2012 Philadelphia Phillies Predictions

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The Philadelphia Phillies are the class of the National League East. They have taken the division each of the past five seasons and have made two World Series trips during that span. Last season, they set a franchise record with 102 victories but were knocked out of the playoffs by eventual champion St. Louis. That series loss should drive the Phillies all season.

Projected Pitching

Starting rotation: Roy Halladay (R) – Doc finished second in the NL Cy Young balloting behind a 19-6 season in which he carried a 2.35 ERA.

Cliff Lee (L) – Lee finished third in the NL Cy Young vote.  He posted a 17-8 record and a 2.40 ERA.

Cole Hamels (L) – Hamels ended up fifth in the NL Cy Young race after going 14-9 with a 2.79 ERA.

Joe Blanton (R) – The Phillies will be looking for a bounce back season from Blanton, who only made eight starts in 2011 because of elbow problems.

Vance Worley (R) – The 24-year-old had a nice rookie season. He finished 11-3 with a 3.01 ERA.

Closer: Jonathan Papelbon (R) – Papelbon converted 31 of 34 save chances for the Red Sox in 2011 with an impressive 87-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Projected Lineup

Carlos Ruiz (Catcher) – Ruiz does a great job of managing Philadelphia’s star-studded staff and has stepped up at the plate as well. He’s batted .302 and .283 the past two seasons.

Ty Wigginton (First Base) – It looks like Wigginton will get the nod until Ryan Howard, who is recovering from an Achilles injury, is ready to go. Wigginton batted .242 with 15 home runs and 47 RBIs for the Rockies last season.

Chase Utley (Second Base) – Utley’s numbers were down in 2011 as he dealt with knee issues. He batted .259 with 11 homers and 44 RBIs.

Placido Polanco (Third Base) – Polanco hit .277 with five round trippers and 50 RBIs last season. The Phillies would like to see a few more extra-base hits out of him as he only produced 19 a year ago.

Jimmy Rollins (Shortstop) – He’s lost a step but is still a valuable part of the team. J-Roll is solid defender and hit .268 with 16 jacks and 63 RBIs last season.

John Mayberry Jr. (Left Field) – He produced well in a part-time role last year, batting .273 with 15 home runs and 49 RBIs in 104 games.

Shane Victorino (Center Field) – The Flyin’ Hawaiian is coming off a strong season. He tied for the most triples in the NL with 16 and also blasted 17 long balls while batting .279.

Hunter Pence (Right Field) – The big fella hit .314 with 22 home runs and 97 RBIs between Houston and Philly in 2011.

Prediction1st Place NL East: The core of the offense has been slowed by injuries, but the Phillies are still one of the favorites in the NL because of their top notch pitching staff. The Phillies are listed at -800 to win the NL East.

About the Author: Jimmy Boyd is known for his consistency. He's a proven winner in college and pro football, college and pro basketball and pro baseball. He finished as the No. 1 ranked MLB handicapper in 2007 by earning $1,000/game bettors $50,050. He also finished as the No. 1 ranked basketball handicapper in the 2008-09 season, profiting $1,000/game bettors 38,530. His basketball plays have banked $1,000/game bettors nearly $80,000 the last five years. Check out Jimmy's premium picks for tonight!
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