Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Your latest look at the 2010 Phillies roster

Things have changed quite a bit with the Phillies since the last time I took a look at their 2010 roster. In fact, except for two spots, the Phillies roster appears set. Ruben Amaro has gone a long way this offseason to plug up all the holes on the roster and give the team depth at every position.

Here's a look at the Phillies roster as it currently stands:

Infielders (7):
Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, Greg Dobbs, Juan Castro, Ross Gload

The signing of Polanco completed the Phillies starting infield. Signing Castro also gave Jimmy Rollins a backup at short. Gload is listed as a first baseman but I would expect he sees more time in the outfield. Only one question remains in my mind: who backs up Chase Utley? Castro? Or does Polanco move over to second and Dobbs starts at third?

Outfielders (4): Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Ben Francisco

With Gload in the mix, John Mayberry appears to be on the outside looking in. He will likely be the first call-up should a position player be injured.

Catchers (2): Carlos Ruiz, Brian Schneider

Signing Schneider was a great move, he's a veteran leader who can step in and start in a pinch.

Starting Rotation (5): Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ, 5th starter

Halladay in, Lee out, and the rotation looks incredibly solid, regardless of who the 5th starter ends up being. The likely candidates are Jamie Moyer, Kyle Kendrick and Jose Contreras. I would bet that Moyer gets the job initially just to see if he has anything left in the tank.

Bullpen (7): Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, Danys Baez, Chad Durbin, J.C. Romero, Jose Contreras, Lefty

The bullpen looks solid except for that missing second lefty. Look for the Phillies to give the job to someone in the system, like Antonio Bastardo, instead of signing another free agent. Bringing Baez in as closer insurance was a great move.

Nice work Amaro, the roster looks as good as any in the National League. Should everyone stay healthy, the Phillies should be right in the mix for a third straight trip to the World Series.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah!! I agree with you.


Proactol

PhillyFan617 said...

I just cant wait for Spring Training to start! All this snow in Philly is making me wish I could be in Clearwater to experience it first hand. At least Comcast SportsNet is showing some Phillies programs every Sunday night so I can be there in sprit. Go Phils!

http://www.csnphilly.com/pages/phillies_specials