Philadelphia Phillies
Times have been rough for the Phillies since 2011 when they won the last of five straight National League East championships. But with a strong, young nucleus, it’d be surprising to see another miserable year in Philadelphia.
The Phillies lineup includes six players (Maikel Franco, Tommy Joseph, Michael Saunders, Freddy Galvis, Cameron Rupp, and Odubel Herrera) who hit 15 or more home runs in 2016. Even if we account for some regression, that will still be a tough lineup on National League pitchers.
The pitching is still a question mark, but there’s reason to be hopeful.
Youngsters Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez, and especially Jerad Eickhoff, showed promise in 2016. They’ll slide nicely into the rotation with veterans Clay Buchholz and Jeremy Hellickson.
The closer role is a question mark. But if Jeanmar Gomez isn’t up to the task, veterans like Joaquin Benoit and Pat Neshek can at least provide some stability to the back end of the Philadelphia bullpen.
Obviously, this group is a long way from being as good as the Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Ruiz, and Cole Hamels-led group that took the Phillies to five straight division championships, two pennants, and a World Series win.
But this is a young team that’s on its way up.
If that doesn’t show in Philadelphia’s final record this year, expect it to at least be reflected in how tough they play he NL’s best teams. This will not be a team that provides many easy victories.