Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants 2010 Team Preview

This week I am previewing the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants for the 2010 season. This week the previews are the favorite in the National League to win the World Series, two bottom feeders and a mysterious team in San Francisco because they have pretty good pitching but are in a tough NL West. I will start with the Phillies.

Philadelphia Phillies

Lineup

Much like the Yankees, much of America is already familiar with the Phillies' lineup. The scary part is the Phillies have probably gotten better in the infield and in the outfield. Other than that, they have are the exact same team, except for the fact they have more depth with Ross Gload, a full season of Ben Francisco, and a star-on-the-rise Domonic Brown. So basically their best hitters are in the prime and they have another great hitter on the way. Placido Polanco over Pedro Feliz is an upgrade and other than that there hasn't been much done to the starting order. I don't how I feel about Jimmy Rollins. I think he is a great shortstop, but I do have a tendency to believe may be slightly overrated. Not that he isn't a great shortstop, but I don't know if he is as elite as he, and others, seem to believe he currently is. This is a strong lineup and really nothing has changed that would make me think it will get any weaker. This is a lineup that can win a World Series this year.

Rotation

Here's the semi-question for this rotation. Would you rather have Cliff Lee or Roy Halladay? Really, it is a simplified form of the question because it takes out important factors like how many prospects they traded for both players and if those players will end up panning out or not. This question won't be resolved for a few years. As I have written here several times, I take Roy Halladay over Cliff Lee. The rest of the rotation is pretty solid. I look for Hamels to bounce back from a tough year last year, which was probably partially due to a World Series hangover, and Joe Blanton is a good 3rd starter. The real wild card in this rotation is going to be J.A. Happ. Is he the pitcher that he was last year or is that one good year he had at the age of 27? I happen to believe he can have another year like last year, so if he pitches well he is going to be the #3 starter essentially in a short playoff series. I have read different things, but it seems like Kyle Kendrick and Jamie Moyer are going to be battling it out for the 5th rotation spot. Moyer will probably win that spot and then get the 5th starter position. I am not exactly sure what the Phillies will do with him if he doesn't win this spot, since he doesn't usually work out of the bullpen.

Bullpen

I think Brad Lidge is going to bounce back from a really tough year last year. Despite his bad year, the Phillies still found a way to make it to the World Series. That says a lot about the offense and pitching of this team. I like the way this bullpen sets up with Durbin, Kendrick (possibly), Madsen, Baez, and Romero coming in as relievers. They even added Jose Contreras to the bullpen, which I think is going to be interesting to watch...unless he ends up back in the rotation. I am not sure how much he has really pitched out of the bullpen in his career. Overall, this is a really solid bullpen and if Lidge is able to not go mentally crazy and blow saves, this should be one of the best bullpens in the National League.

What I Like

I like the depth the Phillies now have in their rotation and the players they added to their bench. Domonic Brown is a star waiting for a chance and the Phillies have Kendrick and Contreras for the 5th starter spot if Jamie Moyer finally realizes he is 47 years old and can't pitch effectively anymore. The bench of the Phillies is very strong with Schneider, Gload, Juan Castro and Gregg Dobbs coming off the bench. I like Halladay because he will be willing to take the ball on 3 days rest, which is something it didn't seem like Cliff Lee really wanted to do. He is the stud pitcher the Phillies have been trying to get in order to pair him up with Cole Hamels. Of course I also like the lineup, which is essentially an American League lineup because it is strong all the way through. Overall, this is the National League representative in the World Series until another NL team tries to challenge them.

What I Don't Like

I don't like the backend of the Phillies' rotation. It may sound picky but Happ hasn't had enough of a track record to tell us he can repeat his year from last year, Blanton was just a barely above average pitcher last year and Moyer was well below average. Obviously the Phillies have an offense that doesn't require excellent pitching every time out, but for a team that is playing in October consistently, it feels like quite a drop-off from Halladay to Hamels to Blanton to Moyer. This is fairly minor, but overall I do like the Phillies and see them having a great year. In regard to the bullpen, I don't like how unsure Brad Lidge can be at times. I don't know how much it affects the team since they almost won the World Series last year when he had a terrible year. If he does have another poor performance it is going to weaken the bullpen because Ryan Madsen may end up having to close, which would put Durbin or Baez as his RH set up guy.

Final record

I can't argue with their offense really and the bench is strong as well. If the back-of-the-rotation problems figure themselves out then this is going to be the National League favorite to be in the World Series. Actually, even if those minor problems aren't figured out, the Phillies will still be the favorite. This was the best team in the National League two years ago, last year, and will be again this year. They have a great offense, good pitching, and a reliable and veteran bullpen. Outside of injuries or some other unforeseen circumstance the Phillies will be winning the NL East and at least making an appearance in the NLCS. By no means do I believe this team is unbeatable, I just don't know, assuming Halladay stays healthy and if Hamels bounces back and focuses less on everything else going on in his life and more on baseball, if another team can beat them in a short series or for the NL East.

Last year: 93-69
This year: 91-71

Pittsburgh Pirates

Lineup

This is a terrible lineup. The saddest part is I am getting the feeling of late they are actually trying to put a good team together now and the Pirates still have a bad team. Their entire infield is a mix of prospects that haven't worked out and players that should be bench players on good teams. Doumit regressed last year, Jeff Clement has been a bust, Iwamura is not a terrible starter, Andy LaRoche is going to lose his job very soon to Pedro Alvarez, and Ronny Cedeno is just horrible. The outfield is a guy no one should really want (Milledge), an actual good baseball player (McCutchen), and a guy who had a year last year I don't know if he can repeat (Garrett Jones). Oh yeah, backing them up is Ryan Church who got traded (dumped) for Jeff Francouer. This lineup is a general manager's nightmare. Even if Milledge was going to turn it all around, this isn't the team to do that. Andrew McCutchen and the future trade value of Pedro Alvarez are the only reasons to watch this team. There is nothing offensively that can be considered redeemable in my mind on this team. They aren't completely terrible, but just hoping Jeff Clement can be a serviceable player and thinking they can play guys who haven't been successful in their career and they will find success doesn't strike me as a real plan.

Rotation

There is actual talent here. I promise. Paul Maholm, Zach Duke, and Ross Ohlendorf are not terrible pitchers, even though they have pitched terribly. The good news is the rotation seems to be set with Charlie Morton and Kevin Hart rounding up the back-end of the rotation. The bad news is that there is no one on this roster who can compete with Kevin Hart and Charlie Morton for spots in the back of the rotation. There is a chance Daniel McCutchen will be able to take the 5th starter job from Kevin Hart, but that isn't going to have a huge effect on this team. It sounds crazy to say since all of these starters were at league average or worse last year, but I think if they were put in the right pitching coach's hands they could have a good career in the majors. It's just not going to happen in Pittsburgh. For the first time in a while, I can look at the pitching staff of the Pirates and not just absolutely hate it. Now I just don't like it. That's an improvement.

Bullpen

The Pirates signed a new closer, Octavio Dotel, who is going to close out the 5 games this year they are ahead in the 9th inning (I am just kidding, there will be more games than that, they are in the Astros' division). This is like putting $2,500 tires on a 1994 Honda Accord. What's the point of spending $6 million on Dotel? Is there a point in that? Other than to say you spent money? Injuries aside, I think Brendan Donnelly has at least one more year left in the majors, which makes me wonder why the hell he is playing for the Pirates. This isn't a great bullpen, but did anyone really expect it to be? When you are picking up guys who the Nationals have cut and guys for some reason your team traded for, it's not going to be a good bullpen. Evan Meek has potential and Javier Lopez may recover from a tough year last year. Still, how much are they going to be able to do in Pittsburgh in this bullpen? It's not a terrible bullpen, but is a group where they will get to close out plenty of 10-3 games.

What I Like

I like Andrew McCutchen. I like the intent of the team to compete. I like Pedro Alvarez and I like the fact I personally would like to be the General Manager of this team, just to see how hard it would really be to turn this team around. I like that I still like Jeff Clement and he is only 26 years old. I like they have good backups in Moss, Young, and Church. Most of all, I like that they have John Raynor on this team. He is my favorite ex-Greensboro Grasshopper and whether he knows it or not, I am his good luck charm. In 2007, I went to just a few Grasshoppers games and saw him hit 6 of his home runs. Plus, he is fast and can steal bases. Stolen bases are exciting to see when you are watching them live. What was I talking about again?

What I Don't Like

The rest of the team. Few things in sports irritate me more than having a team that stinks because can't identify prospects, so they are perpetually rebuilding. The Pirates have been rebuilding for decades now and owe the fans of the team untold millions of dollars for what they have witnessed on the field that is supposed to be a team. We always hear the new GM knows what he is doing and then it turns out he doesn't know what he is doing. Even if the pitching staff was good, how would they win games with an offense that has no viable MLB players, save 1 or 2 guys in the everyday lineup? It can't. This is a small market team that has no hope because those in charge don't have a clue about how to run a team.

Final Record

Not to keep harping, but when is this team looking to contend? At any point in the future? There's no pitching, no hitting, and they are going with the Royals plan of hoping they can rehabilitate other team's top prospects that never panned out for them. That doesn't seem to work all that often. What frustrates me more is they somehow believe spending money on Ryan Church, Bobby Crosby, and Octavio Dotel is going to convince anyone they are trying to contend in the NL Central. I like the Iwamuri signing, but other than that I think they have questionable personnel moves. I want to like the Pirates, but they haven't seem to get a clue in the past and I don't know if they will get one now. If there is a plan here, I am missing it.

Last year: 62-99
This year: 60-102

San Diego Padres

Lineup

They have Adrian Gonzalez. That's an advantage many other teams wish they could claim. Other than that, there isn't much out there. I am not going to lie, and maybe it is my West Coast bias, but the Padres don't look good right now, but I feel good about their future. I think Jed Hoyer knows what he is doing and is getting good young players on the roster for the future. Though, I still don't know why he has the patron saint of Bottom of the Barrel, David Eckstein, at second base...I can forgive him for that because every team needs an Ecksteinian push to help them. This is a young team. There are a couple of guys on this team that I think are going to make progress this year in terms of being Major League Baseball ready hitters. I think Chase Headley will continue to improve, Everth Cabrera is going to be solid in his first full year in the majors, I actually really like Kyle Blanks though he does strike out a lot, and...ok, that is all for what I like about this lineup, but it's better than some of the other crappy teams in baseball. This team isn't going to hit the ball well, but I feel like the lineup is taking a step in the right direction and as long as they have Gonzalez in the lineup, they will have a good lineup in my mind for at least one spot.

Rotation

This is the part of the Padres future I like the most. I know I am supposed to be previewing how they will do this year, but I can sum it up fairly easily. They aren't good. If Chris Young can bounce back he is a decent starter, Kevin Correia decided to be a good starter last year and Jon Garland is going to eat some innings. They aren't great starters but for a crappy team they are some decent bets to keep the Padres in games. After that, the guys who are supposedly fighting for the 4th/5th spots in the rotation, Aaron Poreda, Mat Latos, Clayton Richard, and Wade LeBlanc are not bad young guys to choose from (LeBlanc being in clear last place for who I would want on my team). I see Richard having a really good year this year and Latos and Poreda should be in the Padre rotation for years to come. Of course that doesn't help the Padres that much this year, but at least they have guys like (healthy) Chris Young and Jon Garland who may not be anything more than #3/#4 starters but they will eat innings. I see the future is pretty bright for this rotation, but they are one year away from even seeing this potential.

Bullpen

Heath Bell is a shockingly good closer, so if the Padres get the ball to him in the 9th inning he will be able to shut the door on teams. This was a really good bullpen last year. It really was. Edward Mujica, Luke Gregorson, Mike Adams, Joe Thatcher, and Adam Russell combined to be very effective last year. If you put a gun to my head and asked me the strongest part of this team, I would actually say the bullpen. Many of these guys had good years last year and could very well have good years for the upcoming year. If the Padres can get a lead, then this bullpen is going to keep that lead. I think many other teams would like to have a bullpen that is as good as the Padres bullpen can be.

What I Like

I like the bullpen and I like the way this team is being built. I feel like it is being built around pitching and that seems like a formula for success to me. The Pirates could take a lesson from the Padres in finding out how to get effective prospects back in trades for proven players. They did a good job of it last year. I like they have Yorvit Torrealba and Matt Stairs off the bench, but Stairs can't play the field and Torrealba isn't a great catcher, which is why I guess he is the backup. The starting pitching is definitely not great, but I feel like it is being built in the right direction to help this team succeed in the future. They have young guys with good upside for the future and pitchers who can eat innings for the present. The lineup is too young and unproven to be considered great or bad really. Of course I love Gonzalez, but I think Kyle Blanks will have a great year while striking out 248 times. They don't have too much in the lineup that can be considered good everyday players, which means they still have a lot of work to do...but I feel like they are getting there.

What I Don't Like

I don't really like the backups in the lineup. They aren't terrible, but there also aren't great options behind the young starters for this team. Jerry Hairston Jr. and Oscar Salazar are the main backups in the infield, while Tony Gwynn Jr. and Aaron Cunningham are the backups in the outfield. I also don't really like this team is built for the future, but there isn't a whole lot on the team right now. This lineup is not even going to be close to being good enough to win games this year. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. I wish the Padres had more of a foundation in place offensively than they currently do. Their future seems to be built around hoping these young guys learn to play in the majors and there isn't really anyone on the roster that can even come close to Gonzalez's production. So when/if he gets traded, these young guys had better be ready to hit the ball or it won't matter how good the pitching is, the team won't win games.

Final record

Simply because I feel like the Padres are building this team correctly doesn't mean it is true. Either way, they will struggle this year because they don't have sufficient hitting or pitching to compete in the NL West. The future for the Padres is already up in the majors. They used a bunch of rookies last year and the farm system isn't bare, but it also doesn't have a whole lot more prospects coming up the pipeline that can help the team. So either the team that is being built will work out for them in the next 2 years or they are going to have to wait a little bit longer to compete. The team is being built right for a ball park that is a pitcher's park, but there isn't enough offense in place for the team to compete this upcoming year. Throw in the fact the NL West seems like it is going to be fairly strong this year and the Padres are going to have to wait another year at best to compete.

Last year: 75-87
This year: 68-94

San Francisco Giants

Lineup

This is a pretty old team in term of position players. Brian Sabean has drafted fairly well of late in regard to pitching, but there hasn't been much to brag about when it comes to the position players the Giants have developed. This is a pretty old everyday lineup and an everyday lineup that doesn't have much, if any, upside. So it's not like I expect any of these 30+ year old guys to have a career year, because they had their career years 4-5 years ago. They have signed Aubrey Huff to play first base this year and he is coming off the worst year of his career. Freddy Sanchez isn't terrible as second basemen go, but he also isn't going to get any better and the same goes for Edgar Renteria, who if he were a dog would have to be helped up on the couch at this point and fed special dog food so it doesn't upset his stomach. Bengie Molina has power, but he is just holding down the catcher position until Buster Posey takes over for him, which hopefully will be sooner for the Giants rather than later. I can't say enough positive things about Pablo Sandoval, he really is the bright spot in this lineup...but why focus on the positive? Aaron Rowand is declining and the big free agent acquisition this offseason was Mark DeRosa, who is also probably declining. This is an old lineup without much upside.

Rotation

I thought Mason Bumgarner was going to be in the rotation but he has gotten sent down to the minors. When he comes back up it will make this rotation even stronger than it currently is. This is the strength of the team. Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain are two great building blocks for a pitching staff and very well could also be two of the best pitchers in the National League...and they are both only 25 years old. Barry Zito will never be worth the money he is paid, but he should be a consistent and helpful 3rd/4th starter and I feel like Jonathan Sanchez should be a better pitcher at this point than he is. Todd Wellermeyer is just the 5th starter until Mason Bumgarner is ready to start for the Giants. He is essentially just a placeholder in the rotation because someone has to be the 5th starter. It's a good rotation if not a little top heavy.

Bullpen

Brian Wilson is a good closer. That's always a good start. Not to mention I always seem to get Wilson as my closer in baseball fantasy leagues, so I feel like his success is my success...and last year he had some success. Jeremy Affeldt has found his niche as a LH set up guy out of the bullpen and he is very good at the job. Sergio Romo isn't terrible and he actually threw really well out of the pen, so I have hopes for him that he could pitch well this year. Henry Sosa seems to be healthy and the Giants former top prospect should be able to contribute something to the pen this year, as well Dan Runzler should make the bullpen this year and projects as a top notch set up guy as well. Brandon Medders was also a good contributor in the bullpen last year and will only add to the strength of the pen for this year. The Giants have a good bullpen and if the offense somehow manages to get a lead this pen shouldn't have a problem keeping that lead.

What I Like

I like the pitching for this team. The starters aren't all that strong after Lincecum and Cain, but just having those two in the rotation makes it a strong rotation. The bullpen for the Giants is also fairly strong and it strikes me as interesting the Giants can't seem to cultivate prospects from the farm system that contribute who are everyday players, but they do a good job with cultivating pitching from their system. I like the uh, experience, of the everyday lineup. No one can accuse the lineup of not having enough experience in the majors. Really, I also like the fact Buster Posey will be in the everyday lineup very soon and that is something for Giants fans to be excited about. This team could easily contend in the NL West if they had any type of hitting, that's how strong the pen and the front part of the rotation is. If only this team could develop hitters better I think they could make it a race for the NL West title. I do like the versatility of DeRosa and the bench with Ishikawa, Uribe, and Fred Lewis. They aren't starters, but they are solid bench players.

What I Don't Like

This lineup finished last in the majors leagues in OPS last year and they are one year older. There is nothing this team has done to the lineup that makes me believe this could change. This lineup is full of the stop-gap players that some teams put in their lineup to fill a whole they have which surrounds a talented lineup. For example, if the Mets had signed Aubrey Huff, I wouldn't have hated it because he isn't going to be the best hitter in the lineup, but in San Francisco Huff has to be a regular contributor. The lineup is full of guys who are puzzle pieces and not key pieces to a successful team. I also don't really like the fact this team just is wasting Lincecum and Cain's early years in the majors. It kind of pisses me off. Even if Jonathan Sanchez finally finds his command and quits walking players, is this team going to score enough runs to get him the wins? I really don't know.

Final Record

If they only had a lineup. While this team can pitch pretty well with any other team in the NL West, they can't hit with anyone in the NL West, so they seem to stand no chance of winning the division. It's a shame really, because even when Buster Posey comes up to the majors, there isn't going to be a whole lot around him. He will have plenty of veterans to give him advice, but unfortunately only a couple players can show him how to hit well and actually lead by example, rather than giving him stories about "the good old days." I want to see Sanchez pitch well this year because he has the stuff, just not the control at this point, and I can't wait to see Mason Bumgarner pitch in the majors. Still, there is that whole offense problem that isn't going away. Sandoval can't do it all himself.

Last year: 88-74
This year: 86-76

I will be back next week with three more teams one day and then three more teams on next Saturday.