Phillies – The Verducci Effect seizes another victim in Cole Hamels.
Hamels was a horse for the Phillies all season, throwing 227.1 innings in the regular season. Based on these numbers, he is a clear top ten starter, but the added workload is a bit alarming.
Not only did he throw 44 more innings than the previous season, but he threw an additional 35 innings in the postseason. Total 2007 innings: 190. Total 2008 innings: 262.1. That’s a big delta for a guy that just turned 25 this off season.
NL Central
Astros – The Hunter Pence we saw in 2008 is what we get going forward.
After Pence burst onto the scene in 2007 with his solid .322/.360/.539 line, there were high hopes for 2008. His decline, while mainly seen in batting average, was predictable based on his unsustainable .378 BABIP in 2007.
Pence is usually drafted before the 10th round. With his average potentially in the .270 range, maybe consider waiting a few rounds to grab the upside of Adam Jones.
Brewers – Rickie Weeks struggles atop the Brewers lineup.
Last season, the Brewers lead off position had the 28th ranked batting average and 17th ranked OBP, mainly thanks to Weeks, who just can’t seem to put it all together. While I expect the Brewers rotation to struggle in 2009, the offense should continue to improve.
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