2008 Philadelphia Phillies Picks & Predictions
May 22, 2008
The Phillies snapped a 14-year postseason drought last season by catching the Mets to win the NL East title. Find out if they can repeat as division champs in Dave Price’s 2008 Philadelphia Phillies predictions.
Pitching
The Philadelphia Phillies’ starting pitching finally came through last season. Southpaw ace Cole Hamels went 15-5 with a 3.39 ERA in 2007. He has a legit shot at the NL Cy Young with the power that is behind him in the batting order. Brett Myers is an ace in the making. After spending a season at closer, he’s back in the starting five and I’m expecting a big year. Kyle Kendrick is a guy the Phillies home they can depend on to repeat his 2007 performance. They won 13 of his 20 big league starts after calling him up from double-A ball. If he can be just as effective this season, the Phillies are a legit World Series contender. Jamie Moyer brings experience to the mound a consistency. He has double digit wins in 11 of the last 12 seasons. The Phillies are just hoping for a .500 record out of Adam Eaton. The pen will often get called early on days he pitches.
Much of the reason the Phillies were able to catch the Mets last season was phenomenal work out of the pen. Brad Lidge comes over from Houston to provide the pen with more depth. Tom Gordon’s health will be crucial as he was very effective down the stretch.
Offense
The offense is built around three MVP-caliber players, two of them have won MVP awards the past two seasons. Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard all finished in the top eight of the NL MVP voting last season. Jimmy Rollins won the award with 30 bombs, 94 RBIs, and 41 steals. Chase Utley, Rollins’ middle infield partner, drove in 103 RBIs last season despite missing a month’s worth of games. Ryan Howard took home the 2006 MVP award and could have just as easily won it again with 47 round trippers and 97 RBIs. The power does not stop there. Pat Burrell slugged 30 homeruns and added 97 RBIs last season and Geoff Jenkins has hit 20 or more bombs in seven of the last 10 seasons.
Defense
I’m just going to come right out and say it, the Phillies have the best infield in baseball in terms of all-around contribution. Rollins won a Gold Glove at short in 2007 and Utley is as solid as they come at second. Big Ryan Howard is at first and has surprisingly soft hands. Third baseman Gregg Dobbs is an effective role player at third. The Phillies are excited about Shane Victorino moving to center from right. He is a speedster with a big arm. Pat Burrell is only in left for his bat. Jayson Werth will likely replace him late in games for defense. Philly also has nice depth behind the plate. Carlos Ruiz will get most of the action.
Last season’s come from behind run to capture the NL East got a huge monkey off the back of this franchise and has instilled a mountain of confidence in Philly. I like the Phillies to repeat as division champs in 2008.
Dave Price’s MLB betting picks are second to none in the handicapping industry. You can search far and wide, but you won’t find another handicapper as adept at picking winners in the summer months. While most handicappers essentially take the summer off, Dave Price kicks things in high gear to head into football season up a ton.
Odds to win NL East: 2/1
Odds to win 2008 NL Pennant: 7/1
Odds to win 2008 World Series: 20/1
NL East
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