Philadelphia Phillies: 10 Bold Predictions for the Team's 2011 Season
Opening day is only seven days away, which means it's time to ponder and predict what the Philadelphia Phillies will accomplish in the 2011 baseball season. They go into this season with one of the best pitching rotations in baseball history and are the presumptive favorites to represent the National League in the World Series.
From Ryan Howard's potential bombs over the left field fence at Citizens Bank park to Raul Ibanez's crucial role with the absence of Jason Werth, we look at these 10 bold predictions for the 2011 Phillies baseball season.
10. Raul Ibanez
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Raul Ibanez will play a bigger role in the offense with the Jason Werth departure. If spring training is any indication, he has already shown flashes to his first season with the Phillies in 2009 when he blasted 34 home runs and drove in 93 RBI.
In exhibition play, Ibanez has 12 hits, three home runs and 12 RBI in 18 games. The Phillies will also need his bat with Chase Utley out of the line up.
9. Roy Oswalt
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The Phillies have arguably assembled the greatest four-some pitching staff since the 1970s Baltimore Orioles. However, it's not 2010 NL Cy Young winner or post-season juggernaut Cliff Lee, but Roy Oswalt who will flourish most of the four.
After coming over from Houston last season, Oswalt posted a 7-1 record and a 1.74 ERA with the Phillies in 12 starts.
8. Luis Castillo
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Luis Castillo has been signed to a ten-day contract and it already started out rocky when manager Charlie Manuel expected him to be in the lineup on March 22nd and he was still at home. A baseball clubhouse is all about chemistry and a team that plays 162 games together have to all be on the same page.
The success of the Phillies the last five years have been bringing in player's who buy into the philosophy of dedication and hard work. The Mets would rather cut him and pay him the $6 million they owe then keep him on the roster. He won't last to next week.
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7. NL East
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For the first time in four years, the Phillies will not win the NL East. Injury concerns and age will creep up on the club. The young stars for the Atlanta Braves like slugger Jason Heyward and a solid pitching staff including veteran Derek Lowe will propel them to the top of the division.
Last season, the Braves finished with 91 wins, six games behind the Phillies. The Phillies like any talented but aging team will have more focus on saving gas in their tank for October than winning games in May and June.
6. Ryan Howard
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Ryan Howard, for the second consecutive year will hit under 40 homeruns. Last season, Howard hit 31 bombs and there's no reason to think it will go up.
We just experienced the year of the pitcher with no sign of defensive baseball slowing down. Pitcher's have become stronger and smarter in their approach to the power hitters in the league.
5. Dominic Brown
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Dominic Brown will have a big year. With hitting in critical moments an Achilles heel last season and during the playoffs, Brown was a breath of fresh air offensively when he got a chance to play.
Brown is the most likely candidate to fill the void left by Werth in right field. He's young, fast and has a lot of upside for a club that's in desperate need of a consistent bat in the lineup.
4. Cole Hamels
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Cole Hamels will revert back to his 2009 form which isn't good news for the Philly faithful. During spring training he has already had issues with controlling his fast ball.
He always has the physical tools, but we have already seen his mental fortitude come into question during the 2009 season when he struggled and just wanted the season to be over posting a 4.32 ERA.
3. Phillies Offensive Struggles Continue
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Phillies will continue to struggle with runners in scoring position. The Phillies have notoriously been dealing with these issues for the past few seasons, even the year they won the World Series in 2008.
They were able to mask this ineptitude by blasting home runs over their opposition’s heads during that run. Last year when the homers in bunches dried out, the weakness of the Phillies not being able to get singles or doubles with men on base became evident ending their season early.
2. Brad Lidge
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Brad Lidge will lead the NL in saves. He might not be the most talented closer in the NL, but he is in an ideal situation to get a lot of saves this season. The Phillies starters will be able to keep games close, while the offense will often sputter equaling tight games going into the ninth inning.
The Phillies will need Lidge to dominate this inning for them to win the many close games they will be a part of in 2011.
1. World Series
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The Phillies will meet the Boston Red Sox in the World Series and lose. The offseason winner besides the Phillies landing Cliff Lee was Boston getting slugger Adrian Gonzalez and speedster Carl Crawford. Most importantly, their other stars are healthy like Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis.
The Red Sox pitching staff is a formidable one to the Phillies with Beckett, Lester, Lackey and Dice-K. The series will go to six games with the Phillies unable to produce enough runs to win it all.
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