Ryan Howard

If you've not yet heard the speculation about the Ryan Howard for Albert Pujols trade, then you probably do not follow the Phillies or the Cardinals. 

Whether or not there is any validity to this rumor is anyone's guess, and most Phillies fans out there love the idea, but should they? 

Yes, Pujols is the premiere hitter in baseball. 

Yes, he is a right-handed bat; the right-handed bat the Phils, and pretty much every other team in baseball, so highly covets. 

Dominic Brown's future in the Major Leagues is bright.  He's 6'5, has speed, quickness, baseball instincts, and is looked at as a "five-tool" player. 

However, the Phillies need to recognize where Brown is at in his career before they throw him into a starting role, or should I say the lion's den.

Here's some reasons why Brown will start the season in the minors.

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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.

Spring Training is less than a month away and with that comes the start of many fantasy baseball leagues.  Owners, if your looking to put together that unstoppable team, don't stress about who are steals and who are busts.  Here is a preview of the top 100 fantasy players for the 2011 season.     

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Heading into the 2011 season, the Philadelphia Phillies are widely believed to be the favorite in the National League East, and maybe even the National League. 

However, to say that a team is without holes is unreasonable; in the case of the 2011 Phillies, there are indeed many questions that remain as they head to Clearwater to begin training.  On Friday, the Phillies packed up their trucks and sent the team's gear down I-95 to Florida.

Here are the top 17 questions that remain going into Spring Training.

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.

In the 2010 season, the first basemen of the Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan Howard, spent a great deal of time on the disabled list.  When doing the math by analyzing the innings played, it shows that Howard played in about seventeen fewer games in 2010 than he did in 2009. 

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. 

Albert Pujols is the best player in the game of baseball, so it's no surprise he headlines the list of first basemen in 2011.

But, first base is such a deep position that, even in a 12-team league, if you aren't getting strong production from that slot, there's something wrong with you.

I mean, Justin Morneau and Billy Butler barely made the top 10 and Kendry Morales didn't make the cut at all.

Yet, if you can get any of those three guys, you'll be in good shape for your season.

First base is a funny position.  

Often, the first baseman is the team's best hitter, but one of its worst fielders.  Many first baseman are both indispensable (to the batting order) and replaceable (in the field).