NL East 2009 Prediction: Mets in First? Braves a Sleeper?

(Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies won the World Series last season, breaking a 25-year championship-less streak for the city of Philadelphia. It was the longest such streak for a four-sport city. The Phillies won on timely hitting, clutch pitching, and plain guts (and also because Jimmy Rollins is Nostradamus).

Addressed Problems

The Phillies addressed most of their problems either at the beginning of last season or before the trade deadline. This offseason, they didn't want to fix what wasn't broken, so they simply added depth. Smart.

They have five capable outfielders who can all hit (Raul Ibanez, Jayson Werth, Matt Stairs, Shane Victorino, Geoff Jenkins), and we know what their infield hitters can do.

Offense

The Phillies offense is just as scary as the Mets—and eerily comparable—but it is more manageable. Unlike the Mets, the Phillies are less balanced on which side of the plate their batters stand. The Phillies are heavily left-handed.

They have some platoon possibilities to offset this (Werth and Jenkins, Greg Dobbs and Pedro Feliz), but their biggest boppers are Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, both lefties. Rollins provides switch-hitting ability, but once you get past him, lefty relievers can come in to challenge the Phils' most dangerous guys.

After coming off a series with the Mets, this would seem like a birthday present. The Phillies will hit well against the Mets and Braves, though, because their two rotations are heavily right-handed.

Defense

Feliz is a marvel at third and doesn't get enough credit. In fact, the three best-fielding third basemen in the National League are all in this division (Wright, Feliz, and Chipper Jones). And I'm not totally convinced David Wright is the best one.

Rollins owns a Gold Glove. Utley and Howard are improving their defense, but if you're going to hit one on the ground, you still want it to be to their side.

The catching is quite good; they have Chris Coste and Carlos Ruiz who can both hit a little as well, and they added Ronnie Paulino for insurance. The Phillies are a top-half-of-the-league fielding squad, but not sensational.

Pitching

Cole Hamels has it figured out. Brett Myers is back in the rotation where he belongs. Blanton is no slouch. The No. 5 spot isn't as competitive as it is for the Mets, but J.A. Happ, Chan Ho Park, and possibly Carlos Carrasco give some insurance for a solid back end of the rotation.

The bullpen is well taken care of and probably deeper than the Mets', with names like Lidge, Romero, Condrey, Madson, Durbin, and Eyre. They will make up for any rotation woes.

Predicted Finish: Second Place (But a close one)

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