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Hasta La Vista, Florida
So I'm sitting in the airport at Tampa - maybe the best airport in America due to how incredibly efficient it is (ZERO line in security!) - and I'm eager to get back the dreary, ol' Philadelphia.
Home, sweet home.
So how would I grade the Phillies spring training?
I'm going to go with a good, solid C+.
Why? Brett Myers impressed; Cole Hamels showed flashes of the all-star pitcher he'll likely be; Jamie Moyer continued to be Jamie Moyer - not flashy, but productive.
But other than those three and a trio of reliever - Ryan Madson, J.C. Romero and Clay Condrey - I leave unimpressed with the pitching.
Sure three, solid starters will win you a lot of games. But is Kyle Kendrick due for a sophomore slump? He sure pitched that way in Florida.
And is there a Phillies fan out there confident that Adam Eaton can have an ERA closer to 4.00 than 6.00?
If Myers and Hamels are all-star worthy and Brad Lidge returns soon and regains his own, all-star form, the pitching might hold up. But the depth just isn't there right now.
The C+ grade also factors in the hitters this spring. Jimmy Rollins (no home runs in spring training) and Chase Utley, two key cogs in the lineup, were awfully quiet.
But there's reason to believe streaky hitters can get out of slumps quicker than pitchers, probably not time to fret. Ryan Howard has looked like a guy ready to get back into the MVP race after his infield counterparts received more praise last summer.
I'll be working on all my 2008 Preview stuff (MLB stuff in Sunday's paper, Phillies stuff in Monday's), but I'm really at a loss for how the NL East will be won. There are three, legit contenders - and all three have question marks.
But if the Phillies lead the trio in question marks, that's not a good thing.
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The Archive Files
Eaton alive by Tigers: Phils' fifth starter hopeful says he pitched well, but results weren't great in Adam's Grapefruit finale.
J.C. Romero will get a World Series ring, but he'd like another, too.
Home, sweet home.
So how would I grade the Phillies spring training?
I'm going to go with a good, solid C+.
Why? Brett Myers impressed; Cole Hamels showed flashes of the all-star pitcher he'll likely be; Jamie Moyer continued to be Jamie Moyer - not flashy, but productive.
But other than those three and a trio of reliever - Ryan Madson, J.C. Romero and Clay Condrey - I leave unimpressed with the pitching.
Sure three, solid starters will win you a lot of games. But is Kyle Kendrick due for a sophomore slump? He sure pitched that way in Florida.
And is there a Phillies fan out there confident that Adam Eaton can have an ERA closer to 4.00 than 6.00?
If Myers and Hamels are all-star worthy and Brad Lidge returns soon and regains his own, all-star form, the pitching might hold up. But the depth just isn't there right now.
The C+ grade also factors in the hitters this spring. Jimmy Rollins (no home runs in spring training) and Chase Utley, two key cogs in the lineup, were awfully quiet.
But there's reason to believe streaky hitters can get out of slumps quicker than pitchers, probably not time to fret. Ryan Howard has looked like a guy ready to get back into the MVP race after his infield counterparts received more praise last summer.
I'll be working on all my 2008 Preview stuff (MLB stuff in Sunday's paper, Phillies stuff in Monday's), but I'm really at a loss for how the NL East will be won. There are three, legit contenders - and all three have question marks.
But if the Phillies lead the trio in question marks, that's not a good thing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Archive Files
Eaton alive by Tigers: Phils' fifth starter hopeful says he pitched well, but results weren't great in Adam's Grapefruit finale.
J.C. Romero will get a World Series ring, but he'd like another, too.
posted by Ryan at
10:39 AM
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