Jimmy Rollins

By Mike Harris, Senior Writer for 4thandHome.com

Our first entry in this series looked at the September Star phenomenon and how an astute eye could have forecasted a Jose Bautista 2010 breakout. This week, we take a look at our first nominee, Drew Stubbs, to determine if he's destined for 2011 stardom.

Hope springs eternal for all 30 MLB teams this time of year. 

Spring is a time of rebirth, renewal and new beginnings.  At the first crack of the bat, anything is possible.

For the Phillies, 2011 could be all that and more.  The potential of this team is unlimited.  But potential does not guarantee success, as execution and a little bit of luck will play a major role in the outcome.

However, the Phillies do have plenty of reasons to be hopeful.  Here are five good omens for the Phillies as they begin spring training.

As pitchers and catchers report to their respective Spring Training sites, optimism reigns supreme, from Florida to Arizona.

Every team believes, with just a few breaks, it can make a run at the playoffs. The harsh realities of June and July, and the dog days of August are inconsequential this time of year.

Of course, with hopeless optimism comes the inevitable whisper of doubt. Each National League organization, from the pitching rich Phillies, to the perennially hopeless Pirates, has its share of question marks. 

Coming off a year plagued with injuries, Jimmy Rollins has many reasons to rebound in 2011.

But should he bat leadoff or should the job pass to Shane Victorino?

In 2010, Victorino took the majority of the at-bats in the leadoff spot while Rollins nursed a sore calf.

In 348 at-bats in the leadoff spot, Victorino posted a .276 batting average; Rollins, in 294 at-bats in the same spot, batted only .242.

As MLB Spring Training approaches, predictions are being thrown around like snowballs in winter.

For the Phillies organization, losing a big offensive star in Jayson Werth was met with the arrival of pitching ace Cliff Lee.

When the opportunity arose for me to make some wild predictions of my own for the upcoming season, I couldn’t resist.

The following slideshow is my five wild predictions for the 2011 MLB season pertaining to the Philadelphia Phillies.

For the 2012 season, it should be a reasonable assumption that the Philadelphia Phillies will contain both Jimmy Rollins and Roy Oswalt.  In 2010, Rollins had a down year due to the fact that he spent nearly half of the season on the disabled list.  However, it is safe to assume that he will return to form in 2010.

I hate to look ahead and into the future, but it's looking like the 2012 free agency period may be an important one for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Many of the main cogs of the franchise will be over to the age of 35 or close to it.  The window isn't exactly opened all the way.

Not only do some of the Phillies prospects have to prosper down the line, Amaro is going to have to make some tough decisions.  Who does he want to re-sign or sign during this time frame.  Philadelphia's farm system is ranked in the top five by the way.

The Philadelphia Phillies shocked the entire baseball world when they signed Cliff Lee last month to a $120 million contract. Ever since the fans in Philadelphia have been anxiously awaiting the start of the season. With the addition of Cliff Lee to their already-stellar rotation already consisting of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels, the Phillies will be practically unstoppable and their opposition has the possibility of facing at least two of these four aces every series.

Since his debut in 2000, Jimmy Rollins has been the driving force for the Philadelphia Phillies both on and off the field. He's the rare type of ball player that doesn't come along all too often. He has been a vocal leader off the field, and has the talent on the field to back that up.

Jimmy Rollins hasn't been the same player since his 2007 NL MVP year.  He's struggled to stay on the field.  Before 2008, Rollins played in 154 plus games in each of his first seven seasons.  He's missed the 154 game plateau in two of the last three years.  He played in 137 games in 2008, 155 in 2009, and 88 last season.   

The great thing for the Phillies is that this is Rollins' contract year; money is motivation.  Rollins is 32, so this could be his final opportunity to get a multi-year offer.