Can Phils repeat in the East?
That’s the big question

In the Batter’s Box
By Matt Godfrey

Welcome back!
Only four days until Opening Day and there has been plenty of speculation for, and by, this year’s Phillies team.
Shortstop Jimmy Rollins, the reigning National League Most Valuable Player, naturally is at the forefront of it all.
While he has not issued a statement as bold as last season’s "team to beat" declaration, he has gone on record saying that he thinks his team will win 100 games this season.
That would be 11 more than last year’s 89 wins, which earned the Phils their first National League East title since 1993.
Sounds exactly like something Jimmy would say, though.
Other players, meanwhile, have been voicing opinions of what they can do personally to deliver a successful season, and what the team can do as a whole.
The difference right now, of course, is that they’re the East Division champs. Last year at this time, the New York Mets were heading into the season as the team everyone was hoping to knock off.
Before that, the division had been rather predictable — the Atlanta Braves were the perennial kings of the NL East, a distinction they’d enjoyed since joining the division after the realignment of 1994.
This year, the Phillies are wearing the target. And the Braves and Mets, no doubt, are taking aim as everyone gets ready to rumble for a return to the top.
Even though reclaiming the East title is on the Phils’ "To Do" list, they know that expectations are higher. The objective is to go deep into the playoffs and ultimately win the World Series.
Their off-season moves have indicated they’re trying to achieve that. After Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell turned down the Phillies’ solid offer and opted to stay in Boston, the team went out and plucked Pedro Feliz from the San Francisco Giants.
The Phils’ braintrust thinks Feliz could be the missing piece to the best offensive infield in baseball, while also adding some solid defense.
After centerfielder Aaron Rowand left the Phillies for (financially) greener pastures in San Franciso, the team signed free-agent rightfielder Geoff Jenkins from the Milwaukee Brewers.
The plan is to platoon him with Jayson Werth in rightfield while sliding Shane "The Flyin’ Hawaiian" Victorino over to centerfield.
Then there were the pitching moves.
The big acquisition this off-season for the Phillies was getting All-Star closer Brad Lidge from the Houston Astros. The cheers are quieting for now — the team just put him on the 15-day DL — but the game plan remains the same for him. He’ll move into the closer’s role, enabling last year’s closer, Brett Myers, to resume his role as a starter and staff ace.
The team also enticed reliever J. C. Romero to return, and Chad Durbin was lured away from the Detroit Tigers.
That thankfully means no more Jose Mesa or Antonio Alfonseca to come in and toss minor-league pitches to major-league hitters.
Another key pitching move could be the minor-league deal given to Kris Benson, a once-promising hurler now recovering from shoulder surgery. While the starting rotation seems set with Myers, Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer, Kyle Kendrick and Adam Eaton, Benson could work his way into the mix as he gets stronger.
And, yes, you read that correctly. Adam Eaton has not pitched bad enough to drop him from the rotation, as he did last year.
So the Phillies, once again, have much potential. But that’s only part of the equation. A few things still must happen to bolster the likelihood of playoff baseball in October.
The team most likely is going to carry 12 pitchers on its 25-man roster. The Phils have 10 so far — their five starters as well as Lidge, Romero, Durbin, Tom Gordon and Ryan Madson in the bullpen.
The arms that fill those last two spots may very well not be in the organization yet.
Injuries and performance will play huge roles too. Especially injuries. Seeing your big-name closer go on the DL before the season starts stirs unpleasant memories of last year’s endless summer of injuries for the Phils.
And, as usual, there are questions. How will Myers take to starting again? Will Kendrick’s pitching talents return for his second year? Can Hamels stay healthy? Is Moyer too old? Will Eaton be as bad as last year? Can the Phils, at last, play winning baseball in April and avoid three months of playing catch-up while chasing the division leader.
Even if it was fun to watch the Mets crumble down the homestretch last season as the Phils finally galloped by, it’s not the recommended way to win the division.
Questions. They’re enough to make your head spin.
It’s good to be back . . . and to await the answers. ••