Philadelphia Phillies

With spring training having begun, some of the prospects will be trying to earn their spot on the starting lineup, or at least their spot in the 25 man roster. Yesterday we saw the Cole Hamels is due to start the spring training game against the Yankees in Tampa, FL, and Vance Worley is to be the long reliever for that game. With the rotation and bullpen stocked the way that it is, how likely is it that Worley will see major league play time during the regular season?

Philadelphia assembling their four aces over the last seven months they are early favorites to win the World Series this season.  Considering that Oswalt is 33 and turning 34 in August he is getting up there in age for a pitcher, and he might be going on the decline soon.

The Phillies staff this year—if they play the way sports commentators and analysts predict they will—will be great. I am not knocking on their 2011 pitching rotation. They have Roy Halladay (two Cy Young Awards), Cliff Lee (one Cy Young Award), Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels as their projected 1-2-3-4 starters.

If one of them does not win they Cy Young Award this year, then I will be shocked. They should be able to win many games and help the Phillies make the playoffs. 

Jimmy Rollins has transformed into a huge fan favorite in Philadelphia over the past few years with the team. However, after an increase in injuries and a decrease in numbers, is his time in Philadelphia coming to an end?

Rollins has a lot to prove in the upcoming 2011 season. Known for making his bold team predictions, Rollins might want to focus more on himself this season rather than the team.  

With all of the hype and expectations surrounding this Philadelphia Phillies team, we can't say we didn't expect this insane media coverage. That being said, it seems like anything that the Phillies' rotation (insert catchy nickname) does is newsworthy.

Before their grand introduction press conference last week, it was reported that the group gathered around a table for breakfast. Yes, that made the tabloids.

As far as I can tell, there are only two options for the Phillies this season—domination or failure.  

Given the makeup of their pitching rotation, most observers are expecting domination. Total domination. Anything less would be seen as a failure by most.

Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco is approaching two noteworthy milestones in 2011 but he is not the only one. Let's take a look at some of the milestones members of the Philadelphia Phillies are closing in on this upcoming baseball season. Slideshow adapted from this original post on Second String Blog.

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The countdown to one of the most anticipated seasons in the history of the Philadelphia Phillies began this past week when pitchers and catchers reported to Clearwater.  There hasn't been this much excitement surrounding the Phillies in a very long time, if ever, and for good reason.

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Jimmy Rollins is an enigma.

Do not take this the wrong way, I still do believe the Phillies will win the NL East. But I also have a feeling it won't be as easy as everyone thinks. 

Remember last season? In the preseason the Phillies were picked to easily win the division and make it to the World Series. But what actually happened was much different. They were second in the division behind the Braves for most of the season and only took first place in September.