pitching can hold up, they will be tough to beat The Braves will be improved, Tim Hudson is in great shape and is motivated to get back to where he was a few years ago. John Smoltz is a Hall of Fame caliber pitcher and Andrew Jones might be moved for younger talent, but until he is, he is a tremendous player. The Marlins have a great young team that over achieved last season. The injury to Josh Johnson will hurt, but the Marlins always seem to find someone to step up. Dontrelle Willis will be in the running for the NL Cy Young.
One last thing, thumbs down to Major League Baseball and their exclusive deal with Directv. Baseball should embrace all of their fans and give them the opportunity to see out of market games, instead they alienate their fans. You'd think after '94, they would have learned.
No comments:
Post a Comment