Philadelphia Phillies: Predicting Starting Rotation in 2015

Roy Halladay is arguably the best pitcher in Philadelphia right now. His arm never seems to tire, and he has been an incredible leader for the Philadelphia Phillies throughout the season.

However, in 2015 his contract will expire. He has three years left with an option for 2014.

He very well could be back in Philadelphia after this contract has expired, but let's take a look at five pitchers who will possibly be in the Phillies rotation in 2015.

For this case, I will assume that he will not return just because that is all up in the air.

Cole Hamels

I know that this one is kind of obvious, but Cole Hamels will almost definitely still be with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2015. He has one more year of arbitration eligibility right now, but he will almost surely sign a big extension within the next year.

He will only be 31 in 2015, so he will be right in his prime at that time. He is already a big contributor for the Phillies, and that will probably not change by 2015.

Cliff Lee

Of course, the Philadelphia Phillies could trade Cliff Lee again, but I really do not see that happening. He took less money to play in Philadelphia thus becoming an even greater fan favorite.

He is under contract with the Philadelphia Phillies until 2015 with an option for 2016.

He will be 36 at the beginning of the 2015 campaign, so he will be aging just like everybody else. However, it is still very possible that he will be effective. Many pitchers have done well right up until 40. Lee is a smart pitcher who doesn't really rely on power now. That will benefit him as he ages.

Trevor May

Trevor May just won the Paul Owens Award for Phillies pitchers in 2011. This means that he was the best Phillies minor-league pitcher this season.

He went 10-8 with a 3.63 ERA at Clearwater. His most impressive statistic however is the fact that he has struck out 208 batters in 151.1 innings.

He's clearly overpowering the competition, and check out the video embedded here to see how he works on the mound. If he continues to progress, expect to see him in Philadelphia by 2015.

Jesse Biddle

Although he was only in Single A Lakewood this season, Jesse Biddle already showed some signs at the age of 19 of preparing to dominate. Although he only had a record of 7-8, he had a very nice 2.98 ERA and only allowed seven hits per nine innings on average.

During the 2015 campaign, he will be 23. I know that this might be a bit young, but he has succeeded everywhere he has gone so far. It is not too much of a stretch to think that he might be able to make it to Philadelphia in 2015.

Vance Worley

You knew that he would be on this list. Vance Worley has joined the Philadelphia Phillies this season with tremendous success so far (11-2, 2.92 ERA). I know that scouting reports have tracked him as a fourth starter at best, but he has looked better than that so far this season.

In fact, even if he is only a third starter, someone would need to fill that role for the Phillies. Worley has been solid so far, so even though the future is hard to predict, there is potential there. He will be 27 in 2015, so he should be entering his prime and having continued success.

I hope you enjoyed looking at a potential rotation for the Phillies in 2015 if they do not re-sign Roy Halladay. It is always difficult to predict the future especially this far ahead, but these five seem to definitely be potential options for that scenario.