8 Reasons Philadelphia Phillies vs. Tampa Bay Rays Is a World Series Preview

No Tampa Bay Rays fan—or Phillies fan—can forget what happened during October of 2008. The Rays won the pennant in the franchise's first-ever postseason appearance, while Philadelphia won their first World Series title in 28 years.

A lot has changed since then, but the two teams are still not so different from their 2008 squads in terms of talent.

Today, the Rays are visiting the Phillies in Clearwater for an ESPN-televised spring training matchup. Although the game obviously doesn't have much importance at all, it gets me wondering whether a Rays-Phillies World Series rematch could be a possibility this fall.

Take a look at eight reasons why I believe today's game is a World Series preview.

Pitching Staff

It's clear that both these clubs are carried by excellent starting pitching.

The Rays and Phillies probably have the best starting fives in their respective leagues, and arguably the two best rotations in all of baseball.

The Phillies led the MLB in team earned-run average last season, smashing the competition with a ridiculously low 3.02 ERA.

The Rays were not so far behind at all, as their starting staff was indisputably the best in the American League.

Philadelphia has a very talented front four in their rotation to start the season—featuring Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Vance Worley and Cole Hamels. I wouldn't be surprised if that group ends up as the best starting quartet in baseball.

If those four stay healthy, you can expect the Phillies to win a lot of games this year.

The Rays have an outstanding rotation themselves, featuring a very impressive group of young arms led by James Shields.

Following Shields is All-Star David Price, Rookie of the Year Jeremy Hellickson, top-prospect Matt Moore and then Jeff Niemann in the fifth spot. A rotation with a pitcher like Niemann in the fifth hole really shows just how amazing the Rays' young pitching talent is.

Offseason Acquisitions

Both the Rays and the Phillies made offseason moves that should make them a better team in 2012.

The Phillies made big headlines when they signed former Red Sox star closer Jonathan Papelbon.

Papelbon will be a key piece to the Phils' success, especially with Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge no longer with the team.

If Papelbon can play up to expectations, Philadelphia's bullpen will be strong enough to make a serious postseason run.

The Phillies also signed Ty Wigginton, who should provide the team with utility as well as a little extra power.

Surprisingly, the Rays probably had more offseason action than the Phillies. They addressed some major holes on the roster by picking up veteran catcher Jose Molina, bringing back slugger Carlos Pena and signing Luke Scott to be their DH.

Hitting was by far the main problem for the Rays last season, and I believe the Rays will finally be able to break through the ALDS barrier with an adequate offense.

Besides improving the offense, the Rays' front office also made some moves to reinforce the bullpen. They found a ground-ball specialist in Burke Badenhop and middle reliever in Fernando Rodney.

The Rays' bullpen was good but not perfect last year, and they hope that these two newcomers will contribute this season.

Defense

There were two teams tied with the highest fielding percentage in the majors last season.

Those two teams were Philadelphia and Tampa Bay, who led the league with a great .988 percentage.

The Rays and Phillies simply make their opponents earn wins—rarely do they throw away games by fielding blunders.

Good defense is a key ingredient to a championship-winning ball club, and these two teams are very good all-around in that category. 

The Phillies have a terrific infield, starting with catcher Carlos Ruiz, who I believe has been the X-factor for this team.

First baseman Ryan Howard, second baseman Chase Utley, three-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop Jimmy Rollins and three-time Gold Glove-winning third baseman Placido Polanco round out what is probably the National League's best infield. 

In the outfield, Philadelphia feature a three-time Gold Glove center fielder in Shane Victorino, who probably has the best range out of all NL center fielders. In right field is Hunter Pence, who's also an excellent defensive player.

The Rays are not so much about defensive stardom as the Phillies are, but they get the routine plays done better than anybody in baseball. Their infield features veteran catcher Jose Molina, former Gold Glover Carlos Pena, baseball's best utility fielder at second base in Ben Zobrist, Sean Rodriguez at short and baseball's best defensive third baseman in Evan Longoria.

Tampa Bay's infield functions as well as any team's, and the communication is outfield. Although the Rays don't have any famous double-play combinations, there aren't many teams at all who are as slick on the DP as the Rays are.

The Rays have talented outfield as well. B.J. Upton shows off his great arm and range in center, while Desmond Jennings and Matt Joyce make good corner outfielders.

Tampa Bay's Running Game

The Rays' offensive production really lives in their excellent running game.

The Rays led the American League with 155 stolen bases last season, which wasn't a surprise to anyone.

They're stacked with young speedsters who can drive opposing pitchers crazy on the basepaths. 

They have plenty of players capable of stealing bases on the roster, including B.J. Upton (36 stolen bases in 2011), Sam Fuld, Desmond Jennings, Sean Rodriguez, Elliot Johnson, Reid Brignac and Ben Zobrist.

Jennings is the fastest runner and the biggest base-stealing threat out of all these names.

Playing his first full season with the Rays and filling in at the leadoff spot will quickly make him the team's next base-stealing star.

Philadelphia's Lineup

When healthy, the Phillies are one of baseball's most offensively dangerous teams.

They have a lineup with a boatload of power and a handful of very good hitters.

Whenever all the main starters are healthy for Philadelphia, their lineup would likely include Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, Hunter Pence, Shane Victorino, John Mayberry and Carlos Ruiz.

It's a star-filled lineup that is truly unbeatable when playing to its potential.

The Phillies' offensive depth is another thing that's a bit of a scare to NL opponents.

Their bench includes Ty Wigginton, Juan Pierre, Scott Podsednik, Jim Thome and Laynce Nix. The fact that Wigginton, Pierre and Thome are starters on a handful of teams just shows how good the Phillies' starting lineup is. 

A good bench like the one the Phillies have makes any offense more potent. Players like Wigginton and Thome will be crucial pieces for Philly this year as they play through key injuries.

The Cardinals Won't Defend Their NL Title

The World Champion St. Louis Cardinals were the only thing that stood in the way of another NL pennant for the Phillies last year.

As the 2012 season starts, there are some good reasons to believe that they don't have what it takes to return to the World Series.

For starters, the man who has carried the team for 10 years is no longer a Cardinal.

The Los Angeles Angels signed Albert Pujols to a mega-deal this winter, leaving St. Louis without their superstar slugger in 2012.

The Cardinals offense simply won't be good enough to win the pennant this season without Pujols.

Losing Pujols is not the only big preseason blow the Cardinals took. It looks like they're going to be without their ace Chris Carpenter for a significant amount of time.

Carpenter is experiencing a nerve issue in his pitching shoulder, which is very bad news for Cardinals fans.

Even with Adam Wainwright back in the rotation, I don't think the Cardinals will be able to win the pennant without a healthy Chris Carpenter.

Boston Won't Be Able to Keep the Rays out of the Playoffs

Looking at the Boston Red Sox entering the 2012 season, I don't think they have what it takes to best the Rays this year. 

There's only one reason why—their starting rotation.

Boston's front three starters are strong—Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Josh Beckett—but they're clearly weak in the back of their rotation.

Former setup reliever Daniel Bard will join the starting rotation this season, which is already a big question mark.

Bard is probably going to have problems adjusting as full-time starter, and I doubt he'll get the job done in Boston's rotation.

Boston's fifth starter is still undecided, and it's really their main area of concern at the moment. Bobby Valentine's choice will probably come down to Alfredo Aceves, Felix Doubront, Aaron Cook or Vicente Padilla.

Doubront and Cook posted ERAs over six last year, Aceves was a reliever last season, and Padilla only pitched a total of 8.2 innings in 2011. In other words, not much at all can be expected out of the Red Sox's fifth starter.

The Sox weren't able to keep the Rays out of the playoffs because of their starting pitching last season, and unless they improve, it's likely that the same will happen in 2012.

Postseason Experience

One of the main reasons I think the Rays and Phillies could be meeting in the 2012 World Series is because it's already happened before.

The Phillies defeated the Rays in 2008 World Series, and since then, both teams have seen quite a lot of playoff action.

The Phillies have not missed the playoffs since 2006 and have won two pennants since, while the Rays have made three playoff appearances in the last four years.

Both teams have succeeded to some extent in recent postseason play, and they know what it takes to go far in October.