The Philadelphia Phillies are the 2 time defending National League champions but look like they may face stiff competition in the NL East division this year from Atlanta, the New York Mets, and yes, possibly even the Washington Nationals. With Jimmy Rollins set to come back off the disabled list soon, the Phils still have the most potent lineup in the NL, led by newly re-signed slugger Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Rollins and the underrated Jayson Werth. They substituted Roy Halladay for Cliff Lee in their starting rotation and haven’t missed a beat there, and Cole Hamels looks to be returning to his old reliable form. I like the Fightin’ Phils to win their division again this year and represent the NL in the World Series for a third straight season. They are clearly still the most talented team, even if they do wear pink uniforms. (C’mon…that strange shade of red they wear is HOT PINK!)
MLB – The Fightin’ Phils
14
May
Mike McAndrew
May 14, 2010 at 9:53 pm
Ray, I agree with your analysis. The Fightins are an offensive juggernaut better than anything the NL has seen since possibly the 1970s Big Red Machine. Halladay is the best NL pitcher. After that the starters are good, but not great. Lidge may end up on the disabled list again with elbow pain and that could be trouble. The Nationals are suprisingly good and they’ve got a kid at AAA Syracuse that throws 96-98 mph. The Mets are pretenders.