The Phillies will try for a third consecutive National League Pennant this season and more. It will not be an easy task, but the team certainly has the ability to get to the World Series again.
The Fightin’ Phils, despite having a good deal of talent, also have some question marks.
Roy Halladay is the team’s clear-cut ace. He is considered to be the very best pitcher in the major leagues by many baseball experts. Not only for his ability, but also because of his outstanding work ethic. Halladay understands that talent alone will not make him a great pitcher. He realizes that he must keep himself in tremendous shape. And work at his craft as well.
Hopefully, some of that will rub off on the team’s number two starting pitcher Cole Hamels. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said that Hamels was not in the best shape last season. And that he [Hamels] understands that he needs to work a little harder to be the great pitcher that everyone hopes he will be. Very simply, the Phillies hopes of becoming World Series Champions in 2010 will depend greatly on how well Hamels pitches. The lanky left-hander will try to develop another pitch this Spring, perhaps a slider or cutter. One thing is clear, Hamels must add a third pitch to his arsenal. Because a major league starter is not going to have a lot of success by only throwing a fastball and a changeup in today’s game. The hitters in this league are far too good. J.A. Happ will probably be the third starter. He will look to build on a promising rookie season. Happ shows a good demeanor out on the mound. I like the way he mixed his pitches for the most-part last year. Remember, Happ had the team’s best ERA of any of its starting pitchers and a solid win total with 12. Happ allowed just 2.93 runs per game in 2009.
Joe Blanton will probably give Philadelphia his usual 12 or 13 wins with an ERA around 4.20 or 4.30- which is not bad for a fourth starter.

The fifth starter is still undecided. Kyle Kendrick appears to have the edge, but I am not sure what has changed with this guy. I think Kendrick is a marginal major league pitcher at best. I look for Jamie Moyer to challenge for this spot when he is healthy.
I am extremely worried about the Phillies bullpen. Brad Lidge is the most important part of this area. If he struggles again this season, the team will have a difficult time getting back to the Series. I know they did it last year without him having a stellar year, but it is so hard to win without a good closer. Ryan Madson is a setup guy, not a closer. When he is going good, Madson’s live arm and changeup make him as good as any setup pitcher in baseball.
Hopefully, Chad Durbin can regain the form he had in 2008 when the Phillies bullpen was considered a strongpoint. Durbin was very inconsistent in 2009. At times, when the Phils would look to Durbin last season, he got them in more trouble. Rather than helping the squad out of it. The Phillies need J.C. Romero to find the form he had in 2008 also. The team is counting on him to be a possible setup guy. But most importantly, the left-hander needs to get left-handed hitters out at the plate.
Antonio Bastardo has a chance to make the team as a left-hander out of the pen or as a fifth starter. Bastardo has a good fastball. But he needs to become more efficient with his changeup and it would also serve him well to develop a third pitch.
Right-handers Danys Baez and Jose Contreras were brought in to add depth in the bullpen. Baez has seen time in the Majors as a closer with Tampa Bay and Cleveland. I am sure manager Charlie Manuel will not hesitate to use Baez in that role should Lidge struggle again this year.
Ryan Howard put up MVP-type power numbers last season. In which he hit 45 home runs and knocked in 141 runs. It was nice to see a dramatic improvement from a defensive standpoint as well. Howard needs to be more consistent offensively from beginning to end this season. Most of his production with the bat has been back-loaded.
The funny thing is Chase Utley normally comes out of the gate hot. And tends to have a period where he struggles late in the year. So I guess Howard and Utley sort of carry the offense at different points of the year.
Jimmy Rollins needs to have a better year offensively in 2010 than he did in 2009. If he is going to be the leadoff hitter, he must begin to resemble one at the plate. Rollins has not done that the past 2 seasons. I know they got to the Series both of those years, but it was their pitching that did it.
Placido Polanco is back in town to play third base. He replaces Pedro Feliz. Amaro said he wanted more consistent offense from that position.
Carlos Ruiz will be calling games behind the plate for the Phils. Ruiz was terrific offensively in the post-season in 2009. And he is always exceptional defensively.
In the outfield, Shane Victorino is in center, Raul Ibanez is in left, and rising star Jason Werth is in right. I would like to see Victorino walk a little more. Ibanez needs to be strong in the second half of the season, not just the first. From Werth, I would like to see a higher batting average. I think the Phillies have a good chance of getting back to the World Series this season as long as they do not have any major injuries. If they stay healthy, they can get there. But I do not believe they can beat the Yankees or Red Sox to win it all. They would need both Halladay and Cliff Lee to accomplish that task. The only trouble is, Lee is in Seattle.