Section 215
Fansided

Philadelphia Phillies: 2016 Season Preview

By Chuck Booth

Aug 11, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies former outfielder Aaron Rowand and the Phillie Phanatic shoot hot dogs into the crowd in between innings against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. The Mets defeated the Phillies, 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 11, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies former outfielder Aaron Rowand and the Phillie Phanatic shoot hot dogs into the crowd in between innings against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. The Mets defeated the Phillies, 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Philadelphia Phillies baseball is officially back today and we at Section 215 couldn’t be happier. Below you’ll find a comprehensive season preview as well as record predictions for the team in 2016.

The Philadelphia Phillies were bad in 2015, occupying the Cellar of the NL East for the season but they will take a step forward this coming season. The Phillies have made shrewd offseason decisions courtesy of new GM Andy McPhail, who knows a thing or two about rebuilding a team. (During his time with the Baltimore Orioles he laid the groundwork for their current success). Players like David Hernandez, Peter Bourjos, and Jeremy Hellickson are going to be prime bounce back candidates this season.

Last season the Philadelphia Phillies had a record of 63-99 mainly due to a 26-55 record on the road. It is possible for the Philadelphia Phillies to improve in 2016 after upgrading the rotation and hopefully the lineup.

On Saturday, the Philadelphia Phillies released their 25-man roster and we’ll go through a breakdown of the rotation, lineup, and the bullpen as well as show predictions of our staff writers. Full roster below:

The Starting Rotation:

  1. RHP- Jeremy Hellickson
  2. RHP- Aaron Nola
  3. RHP- Charlie Morton
  4. RHP- Jerad Eickhoff
  5. RHP- Vincent Velasquez

This is a rotation that on paper should be better than last years. Led by the young guns this rotation has the potential to be very good or an absolute dumpster fire. If Vincent Velasquez is able to replicate his spring, he could be the best fifth starter in baseball. The rotation will be relying on bounce backs from players or improvement by young players.

It’s tough to do a true analysis for a rotation with such a lack of a track record but on paper, this rotation should be better than the rotation last year. While this doesn’t sound too encouraging for the season’s outlook it’s a mark of a rebuild. If the young pitchers improve for the Philadelphia Phillies this season it will be a success.

Prediction: Vince Velasquez and Aaron Nola notch 12+ wins.

More from Philadelphia Phillies

The Lineup and Bench:

Predicted starting lineup:

  1. RF, Peter Bourjos
  2. CF, Odubel Herrera
  3. 3B, Maikel Franco
  4. 1B, Ryan Howard
  5. C, Cameron Rupp
  6. SS, Freddy Galvis
  7. 2B, Cesar Hernandez
  8. LF, Tyler Goeddel
  9. P, Jeremy Hellickson

The Bench:

To be blunt, this lineup is pretty underwhelming. Outside of Maikel Franco, there is no player that can be called upon to provide offensive firepower on a regular basis. If Herrera can improve on his season last year he could be a breakout player but that’s not guaranteed. As with the rotation, the performance of the lineup is going to be based on elements breaking properly and the Philadelphia Phillies hoping that they’ve found diamonds in the rough.

Depending on when top prospects like J.P. Crawford join the team, help could be on the way for the Philadelphia Phillies. The farm system has talent that will be able to contribute post-June and beyond. It will get better, the progression just may not be visible this year.

Predictions: Peter Bourjos steals 25+ bases and Maikel Franco hits 30 home runs.

The Bullpen:

The bullpen may be the biggest question surrounding this team. After trading their reliable back end arms for prospects the Philadelphia Phillies will be pretty bare in the bullpen department.  There is a lot riding on the arms of David Hernandez and Dalier Hinojosa as they attempt to protect rare late-inning leads but it could be ugly to watch.

Oberholtzer will be a reliable long relief option and could possibly break into the rotation if the opportunity arises. The current setup of the bullpen is the definition of, “throwing things at the wall to see what sticks” which is a luxury that a team with no expectations has. It should be interesting to watch how it plays out.

Prediction: David Hernandez is traded to a contending team at the Trade Deadline for prospects.

Staff writer predictions:

Mike Lacy: 67-95

Chuck Booth: 75-87

George Konoledon: 64-98

Alex De Giudice: 67-95

Next: Have the Phillies improved from 2015?

The Philadelphia Phillies open the season today at 4:10 at Great American Ballpark against the Reds. The season looks like it will be frustrating but it’s looking like last season was rock bottom. While the Philadelphia Phillies avoided the 100 loss mark on the final day of the season, not much went well overall. For this to be a successful season it shouldn’t be measured in wins and losses. The success of the team should be measured in progress. In a few years (once Ryan Howard’s contract is off the books) the Philadelphia Phillies will be in a position to compete again.

Enjoy the opening day festivities and be sure to head down to Citizens Bank Park on April 11th for the home opener aginst the Padres. If this road trip goes well who knows, we could see the Philadelphia Phillies in first place by that time, making the home opener that much sweeter.

Home/Philadelphia Phillies