Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies have always been my favorite baseball team. Ever since I went to my first Major League game when I was young, I was just another Philly fanatic. The Phillies have been known for having many greats such as Pete Rose, Mike Schmidt, Curt Schilling, and many more. The Phillies almost won the world series in 93', however, Mitch Williams gave up the game winning homerun to Joe Carter. Ever since then, the Phillies have been near the bottom of their league rummaging for a new star. With the new addition of Larry Bowa last year, the Phillies almost made it into the playoffs and came back with a fighting fist. Below you can find some profiles of each of the players on the team and my opinion of each. First, I'm going to start with the bullpen.

#44 Vicente Padilla, SP
As of right now, Vicente Padilla is the ace pitcher of the club. He was picked up last year by the Phillies as a relief pitcher. However this year, Bowa decided to make him a starter and oh was it a sweet decision. Padilla was almost in the lead with the lowest ERA by the all-star break and he was selected to be in the 2002 all-star game. He ended up pitching three innings and was the last pitcher for the national league before the game ended in a tie. This year he has been a phenom by shutting out his opponents and allowing very few runs. Definately a leader stat-wise.

#43 Randy Wolf, SP
A few years ago, I went to a AAA game and watched Randy Wolf pitch. He was amazing for a left hander. Not only does Wolf throw with speed and precision, but he also has a nice changeup along with it. He has been on the Philly staff for four years now and there is even a wolf pack that follows him during every game. The great thing is that he can ring up the lefties although he has tendencies to get in a jam around the sixth inning.

#56 Brandon Duckworth, SP
Even though he joined the Phillies as a rookie last year, Duckworth did an amazing job for ending up with a 3-2 record. For a rookie, Duckworth isn't that bad of a pitcher. Although he has a losing record this season, Duckworth tends to generate a high amount of strikeouts and is in the process of perfecting his game. In a few years, he will most likely be an excellent pitcher as long as he doesn't get injured.

#41 Brett Myers, SP
This guy sort of came up as a surprise to the Phillies. While he was playing on the AAA team, he had a 4-0 1.50 ERA during a hot streak. So the Phillies called him up. During his first game, he ended up pitching an eight inning two-hit shutout as a rookie debut. Pretty good, eh? He has an excellent slider and break on his fastball. The only bad tendencies he has is when certain pitches go over the plate or in the wrong spot. Even though he had an amazing start for a rookie, as of recently he has given up four or more runs in both of his starts. Maybe the hot streak isn't so hot anymore, we'll find out in a couple weeks...

#35 Joe Roa, SP
Not many people know this, but Joe Roa has been around for quite some time. He's been on many different AAA ball clubs, however, this year was a spark for his career. He had an amazing 14-0 record and was called up by the Phillies recently. Unfortunately, his debut was a loss and nothing near supreme. Still, Joe Roa has a chance of becoming a permanent rotation starter if he improves his game in the big leagues. Once he gets use to the style and pace of MLB, I'm sure he'll do much better. His only problem is that he doesn't strikeout many batters, but rather relies on his fielders to finish the job.

#31 Robert Person, SP
Even though Person has been in the league for quite some time, he had his best season last year ending with a 15-7 record. Originally, he was suppose to be the Philly's ace this year, but all of that changed. After a resigning, the Phillies expected this right hander to take the mound and lead the team. Unfortunately, he has done very little. As of right now, he has a losing record and hasn't done much for the team. Another problem is that he injured his shoulder and is going for surgery to repair it. Even if he hit three homeruns in one game as a pitcher, he still isn't living up to the money they're paying him.

#49 Jose Mesa, RP/Closer
Believe it or not, this guy use to be a starter. Although he never had a winning season as a starter, his closing role is much different. Jose Mesa has been in the big leagues for quite some time, and ever since he was a closer, he has been doing much better. Mesa had an excellent season last year by posting 42 saves for the Phillies, however, this year is a different story. He leads the league with the most blown saves and has tendencies to let a base runner on when he comes in for the save. He does have a high amount of saves, but does the pressure really affect his ability to pitch?

#52 Carlos Silva, RP
Silva was called up for the first time this year. Although Silva only pitches as a reliever, he definately is a solid pitcher that gets the job done. His main role is to come in during situations where the starter needs to be relieved, or to get out of tense situations. He does it very well and already has a 3-0 record doing so. His fastballs can reach the lower 90's and he is effective at ridding of right handers.

#37 Rheal Cormier, RP
Just like Mesa, Cormier has been in the big leagues for quite some time. He also debuted as a starter, although he eventually became a relief pitcher. Unfortunately, Cormier isn't the best solution to situations. He just gives up too many runs for a lefty and doesn't seem to be consistent. He may be good for getting rid of a superior left-handed batter, but otherwise, I couldn't trust him in the close games.

#19 Dan Plesac, RP
An acquisition from the Blue Jays, Plesac is a fairly good left handed reliever. Although he tends to pitch to get certain batters out, Plesac is a consistent pitcher that gets the job done. He has more strikeouts than his innings pitched which is a plus, and his ERA isn't too bad. Although he may not be a long-inning pitcher, he definately is worth getting out of icky situations.

#48 David Coggin, RP
A former starter for the Phillies, Coggin has been sort of an oddball pitcher. He's really just been an average pitcher although he did fairly decent last year as a starter. One of his positive aspects of when he pitches is that he gives up a few amount of homeruns. He does have a bad motion to give up a lot of walks for a relief pitcher, but he still has excellent movement on his pitches.

#51 Terry Adams, RP
Although he had his best season last year with the Dodgers, very little is helping him this year. Adams was a fifth rotational starter for the Phillies this year, but didn't fit the role very well. He always seemed to get into first inning jams and just didn't accomplish his duty. Thankfully, Bowa moved him down to relief pitching where he is faring slightly better. Even if he's a powerhouse pitcher, it doesn't help if you constantly give up hits and walks.

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