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Meet your 2010 Phillies

ABOUT THE ROSTER The Phillies have three players on the disabled list, all pitchers: Joe Blanton, Brad Lidge and J.C. Romero.

ABOUT THE ROSTER

The Phillies have three players on the disabled list, all pitchers: Joe Blanton, Brad Lidge and J.C. Romero.

RHP Roy Halladay

Hgt: 6-6. Wgt: 230. Age: 32

2009: 17-10, 2.79 ERA, 208 strikeouts

What to expect: Coming into a patchy National League, with an especially sketchy NL East, Halladay - considered majors' best righthander over the past decade - should be dominant, even in hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park. His ERA might jump by as much as a run, but he still should come close to winning 20 games and should continue to rank near the top of the strikeouts-to-walks ratio, in which he has led the AL the past two seasons. He should contend for his second career Cy Young Award.

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LHP Cole Hamels

Hgt: 6-3. Wgt: 192. Age: 26

2009: 10-11, 4.32 ERA, 1.28 WHIP

What to expect: Much has been made of Hamels working on pitches besides his fastball and changeup, but a sharper curve and a decent cutter won't help his head. He picked things up after a slow start but he was 3-6 with a 4.16 ERA in his last 12 starts last season - after the Cliff Lee trade made Hamels the No. 2 pitcher on the staff. He'll be a distant No. 2 behind Halladay, and how he handles that distinction will go far toward telling what sort of year, if not career, he will have. He pitched sloppily and predictably last year, so his league-best WHIP in 2009 jumped.

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LHP J.A. Happ

Hgt: 6-6. Wgt: 200. Age: 27

2009: 12-4, 2.93 ERA, 2 shutouts

What to expect: Who knows? Happ finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, but there was much hand-wringing over his 56 walks (the Phillies, amusingly, spun them as semi-intentional) and the Phillies showed little confidence in him in the postseason. Much attention was paid to Blanton's retention as Lee departed, but Happ is the guy with the bull's-eye; he's the one the Phillies are counting on to fill Lee's role for cheap. Talk about sophomore pressure.

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LHP Jamie Moyer

Hgt: 6-0. Wgt: 185. Age: 47

2009: 12-10, 4.94 ERA, 25 starts

What to expect: The Legend of Jamie Moyer obscures just how mediocre he has been at times in his career. The fact that he throws 80-mph fastballs and 23-mph changeups makes you forget that, just 2 years ago, as the Phillies made a playoff run, Moyer pitched as badly as he has pitched since his career turned around in 1993. Moyer followed his last three off-years with superb seasons - but then, he was a tender 38, 42 and 45 then. With a reconstructed groin, can he do it again? Why not?

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RHP Kyle Kendrick

Hgt: 6-3. Wgt: 213. Age: 25

2009: 3-1, 3.42 ERA, 26.1 innings

What to expect: After a breakout start to 2008, Kendrick was left off the playoff roster then spent most of last season at Triple A trying to develop a cutter to complement his sinker. He appears to have done that, evidenced by his strong spring. Before Blanton's trip to the disabled list, the question was: Does it benefit Kendrick and the team more to spend the first few weeks in the minors, logging innings, or freezing in the bullpen, hoping for an occasional appearance? The 'pen is thin, with closer Brad Lidge and lefty J.C. Romero bound for the DL.

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RHP Jose Contreras

Hgt: 6-4. Wgt: 255. Age: 38

2009: 6-13, 4.92 ERA, 23 starts

What to expect: Contreras is resurrecting a stalled career as a starter on the strength of a five-game bullpen stint at the end of last season with the Rockies. He allowed one run to score in 7 1/3 innings, pitched twice on consecutive days - a 37-year-old at the end of a season near the end of a grueling career - and convinced the Phillies that it was no fluke. With Lidge injured and with a dearth of grit in the 'pen, expect Contreras to supply a healthy measure of fortitude.

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RHP Chad Durbin

Hgt: 6-2. Wgt: 224. Age: 32

2009: 2-2, 4.39 ERA

What to expect: Less use early in the season would help. Durbin faded especially as a full-time reliever in 2008, the first time he had assumed that role, with a 7.71 ERA in the last month. Last season, he pitched 29 times between April 12 and June 16, and well, but between June 16 and July 22 he faltered again, fighting a back injury that landed him on the DL. He pitched well down the stretch ... but a little more judicious use would likely make him viable all year long.

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RHP Danys Baez

Hgt: 6-1. Wgt: 235. Age: 32

2009: 4-6, 4.02 ERA, 59 games

What to expect: The Phillies organization has long been enamored of Baez, even before his All-Star season in 2005, when he saved 41 games for Tampa Bay. Manager Charlie Manuel had him in Cleveland, and, given Manuel's tendency to favor his memory and his connections, you can bet Baez gets the closer's job if Ryan Madson falters, even though Baez hasn't pitched as a full-time closer since that 2005 season. Baez missed 2008 with elbow surgery but was the Orioles' solid setup man the last 2 months of last season.

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LHP Antonio Bastardo

Hgt: 5-11. Wgt: 193 Age: 24

2009: 2-3, 6.46 ERA, 6 games

What to expect: With Romero injured and with Mike Zagurski sent to the minors, it will fall to Bastardo to mature quickly. What he did last season as a brief June call-up to start helped convince the Phils he might have what it takes: a strong debut, a strong follow-up, then committed work back in the minors that led to a serious playoff moment. Fearlessly, Bastardo fanned Jason Giambi with the bases loaded and two out in the top of the eighth of Game 2 of the NLDS against the Rockies.

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RHP Ryan Madson

Hgt: 6-6. Wgt: 202 Age: 29

2009: 5-5, 3.26 ERA, 10 saves, 6 blown saves

What to expect: This probably is Madson's last shot at claiming the closer role, which the Phillies figure can be his for the next decade if he produces. Twice, he has failed to make the job his. This time, he's using a relocated curveball that he never used enough as a standout minor league starter to complement a good changeup and a blazing, flat fastball. But stuff has never been Madson's issue; at least, not stuff on the mound. He can be a savior if his mind's right.

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RHP David Herndon

Hgt: 6-5. Wgt: 230. Age: 24

2009: 5-6, 3.03 ERA at Double A Arkansas

What to expect: A lot of low-pressure appearances for the first 2 months. Herndon is a Rule 5 acquisition from the Angels with whom the Phillies have fallen in love. His hard sinker makes him an enticing option for a team that plays at Citizens Bank Park, where routine fly balls become laughable homers. The Phils must keep him on the 25-man roster or offer him back to LA, but, considering he has pitched well this spring and they have two injured front-line relievers, it looks as if he will get a shot without a day in Triple A.

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RHP Andrew Carpenter

Hgt. 6-3. Wgt: 225. Age: 24

What to expect: Cameos in mop-up work, with Joe Blanton sidelined and sixth starter/long man Kyle Kendrick in Blanton's rotation slot. Carpenter last year had a chance to burnish his stock with the Phillies, who are lukewarm about him as a whole. However, Carpenter faded in the fifth inning of his spot start in Washington, the second game of a doubleheader, giving up three of his five runs before exiting, and was shaky in his subsequent relief outing. His best chance of real redemption - the kind that doesn't take months of strong minor league work - is if another starter goes down.

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SS Jimmy Rollins

Hgt: 5-8. Wgt: 170 Age: 31

2009: .250, 21 HR, 44 walks

What to expect: Rollins apologists will point to his 100 runs, the fifth time in 6 years he logged that many, but .250 with a career-low .296 on-base percentage points more to the talent behind him than to his own performance. Make no mistake, Rollins is the glue to this team - leader, switch-hitter, Gold Glove winner, 30-steal threat - but he could be so much more. He says, this season, he will be. Well, he might be. He says lots of stuff.

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3B Placido Polanco

Hgt: 5-10. Wgt: 194. Age: 34

2009: .285, 10 HR, Gold Glove

What to expect: Polanco won that Gold Glove at second base, his natural position, but he won't be much of a downgrade defensively from Pedro Feliz. He will be a significant upgrade in the No. 2 spot in the lineup over Shane Victorino, who, in turn, will make the black hole of the seventh spot where Feliz lived a viable threat. If Rollins can manage a .350 on-base percentage, with Polanco behind him, Rollins might score 150 runs.

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2B Chase Utley

Hgt: 6-1. Wgt: 192. Age: 31

2009: .282, 31 HR, 93 RBI

What to expect: On his way to the Hall of Fame, Utley will stay healthy for an entire season and win an MVP award. This should be the season. Teams will continue to feed him fastballs in fear of former MVP Ryan Howard behind him. Utley could continue to pound them, perhaps finally hitting the 40-homer, 150-RBI, .330-average mark that will cement him as the position's best - ever. Too bad Howard sets a record this year.

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1B Ryan Howard

Hgt: 6-4. Wgt: 255. Age: 30

2009: .279, 45 HR, 141 RBI

What to expect: It's simple. If Howard deigns to take pitches in the first 3 months, he will walk more, see better pitches, hit home runs by mistake and win the MVP running away. Albert Pujols is the game's best hitter, but Howard has the power and the talent to hit 30 homers by mistake. Add the 35 or so he hits on purpose, and you have MVP No. 2 for the mantle - the first steroid-free, 62-plus homer season.

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RF Jayson Werth

Hgt: 6-5. Wgt: 222. Age: 30

2009: .268, 36 HR, 99 RBI

What to expect: Well, the way to make $100 million is to hit more than 30 homers again, top the 100-RBI mark, and, more than anything, trim the 156 strikeouts to, say, 120. All apologies to Rollins and Victorino, but Werth is the team's best athlete, with Canseco-type potential. He still hasn't figured out how hard he hits it to rightfield. That's 10 homers just waiting for him - and, in a contract year, lots of Yankee cash.

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LF Raul Ibanez

Hgt: 6-2. Wgt: 227. Age: 37

2009: .272, 34 HR, 93 RBI

What to expect: If he's healthy and honest, 30 homers and 100 RBI. His pace through his first 60 games last season, fighting through a deteriorating groin injury, was 60 homers and 160 RBI. If he's hurt a little and hiding it, then the .225 he hit in his last 74 games of the season, when he came back too early and hurt the team. Ibanez was a big upgrade in leftfield over Pat Burrell, making new GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. look brilliant. He can do it again.

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CF Shane Victorino

Hgt: 5-9. Wgt: 190. Age: 29

2009: .292, 25 steals, 694 plate appearances

What to expect: More judicious use of the little guy. Nobody his size plays harder, and, in August, it shows on Victorino. Last year, patrolling the cavernous centerfield at the Bank, Victorino's dog-days swoon bled into September. He will hit seventh, cutting his plate appearances by about 10 percent, and, if his manager's smart, Victorino will start no more than 150 games.

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C Carlos Ruiz

Hgt: 5-10. Wgt: 216. Age: 31

2009: .255, 9 HR, 43 RBI

What to expect: With Victorino in front of him, Ruiz become a threat at the bottom of the lineup, and with Brian Schneider a viable backup, Ruiz should catch no more than 100 games this season. That should make Ruiz a .275 hitter, keep his legs strong - he's a doubles guy with 15-homer potential - so he can drive in maybe 70-75 runs. Also, he's a good enough runner and gets on base enough to score 60 times.

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C Brian Schneider

Hgt: 6-1. Wgt: 210. Age: 33

2009: .218, 3 HR, 59 games

What to expect: Schneider's strength never, really, has been with the bat, even in his six seasons as a full-time starter from 2003-08 with the Expos/Nationals and Mets (except when he played the Phillies). He is a perfect fit for the offense-heavy Phils, however, because any production in his 60 starts is superfluous, and because he has never played outside of the NL East, so he knows its potencies and weaknesses - especially New York's.

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IF/OF Greg Dobbs

Hgt: 6-1. Wgt: 207. Age: 31

2009: .247, 5 HR, 28 starts

What to expect: After a breakout 2007, when he hit .272 with 10 HR and 55 RBI as a backup, Dobbs, a lefthanded hitter, exploded with a .301 campaign a year later, .355 as a pinch hitter ... then foundered through last season, with a .173 average as a pinch-hitter, guiding his bat through the strike zone, unable to power hits to leftfield. If he can start taking sliders to left, he can become a key cog in the organization again. If not ...

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1B/RF Ross Gload

Hgt: 6-1. Wgt: 190. Age: 33

2009: .261, 6 HR, 30 RBI

What to expect: Improvement. Gload has been a viable hitter since 2004, and he's a lifetime .308 pinch-hitter. Last season was his first full season in the National League, and he was with the Marlins. So, he should know the pitchers in the league and in the division better. That could make .261 become .280, and, playing in Citizens Bank Park instead of Miami's Sun Life Stadium, it could double his home runs.

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OF Ben Francisco

Hgt: 6-1. Wgt: 190. Age: 28

2009: .257, 15 HR, 46 RBI

What to expect: Excellent return on investment. The footnote in the trade that brought Lee from the Indians last season, Francisco is the team's top backup in the outfield, capable of playing any of the positions every day, its best pinch-runner option late in games. He stole 13 bases for Cleveland in 2009, hit 15 homers there as a rookie in 2008, and is a .240 pinch-hitter in very limited chances.

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SS/2B Juan Castro

Hgt: 5-11. Wgt: 190. Age: 37

2009: .277, 1 HR, 3 errors

What to expect: Not many Castro sightings if Utley and Rollins stay healthy. Castro is a career .230 hitter who hit .180 in 2007 and .193 in 2008. Always more a defensive player than offensive, Castro, a shortstop by trade, replaces Eric Bruntlett. A .196 career pinch-hitter, Castro's presence is insurance, and, at that, a policy only at shortstop, since Polanco likely would replace Utley long-term, with Dobbs moving to third base.