Predictions

The new Phillies team is sure to thrill in 2010 with the additions of Roy Halladay, Placido Polanco, Danys Baez, Ross Gload, Brian Schneider, and Juan Castro.

As expected, Phillies fans are optimistic heading into the 2010 season with 2x NL Championship under their belt, looking to make it three in a row.

We are just unsure of what to get. So here is a prediction post on every player on the Phillies 25-Man Roster, with a brief description.

Starting Lineup

-Jimmy Rollins
.273 Average
24 HR
80 RBI
38 SB/9 CS

Rollins has been producing at this rate for years, why should 2010 be different?

-Shane Victorino
.294 Average
12 HR
63 RBI
34 SB/15 CS

Shane Victorino is a great hitter with some growing up to do, he is a core player for years and will make an impact with a 3rd straight year of a .290+ average.

-Chase Utley
.313 Average
35 HR
110 RBI
21 SB/2 CS

Career year for Chase who has been plagued and mired by nagging injuries for the past couple years. He is fully healthy and is a prominent base stealer

-Ryan Howard
.274 Average
49 HR
148 RBI
5 SB/4 CS

Ryan Howard's production has stayed the same since his breakout 2006 MVP campaign. He doesn't show any signs of slowing down. Hat tip to the big man.

-Jayson Werth
.278 Average
24 HR
93 RBI
32 SB/11 CS

This year is not going to be like last year for Jayson Werth, lets just get that reality over with. He will provide decent #5 numbers but will not replicate '09 numbers.

-Raul Ibanez
.285 Average
28 HR
95 RBI
0 SB/0 CS

Ibby will give us what we want...the usual 25+ 95+ numbers that Pat Burrell would normally post. Jayson Werth will give us more value with his speed but Ibanez will take the power department away from Werth.

-Placido Polanco
.309 Average
16 HR
77 RBI
12 SB/ 4 CS

Placido Polanco. Fun to say. Great name to pencil in your lineup, also. I think in this atmosphere he will give us a career year. Ruben made a great signing. He will not show with the glove but his excellent hand-eye coordination will cut down our K's and move the runners over for the middle of the order (assuming he bats 2nd)

-Carlos Ruiz
.266 Average
13 HR
43 RBI
7 SB/0 CS

Chooch has regained his '06 form. He is an outstanding catcher and a solid hitter. He does not strike out a lot which is what we need down at the bottom of the order.

Bench

-Ross Gload
.254 Average
8 HR
25 RBI
1 SB/ 0 CS

The power-hitting lefty we needed in the absence of Stairs (who is basking in San Diego sun right now). I always thought of Gload as a power-hitting version of Dobbs.

-Greg Dobbs
.298 Average
9 HR
37 RBI
6 SB/ 4 CS

Greg will resume his normal outstanding PH role after having constant pain in his calf all year. He is now fully healthy and ready to contribute.

-Juan Castro
.238 Average
3 HR
19 RBI

Hey, its better than Bruntlett right? Ok stop throwing stuff at me.. Oh sorry I forgot were not aloud to say his name anymore. Castro is just a super-utility fella who is a better hitter than...Eric. that's all we wanted Rube good job.

-Brian Schneider

.242 Average

5 HR

25 RBI

The backup catcher that everyone has always wanted. He should produce at his Phillie-Killing rate that he has produced at the last 4 years.

-Ben Fransisco
.256 Average
10 HR
31 RBI
7 SB / 5 CS

Ben is our righty off the bench that resembles a Tatis. He always looks like he's going to hit the ball and Charlie once said "he has the tools to be special".

Pitching Rotation

-Roy Halladay
24 Wins
7 Losses
2.48 ERA

Hes Roy Halladay, and I know I'm being generous but hes now pitching against the likes of the Nats, Mets, Marlins. He really is that good guys.

-Cole Hamels
15 Wins
6 Losses
3.60 ERA

Not a total rebound but I still am obligated to feel he is still a very special pitcher who has the 2nd Best Circle-Change in MLB (behind Johan). He pounds the corners, nicks the dirt, and sometimes he even takes out a tiny paint brush and gets the backwards K.

-Joe Blanton
14 Wins
10 Losses
4.20 ERA

Nothing special.. Just an $8,000,000 waste of money that could have gone towards the likes of Ben Sheets, Jon Garland, Justin Duscherer, or Erik Bedard. We could of had one of them with maybe the exception of Sheets but still man!

-JA Happ
11 Wins
10 Losses
4.76 ERA

Sophomore slump. Towards the end of 2009 the NL figured Jay out and it looks as if he is in for a ride in 2010. He has promise. But just not for this year.

-Jamie Moyer (Dual Role with Jose Contreras)
4 Wins
8 Losses
5.79 ERA

"He's gittin' old." I can already see Charlie saying that. Really guys. Sometimes he is absolutely brilliant. (keyword=sometimes) just about 70% of his starts are guaranteed to suck. He will lose his job halfway through 2010.

-Jose Contreras
7 Wins
2 Losses
2.18 ERA

Be shocked. Be very shocked. Jose looked outstanding for Colorado heading into the postseason, and never really got the chance to pitch against us. But I have secretly been a fan of him and think he is very good. Booming 93+ Fastball and a dying change. He has a tight but not a killer curveball, but its a nice touch.

-Kyle Kendrick

5 Wins

7 Losses

5.14 ERA

The 2007 mystery kid who came up and dominating hasn't been the same since then. His sinker is his best pitch but he does not locate it the way he should. Nothing special from KK this year.

Bullpen

-Chad Durbin
3 Wins
5 Losses
4.65 ERA
1 SV

Average middle reliever. Average fastball. Average change. Average curve. (Snore)

-J.C. Romero
3 Wins
6 Losses
4.33 ERA
2 SV

I just recently saw a picture of J.C. on Sportsnite and he looks pretty good. He's that solid lefty that dominates other lefties. He has massive control issues and needs to address them.

-Ryan Madson
5 Wins
2 Losses
2.79 ERA
3 SV

The best set-up man in baseball is back for more in 2010. 99+ MPH fastball and an astounding Changeup that murders hitter. He has that slow Uncle Charlie that wraps around the hitter like a tether ball does on a tether ball pole.

-Danys Baez
3 Wins
4 Losses
4.50 ERA
2 SV

Feisty and fiery, right handed version of J.C. Romero. He will provide back up if Lidge goes down again.

WARNING THE NEXT PREDICTION WILL SHOCK YOU

-Brad Lidge
0 Wins
1 Losses
1.87 ERA
45 SV/ 5 BS

I know. Its nuts. Its crazy. Its insane. But its true.

Brad Lidge has the best slider in baseball. His stuff is there. Its his pitch selection and command. He has an excellent fastball to compliment his slider. He also has added in a change up and is looking to add a cutter. Guys he a great pitcher that was injured all last year. He was under a lot of stress in 2009, trying to repeat what only one other man has done.

Random Stat Predictions

-Joe Mauer
.345 Average
23 HR
97 RBI

Yeah..hes good

-Albert Pujols
.329 Average
38 HR
128 RBI

King Albert.. What can I say?

-Ichiro Suzuki
.353 Average
13 HR
53 RBI
47 SB

Best hitter in the American League. OTHERWORLDLY hand-eye coordination..Its unbelievable

NL MVP: Pujols - STL
AL MVP: Mauer - MIN
AL ROY: Austin Jackson - DET
NL ROY: Strasburg - WAS

Agree or disagree? Post your thoughts in the comments section.

Justin De Fratus Interview

Justin De Fratus Interview:

Justin De Fratus has been a prospect that has been much debated about on various sights such as phuturephillies and the philly.com’s very own sports forum. Reasons for this include because in his first year he put up mediocre stats but has drastically improved as he has gone up in the minor league system. He moved from a 4.30 ERA in the GCL league at age 19 to a 3.67 ERA in Williamsport at age 20, and then to a very respectable 3.19 ERA for the Lakewood Blueclaws. Justin is a very interesting prospect because split time starting and relieving while putting up these stats in Lakewood. He finished the season a bit banged up and didn’t get to finish on the SAL League Champions.

Now for my comparison, last week’s was a bit easier with vlad/domingo. One guy who is the same weight/size at 6’4” and 215 LBS is former Phillies Opening Day starter Brett Myers. Myers’ Single A stats were very simliar but Myers did make more starts than De Fratus. However, Justin seems to be much less of a headcase, nothing against Myers, and has incredible strikeout to walk ratios. There are some people who put up a lot of strikeouts, including Justin and Myers, but walks are very key to a pitchers success. Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay are aces not because of strikeouts, they are top notch because they can limit walks. Ultimately, Justin has had very high strikeout to walk stats, which is why one day he could be a succesful 3rd or 4th starter or bullpen guy.

Q: Last year you had 110 IP with 101 K's and 1.127 WHIP, do you consider yourself a control pitcher or a power pitcher?

A: As bad as I wish I was a power Pitcher, I would have to attribute most of my success to control. I do feel I have the ability to be a power pitcher at times. I'll consider myself more of a power guy when my strike outs increase.

Q: Over the past 3 years your ERA has decreased substantially despite going up three levels in the minor leagues. Would you say this is due to being more of a reliever or would you say that you would rather be a starter?

A: I personally don't care what I do as long as I'm pitching. The goal is to be in Philadelphia and whether its as a starter or a reliever makes no difference to me. As far as my ERA, I would have to credit it to a bunch of things: pitching down in the zone with more consistency, better location, pitching smarter, and just growing as a pitcher in general.

Q: You were on the SAL League Champion Lakewood Blueclaws, how did it feel to win the title?

A: It felt great! I'm just excited to get that ring. I do wish I was able to contribute but you have to keep it all in perspective. Why risk further injury for an A ball championship. The goal is to bring championships to Philadelphia, not Lakewood. And although we play everyday to win, you have to remember the big picture. Plus, our team was deep, it was better to have somebody else out there at 100 percent than me at about 60.

Q: What pitches are in your arsenal?

A: Fastball, slider, changeup

Written by JKearse123

Encore

So I’m taking a crap and I’m thinking about philly. This time I was thinking instead of just making fun of the armpit of America (philly) I would write something nice….seriously…when I can stop laughing, I’ll start.

I was thinking about all the great athletes that have played for philly teams. In basketball, Dr J. (from New York). In football, Art Monk (from New York). In baseball, well…no one from New York wants to be remembered having played for philly. In hockey…what the hell is hockey anyway? A bunch of white guys on ice chasing each other with sticks? This had to have originated in the south, only some dumb hillbilly could come up with something like that…or a philthiedelphian.

I was reading where of the 23 worst teams ever in baseball history, philly has 9. (You have to use both hands to count all that, philly). Add the Pirates and you have almost half of the worst teams ever from Pencilvania (I meant to spell it that way so you could read it easily).

In recent sports news, how did the Eagles do? Oh, yeah, lost to the Cowboys. Even the 76ers have a worse record than the Knicks. A worse record than the Knicks?! Talk about pathetic. The Flyers…no one really cares anyway. Besides, I’m a Devils fan, who happen to be in first place, and since I know nothing about hockey, yes I’m a frontrunner. Which I’m sure most phils fans are.

So back to baseball. I’ve just figured out what scares the philthies the most: a healthy New York Mets team. The thought of it gives you nightmares at night. You break out in a cold sweat. You get out your voodoo dolls (you love playing with dolls) and work your black magic on whoever seems to be playing well on The New York Mets so you can have another chance at the division. And if that doesn’t work, then you’ll just riot and burn cars as you cry out to the baseball gods. And they do hear you…every 10,000 loses or so.

Confucius once said, “Have no friends not equal to yourself”. He must have talking about philly fans.

I’d like to thank Mike (tha fiz) for having me here. He is a regular troll on our board. Once in a while you have to let the lesser life forms in to try and help them find their way. But he is a phiily fan, so there is no hope for him in this lifetime. Maybe when he comes back in his next life he gets it right.

On a more serious note: I would like to express my sympathies to anyone who lost friends or loved ones in the Haiti earthquakes. This moment isn’t about who should or should not get help, this is about helping fellow human beings who have lost everything and lost their families. Children have lost parents and relatives. Mothers have lost their children. I’ve seen where everything they have left fits into a plastic shopping bag. They don’t want much. Sometimes a kind word and a hug goes a long way.

But I still hate the phils.

Ultimate Lou

Sizing Up Baseball's Triumvirate part 2.

While nothing in life is ever a given, it's pretty clear to anyone who pays attention to baseball that three teams rise above all going into the 2010 season. The Phillies, Yankees and Red Sox are all equipped to make a run for the title. All three bring great hitting, pitching and defense to the table, as well as considerable postseason experience. This week's article will focus on how the Phillies hitting matches up against the Yankees pitching.

Phillie hitters vs. Yankee pitchers

In the 2009 World Series Phillie hitters were held in check by Yankee pitching. By shortening their staff and taking full advantage of their deep pen, the Yanks were able to hide their lack of rotation depth. The bad news for the Phils this season is that the Yankee rotation now has Javier Vasquez. This, along with the continued development of Hughes and Chamberlain makes Yankee pitching even more dangerous in 2010.

The Yankee rotation will be headed by CC Sabathia, who needs no introduction or explanation. He's big, throws hard, and is as durable as any pitcher in the majors. His ability to pitch on 3 days rest was arguably the biggest reason why the Yankees were able to win the 2009 World Series. Behind him there is AJ Burnett, who gave the Phillies fits in game 2 of the series. Burnett has always been known for having a great arm but control issues. Key here for the Phillies in 2010 is the apparent departure of Molina. Molina provided Burnett with a good safety blanket, especially on his breaking pitches which can be as hard to catch as they are to hit. Hitting off Burnett sans Molina might be considerable easier for the left heavy Phillie lineup in 2010.

The rest of the Yankee rotation is unclear. With Vasquez on board and Petitte resigned, it would seem that those two would fill out the bottom of their 2010 postseason rotation. Petitte, while older still has the ability to come up big in crucial postseason games. Vasquez on the other hand has not fared well in his limited postseason appearances. It's quite possible that one of Chamberlain or even Hughes could emerge as a front line starter in 2010. Regardless of how it turns out, the Yankees will probably not be going into the 2010 postseason with a 3 man rotation.

The unsung heroes for the 2009 Yankee title team were their relievers, especially those in the middle relief. Everyone knows about Rivera, but it was guys like Marte, Robertson, Aceves and Chamberlain that really stepped up big against a potential world beating Phillie lineup. It looks like the Yankee pen will be as strong in 2010 as it was in 2009, although Rivera will be a year older, and Chamberlain may end up starting during the postseason.

But all is not lost for Phillie fans. The biggest hole in the Phillie lineup, Pedro Feliz, is long gone. And in his place is a hitter who has the ability to move runners and drive home runs. Polanco's best days may be behind him, but he is a better hitter than Feliz in just about every facet but power. It will be interesting to see how Charlie juggles the lineup now with Polanco aboard.

Leading off for certain will be Jimmy Rollins, who had a season to forget. It's hard to see him doing worse than he did in 2009. Chase and Ryan are MVP caliber hitters who have established themselves among baseball's elite. Jason Werth is an X-factor. As the Phillies only star caliber right-handed bat, Werth had a great deal of pressure on him to succeed. Needless to say, Werth passed his test with flying colors. This season, Werth may be playing for the chance to cash in big on the open market. All signs point to Werth having a monster season. Ibanez is a bit of a riddle. His first two months were absolutely torrid. In fact, people were talking about Ibanez being an MVP candidate. Then the hernia injury happened. It's hard to say how much that injury effected Ibanez. Throughout his career Ibanez has had a sub .900 OPS. Even adjusting for the more hitter friendly Citizen's Bank Park, it's hard to argue that Ibanez should have hit better than what he did in 2009. Either way, the Phillies have a quality hitter who hits surprisingly well in against left-handed pitching.

Then there is Ruiz. Words and even stats cannot explain how much better a hitter Ruiz is during the postseason. The transformation is something that leaves most Phillie fans baffled but grateful. I can't speak for all Phillie fans, but I myself feel better when Ruiz comes up than I do when Howard comes up during the postseason (no knock on Ryan).

In addition to upgrading third base, it appears that Ruben has upgraded the bench as well. There is no nice way of saying this, the Phillie bench STUNK in 2009. Of course, against he Yankees, especially at Yankee Stadium, the lack of a bench was not that big a deal. What's most important for the Phils in terms of a potential World Series rematch with the Yankees is ability to insert a 9th quality hitter into the lineup. Last year with Fransisco not hitting well in the postseason, there was really no good option. This year it's possible that the Phillies may several to choose from. Fransisco should be better with the postseason experience of 2009. Ross Gload is an upgrade over the legendary but aging Matt Stairs. Dobbs too should be poised for a comeback year. Ideally, the Phillies would have had Taylor in this spot for the 2010 postseason. There is an outside chance of Dominic Brown being ready by season's end, but given the Phillies history of keeping guys on the farm as long as they can, it would be surprising if they did call up Brown for postseason play.

Overall, Phillie hitting should be better in 2010, but so should Yankee pitching. As noted in last week's article, Phillie pitching should also be better. The only decline as of now is on the Yankee hitting side. All in all, it should be a close series if these two teams do have a World Series rematch in 2010. Right now, I'd say the Yanks would win in 7, but things are far from set at this point in time.

Written by Krukster

Walshy's Wrap Around

Welcome to the 2nd installment of Walshy’s Wrap Around. This Tuesday I will shy away from the Philadelphia Flyers and talk about the trade rumors circulating the NHL. Kovalchuk, Turco, and Lecavalier are the 3 big names being circulated around the league. Ill give a run down of where the possible destinations for thes 3 big names.

Ilya Kovalchuk
Ilya Kovalchuk of the Atlanta Thrashers has been one of the most talked about players coming up to this March’s trade deadline. He is one of the top players in the NHL and posts 30 goals almost every season. Rumors were before this season was that he would leave the NHL and go to KHL in Russia. That could be on some GM’s minds at the deadline. Teams rumored in the running Washington, Calgary, and Toronto. The team that has the talent to do so is the Calgary Flames rumor is that they are offering big hitting defensemen Dion Phanuef in the trade.

Marty Turco
There have been rumors circulating all season about Turco leaving Dallas. Hes been bench in favor of Alex Auld and some say he could be dealt in the next month. Earlier this season Turco was rumored to go to Philadelphia when Emery went down with the abdomen injury but the emergence of Michael Leighton. Accotding to yahoo sports Dallas is looking for young net minder stuck behind a starter somewhere else. All signs point to Minnesota Wild goalie Josh Harding. He is the backup to All-Star goalie Nicklas Backstrom.

Vincent Lecavalier
Every hockey fan remembers the big trade rumors with Vinny going home to Montreal and the standing O he got at the All-Star game last season. Habs fans were excited that the home town boy was coming. The trade deadline went by and nothing happened. The rumors are back again but this time it’s the Rangers trying to get the skilled Center. Rumors are that Defensemen Matt Gilroy, Wade Redden center Brandon Dubinsky or Winger Ryan Callahan would be needed to bring Vinny to MSG. The one problem is that Vinny has no-trade clause in his contract. So I don’t really see anything workinh out again.

Fat Joey

Anybody who has ever bickered and argued with me knows that im not a joe blanton fan at all. when we traded for him i gave him a chance and came out highly disappointing. hes a very solid number 4 pitcher, but not for the price. think of all the alternatives we could have signed for less. we could have signed a possible stud in joel pineiro. although blanton makes 1 mil less in 2010 the two contracts both equal out to 8 mil a year. we possibly could have gotten ben sheets or erik bedard two guys who could come out dominating. so why did we have to sign a mediocre pitcher who has only had ONE good season? better yet why did we sign him for so long? thanks to this contract you might as well kiss jayson werth good bye. its not the shane vic contract that all but garuntees werth is gone unless he takes a discount its this one. the contract given to vic is a well deserved one, and we prob saved money by avoiding arbitration next offseason because 1 more season of what hes been doing these last 2 seasons and he coulda gotten around 10 mil in arbitration. but this one just reeks of awfulness. think long and hard. what would you rather have? a pitcher who can get 12 wins with a 4.10 era or a 5 tool outfielder who will steal 30, hit 30 hr, and roam the outfield like hes a tori hunter clone? better yet, lets say we dont even resign werth, think of the pitchers on the free agent market who will command around 8.5 mil a year like hes getting. theres jorge de la rosa, hes shaky with command but ill still take him over fat joseph, theres vazquez who i believe will have a down season in yankee stadium which will knock him around 8.5 mil or maybe a little higher to 10 mil, theres even the most underrated pitcher in the mlbDuchscherer who will prob get even less than 8.5 mil. now lets take a look at the studs who we could have used that 8.5 mil plus moyers 6.5 mil coming off the books that we possibly could have made a run at. theres the very unlikely option yet still an option cliff lee, theres a little bit of a more realistic guy in brandon webb, and theres the most likely guy in josh beckett, who i am not a fan of but would take him over blanton anyday. hopefully now people will stop praising ruben amaro for a well job done this offseason because he has been far from impressive. ruben was handed the keys to a cadillac and hes slowly turning it into a pinto. thats what we get for promoting this tool instead of the obviously better talent evaluator mike arbuckle. heres to hoping ruben doesnt eff up too much before his tenure in philly is over!

Written by Mike "fiz" Foley

Domination

Hello, my name is Mike Inacio. I will be posting exclusively on the Philadelphia Phillies. Why? Because over the last three years the Phillies have emerged as "MLB's Best". Sure, you can make an argument for the Yankees but for this article.. Its all Philadelphia.

Leading off, I will say that the Phillies have the best lineup 1-8 with versatility up and down it. You have your 8 basic terms 1-8 you need to have a championship caliber team:

The All-Star

The Speed Demon

The Pure Hitter

The Big Man

The Late Bloomer

The Veteran Lefty

The Sometimes Brilliant

The Ridiculous Defensive Catcher

Im sure you can figure out who all of them are but just in case you don't, I'm going to break down just why the Phillies are the pulse of the MLB.

-Jimmy Rollins - SS- #11

Jimmy consistently posts what you expect him to post. Even with his down year this year, he managed to put up some impressive numbers:

.250 Batting Average
21 Homeruns
77 Runs Batted In

31 Stolen Bases

Even with the .250 Batting Average those are still some pretty impressive numbers that a number 6 hitter should be posting.

-Shane Victorino - CF - #8

Shane posted up All-Star numbers this year and continued to lead the Phillies in batting:

.292 Batting Average

10 Homeruns

62 Runs Batted In

25 Stolen Bases

Sir, I'd like to order a prototypical, All-Star, #2 Hitter please?

One Shane Victorino coming right up.

-Chase Utley - 2B - #26

Now, to the best hitter in MLB. Sure you have Albert and Joseph but Chase Utley may have the best mechanicalized swing in the whole MLB. He has continued to receive endless praise from managers and front office members for his work ethic.

.282 Batting Average

31 Homeruns

93 Runs Batted In

23 Stolen Bases (caught 0 times)

Chase Utley is perfect. Metaphorically and Literally. He seems to do everything perfect and deliver in clutch situations. not to mention he was not caught one time during the 2009 campaign.

-Ryan Howard - 1B - #6

Nothing much to say about this guy. Except for the fact he has hit at least 45 Homeruns and knocked in over 130 runs in the last 4 years. Potential Hall-of-Famer at this point? Debatable.

.279 Batting Average

45 Homeruns

141 Runs Batted In

8 Stolen Bases

A couple things to address with Howard also. Howard dropped 20+ lbs in the winter of '09. This allowed him to dramatically increase his fielding ability and steal 8 bases! Not to mention he is the fastest in MLB history to 100,150, and 200 homeruns.

-Jayson Werth - RF - #28

Jayson blossomed on to the MLB scene with amazing power and speed. He was coined as a Dodger top prospect at one point but suffered wrist injuries. He has left the fans in awe with some of his gargantuan homeruns and mind-blowing throws from right field.

.268 Batting Average

36 Homeruns

99 Runs Batted In

20 Stolen Bases

Werth compiled a classical 30/30 type potential season and it only seems he is growing closer to a 40 homerun season to compliment Howard. Jayson looks to be in pinstripes for a while.

- Raul Ibanez - LF - #29

Raul was welcomed into Philadelphia with lukewarm feelings, just simply because of the departure of Pat Burrell. Some "experts" called it the "worst signing in 2009". It was a 3-Year $30,000,000 contract that sure did not disappoint.

.272 Batting Average

34 Homeruns

93 Runs Batted In

0 Stolen Bases

Raul Ibanez was half-man, half-who the **** is this guy throughout the whole season and proved to be extremely helpful. He went down from June to July with a groin strain and missed 15+ games which surely cost him 6+ homeruns. he was also playing hurt though out most of his time from July to November, limiting his ability

-Placido Polanco - 3B - #27

POLLY! Placido "Eggshell" Polanco is back and is being welcomed back with open arms. His potential to hit up to .330 is quite an exciting thought given his sick fielding abilities and phenomenal hand-eye coordination it looks like we will forget about Pete Happy very soon.

.282 Batting Average

10 Homeruns

72 Runs Batted In

7 Stolen Bases

Placido Polanco is making the shift to 3B. The first time since 2005 with the Phillies. Polanco is slated to bat 2nd in the lineup behind Jimmy Rollins.

- Carlos Ruiz - C - #

Carlos "Chooch" Ruiz had a breakout year in 2009, emerging not only as a great backstop for the pitchers, but also a solid #8 force behind the plate. He raised his average over 35 points from a year ago.

.255 Batting Average

9 Homeruns

43 Runs Batted In

3 Stolen Bases

Chooch will almost certainly start the season out as the backstop. He and Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina share the throne for best defensive NL catcher.

The Phillies, with the addition of Pollyanco have greatly upgraded their offence. But they also added an OK player into their pitching department as well.

-Roy Halladay - SP - #34

17W-10L

2.79 ERA

208 K

Roy Halladay. Roy Halladay. Roy Halladay. Yeah go ahead keep saying it. Roy Halladay. Roy Frickin' Halladay. We got him. The best pitcher in baseball is ours and will win the NL Cy Young award pitching in the inferior NL East compared to the strong AL East. While the AL East is compromised of the Bombers, the Beans, the Rays, Jays and O's the NL East is constructed of the Phillies, Mutts, Fish, Bravos, and Knats. Halladay will certainly get over 20 wins with his new team.

- Cole Hamels - SP - #35

10W-11L

4.35 ERA

168 K

The former pitching Phenom has been under some heat for his '09 performance but expect a bounce back year from the ace. We have 2 aces in Hamels and Halladay. HH. The Boys. We have a great 1-2 punch in them two.

- Joe Blanton - SP - #56

12W-8L

4.05 ERA

163 K

With his new contract extension he seems to be a Phillie for the next 3 years. Big Joe. He is average but you know what you'll get which is good. He will deliver a 4.00 ERA and we will like it because we need a SP that we know that were getting.

- JA Happ - SP - #43

12W-4L

2.93 ERA

119 K

JA Happ burst onto the Major League scene with his dynamic 2009 season filled with 2 complete games and a World Series appearance. Other than half-a-year of Cliff Lee, Happ was the Phillies best pitcher during the 2009 season

The Philadelphia Phillies have a world-class team, stocked with All-Stars and look like the favorite to return to the World Series..yet again

Domingo Santana Interview

Interview with Domingo Santana

I was able to get a chance to ask Domingo Alberto Santana, a top prospect in the Phillies organization a few questions on his career on the GCL Phillies squad. Domingo was rated as the #6 prospect in the minor leagues (according to phuturephillies the reader vote, big shout out) for the Phillies at the age of 17 and seems like he can only get better at his huge 6’5” 200 pound frame. He will be a key player considering the fact that he’s a right handed power outfielder, the last the Phillies have after trading Taylor. Gillies, Gose and Brown, are all terrific prospects but all bat lefty, so it will be key for Domingo to shine as a prospect and ultimately a baseball player.

His stats for a player his age are nothing short of terrific http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=santan002dom with the only negative maybe being strikeouts. Other than that he was able to crush opposing pitchers for 6 HRS and 28 RBIs in just 37 games. An equivalent of a player at his h/w and power would be none other than new Texas Ranger slugger Vladimir Guerrero, who played at age 18 in rookie league producing .314 BAA, 5 HRS, 25 RBIS in the same amount of games. Now I’m not saying that Domingo has a chance of becoming Vladimir because all prospects are prospects until proven, but I’m saying watch out, Mr. Santana might be one of the top outfielders when he arrives in a few years (anyone if they agree/disagree can comment below, and make sure to criticize if he does not pan out, but be prepared to commend me, because I think Domingo really has the power, ability, and mindset to becoming a superstar Philadelphia Phillies player).

Q: What does it feel like to be a baseball player and do you like the Phillies organization?

A: “Its feel great cause its always been my dream to be a pro baseball player for the Phillies, its a good organization”

Q: Did you ever think at age 16 you would have this much power (6 hrs in 37 games)?

A: “Lolzz never, i really work hard to get the results i got last year in GCL”

Q: I’m hoping that you are going to be a top prospect and ultimately a star player in a couple years. Do you think you’ll be able to move up the system to eventually becoming the Philadelphia Phillies starting OF?

A: “Yes im really confident thats if i keep working hard i will be the # 1 prospect of the phillies organization, i have been playing baseball since i was 4 with my father, he the one that always push me to keep goin....”

Thanks to Domingo for his time, and comments from the Phans are greatly appreciated!

Written by JKearse123

Reality Check

Hi everyone, my name is Lou but you can call me by my secret identity name, Ultimate Lou. I plan to be the ultimate pain in your ass. Why? I’m a Met fan. And the only thing that I believe are lower than slugs crawling on crap (Yankee fans) are philly slugs…crawling on glass. But enough of the pleasantries, let’s get down to it.

It’s time for a reality on check. For the last 3 years, philly has been suffering from a bad case of diarrhea of the mouth. Here’s why: In 2007, when the Mets (I will admit it) choked, philthidelphia was given the division title. No, you didn’t win it; it was handed to you on a silver platter. Then you proceeded to piss it away as you got swept by the Rockies. (The Rockies?!...HAAAAAAAAA!!!!). In 2008, the Mets were on their way and suffered the unfortunate injury to our closer and a semi-choke happened. So who gets handed the division title again? The philthidelphia philthies. And this time, with no Joe Carter to face them (and no Mitch Williams to serve one up), they beat the Tampa Bay (Devil) Expansion Team That Got Lucky Rays. And in true philthy style, the fans celebrate the only way they know how: burning cars and looting. My favorite video is of the guy up on a lamppost and people are throwing beer bottles at him. When he gets clocked in the head and heads face down in the pavement, the cheers get even louder. Ah yes, philthie fans at their best. Let’s move on to 2009. Sportswriters all over the country pick the Mets to win. And sure enough, every star on the team seems to have a black cat cross them. (Must have a been one of those philly strays that they missed for their so-called cheese”cat”steak sandwiches). Lo and behold, gift-wrapped and put on phillys doorstep, another division title. Low and behold, they get bitch-slapped by their counter slugs, the Yank-mees. Here was to their chance to play in the toilet bowl of Yank-mee Stadium (vs. their outhouse in philly) and they get flushed by a team that has used more steroids than hoes have has johns.
So starts a new season of hope, promise and the search for the next 10,000 loses for the philthiedelphia philthies. Could this be the year you actually WIN the division? Or are you going to depend on another year of bad luck on the Mets part? Already, things are looking up for you. Beltran is out and between the lies from the Front Office and the Keystone Kop doctors, the philthies have another chance to cruise to an empty title to then: give it away in the first round, stumble in the next round or MAYBE beat the Indians? (Kinda like “duh” braves 1 World Series win against a team cursed never to win a WS).
So anyway, good luck…………sorry, I couldn’t stop laughing. I don’t mean that. You are a team so beneath us, which is why you’re not worth even putting a capital letter in front of your name.

written by Ultimate Lou

Sizing Up Baseball's Triumvirate.

While nothing is life is ever a given, it's pretty clear to anyone who pays attention to baseball that three teams rise above all going into the 2010 season. The Phillies, Yankees and Red Sox are all equipped to make a run for the title. All three bring great hitting, pitching and defense to the table, as well as considerable postseason experience. This week's article will focus on how the Phillies pitching matches up against the Yankees hitting.

Phillie pitchers vs. Yankee hitters

Few Philly fans will admit that the Yankees outclassed the Phillies in the 09' World Series. They'll point to the amazing series that Matsui had, or the boneheaded mistakes made by Feliz and Lidge in the game 4 of the series. But the simple fact of the matter is that the better team won. Not since the 93' Jays have I seen a lineup as scary from top to bottom as that of the 09' Yankees. For now, it looks like Phillie pitchers will get at least some breaks, if and when they traverse through the Yankee lineup in 2010.

Key for the Phillies in this match up are the apparent departures of Matsui and Damon. In their place, for now, is the seemingly harmless Brett Gardner and the respectable but hardly scary Nick Johnson. As for Granderson, he's a modest but not substantial upgrade over Cabrera. It was the Yankee offense that ultimately proved to be too much for the Phillies to handle. Even as the Phillies were able to neutralize Teixeira, Cano and Swisher, others such as Matsui and Damon were able to step in and pick up the slack. The 2010 Yankee lineup will still be very dangerous, but not as deep. And many of the veteran Yankee hitters such as ARod, Jeter and Posada will be another year older. This is not inconsequential when talking about players in their mid to late 30s. In fact, it may be the Phillie lineup that proves to be the one without any weaknesses, especially if one of the Phillie bench guys emerges as a dangerous hitter.

The Yankee bench as of now looks like a collection of unproven youngsters. In games played at the Bank, Nick Johnson should end up being the first bat at off the bench. This lack of proven talent off the bench could be exploited by the Phillies in home games against the 2010 Yankees. But I for one seriously doubt that the Yankees wouldn't address this potential weakness before the 2010 postseason began. In games played at Yankee stadium, the Yankee bench will for the most part be a non factor. One thing to note however is the potential departure of Molina, who basically served as Burnett's personal catcher in 09'. Burnett has had control problem throughout his career, especially with his curve-ball. Losing Molina could take away the confidence that Burnett had throwing his breaking pitches during the 09' World Series.

Looking at Phillie pitching, it's fair to say that the quality of the starting pitching should be about the same. While Doc may be a better overall pitcher than Lee, it is hard to imagine him besting Lee's performance in the 2009 postseason. Cole will look to rebound from a very forgettable 09' season that saw him lose control of his curve and subsequently his composure. If 09' taught Cole anything, it's that he needs to add a 4th pitch to his arsenal for when his curve-ball gets away from him. Reports have Cole working on such a pitch (cutter or slider), but until we see him throwing it on a major league mound it's all speculation. Needless to say things can't get any worse for Cole than they were in 09', when all he had was his fastball and changeup.

As for the rest of the starters, Blanton is what he is. Against the 09' Yankee lineup, Joe was simply overmatched. Against the 2010 version, he may be up to the task. Blanton gave up 4 runs in 6 innings against the Yankees in the 09' World Series. While those numbers may look respectable, anyone who watched could see that Joe was walking a tightrope through that deep Yankee lineup. Having a couple of average hitters mixed in the Yankee lineup should give Blanton the breaks he needs to get through 5-7 innings in one piece. Happ is the real dark-horse here. As a rookie he surprised even his biggest fans by posting a sub 3 ERA in 166 innings of work. Key to his success was the deception in the delivery of his otherwise average fastball. Happ was never given the chance to show his stuff in the 09' postseason. But as it stands now, Happ will start for the Phillies in the postseason. Against the left heavy Yankee lineup, Happ might actually do well. And if he can get his cutter working early, he should be able to hold his own against Yankee right-handed hitters as well. All of this assumes that the Phillies will not add another starting pitcher to their 2010 rotation, an assumption that few Philly fans would bet their houses on.

The Phillie bullpen had an 09' season to forget. Lidge was awful, and Romero a complete non factor. Even Madson failed to repeat the dominance he showed in the second half and postseason of 08'. That being said, it wasn't the Phillie bullpen that did the Phillies in against the Yankees in 09'. Truth is that the bullpen was never given a small lead protect. And the game 4 debacle can be blamed more on the defense (which Lidge was a part of) than the actual pitching. But if the bullpen does repeat its 09' performance that could squash any chance the Phillies have in a matchup against the Yankees in 2010. We can only assume that Lidge will be better (how could he be worse?), especially with the surgeries he's had. Romero needs to come back, as the Phillies still don't have a proven alternative left-handed set up man. Madson needs to rediscover the dominance he had in 09'. Baez gives the Phillies a solid veteran reliever whose ability to keep the ball in the park should prove quite valuable against the Yankees in either park. A couple of youngsters (Bastardo, Mathieson) give the Phillies potential bullpen dark-horses in 2010. Mathieson in particular looks like he could be a future closer. If Lidge flops, the Phillies might consider giving Mathieson the job over Madson, who has not proven up to the task when it comes to closing. Bastardo might have to fill the role of left handed specialist, especially if Romero does not return to form and Eyre proves too old and injured to be effective. Lack of good left handed pitching in the pen could prove to be an Achilles heel for the Phillies in a rematch with the Yankees. Ruben Amaro will have to keep close tabs on this situation during the 2010 season.

Overall the Phillies are probably gonna be slightly better pitching wise in 2010. The Yankee hitting will probably be slightly worse (but still very good). It wouldn't hurt to add another front-line starter to the mix, maybe one like.... Cliff Lee.

Written by Krukster

Walshy's Wrap Around

Welcome to the first installment of Walshy’s Wrap Around. Each Tuesday I will be talking about the ins and outs of the Philadelphia Flyers Organization.

The Flyers come into Tuesday with a 6-3-1 record in their last 10 games but also on a 2 game losing skid. Coming into tonight’s game against the former head coach Ken Hitchcock and the Columbus Blue Jackets there is one big question on fans minds who is the starting goalie. Ray Emery started off hot this season posting a shutout in his first game as a Flyer and posted up 11 wins before he went down with an abdominal injury which landed him on the IR.

In comes Michael Leighton, 28 year old goaltender from Petrolia, Ontario. Who most recently was the backup goalie for the Carolina Hurricanes, was claimed off waivers by the Flyers on December 15th. In his time on the Flyers he has an 8-1-1 record in 11 starts with a 2.39 GAA. Which way to go? Go with the guy who was 8-1-1 in his last 10 starts or go with the goaltender who you took the risk on and signed in the off-season. Only time will tell who the go with.
My Vote: Ray Emery

On to the offensive side of the team. Captain Mike Richards currently leads the team with 19 goals and 40 points on the season. The one guy on the offensive side of the ice I have my concerns about is Scott Hartnell. Last Season he was one of the top point producers on the team with 60 points this season he is at 27 points through 46 games which puts him as 7th best on the team. Trade rumors have been circulating about him but it’s a slump he could break and I hope he can break out of it.

On the Slate this week Tuesday the 19th vs. Columbus 7:00 pm EST, Thursday the 21st vs. NYR at 7pm EST, Saturday the 22nd vs. Carolina 1:00 pm EST, and finally Sunday the 24th on NBC against Pittsburgh at 12:30 pm EST. See you next Tuesday in the next installment of Walshy’s Wrap Around

Written by Pat Walsh

The Phenom

Many people who know me know i like joking around about JA Happ. i call him the phenom and compare him to pitchers such as Walter Johnson and Bob Gibson. but its time i realistically take a look at "The Phenom".

Happs History leading up to this season has been one hell of a roller coaster ride. Happ had a very forgettable debut in 07 starting the game throwing 4 innings of 7 hit 5 er ball. His punishment? an immediate demotion back to the minors. his reaction? he fought and pitched his heart out to get a second chance with the club. in 2008 he stringed together a few good starts and pitched out of the pen. his highlight of 08 was outdueling Johan Santana of the New York Mets. this is the second i hopped on the "Phenoms" bandwagon. i remember exactly where i was when i watched this game as it is etched into my memory. all in all he put together nice enough of a season with a 3.69 era to put his name out there, and when spring training rolled around, boy was his name out there for the fifth spot in the rotation. Ultimatly in the end he lost out to newly signed pitcher Chan Ho Park. after a string of bad starts by Chan Ho, Happ found his way back into the rotation and he never looked back. Near the end of the season he injured himself and in turn struggled in the month of September, and struggled even worse in the month of October.

So where does that leave us now? that leaves us with a Healthy Happ for a full season. So what can we realistically expect from our "Phenom"? Some may argue that Happs struggles near the end of the season was really just the league catching onto him, which might be what happened. Happ never had dazzling stuff. The reason he was so hard to hit was because of the deception in his delivery, but has that deception run its course? The only real way to tell is by playing the waiting game. The bright side of this all is Happ will not be counted on hugely like he was last season. If Hollywood Hamels re-emerges then Happ posting a 2.93 era again will only be icing on the cake, but if Happ slips a little and posts a high 3 era it wont be the end of the world. Happ goes into next season as our number 4 pitcher so anything under a 4 from him is way better than anything the other #4 pitchers around the league are giving their respectable teams.

So now its time to share my thoughts. What do i think the "Phenom" will do? i think the "Phenom" will have a respectable season, but nothing along the lines of his breakout 09 season. Expecting anything under a 3 from any pitcher is a lot to ask for, even halladay, its not easy to pitch your way to a dominating season in todays MLB full of small parks and power based offenses. Realistically i can see Happ following up 09 with a 3.70 era. its nothing to rave about but its still pretty damn good...especially for your number 4 pitcher. i would include his amount of wins but anyone who talks baseball with me knows how much of an overrated stat i think it is considering its based more on offensive support than on individual performance. Happ will go on to have a respectable career of being a workhorse, but will never relive his 09 season. take it for what its worth but as stated in the above paragraph, Happ has never had dazzling stuff, hes just your typical thinking mans pitcher. The man i like to compare him to is Jamie Moyer, he cant throw it past you, and he most likely wont win a Cy Young, but he is the type of guy many dont appreciate. So heres to you JA "The Phenom" Happ. Go make Bob Gibson and Walter Johnson Jealous of your talents!

Written by Mike "fiz" Foley

The Press Has Arrived

PhillyPress is a online blog where your typical Philadelphia fans voice their opinion. With Different voices each day of the week the Press is looking to gain a little popularity and hopefully give fans outside of Philadelphia a look into whats going on and maybe give fans within Philadelphia a new outlook. The lineup is due to bring in many different views. Some in the lineup will defend the organization and im sure some will second guess every little move that is made. no matter which side they are on you will see full no censorship of what they believe.

Mondays - Mike "fiz" Foley
Tues - Pat Walsh
Wednesdays - Krukster
Thursdays - Ultimate Lou
Fridays - JKearse123
Saturdays - Mike Innacio

and we might be adding another writer in the near future. so enjoy our little project and watch it blossom into the next big thing