Cliff Lee: 4 Reasons Philadelphia Phillies Should Start Him in Game 1

Call it a best-case scenario come true.

When the Philadelphia Phillies signed Cliff Lee last December they had one thing on their mind: a World Series Championship.

Now, nearly nine months later, the time has come to live up to expectations.

The Phillies are closing in on their fifth consecutive NL East title, as expected.

General manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. went out and acquired what was seemingly the missing piece to the team’s lineup, as expected.

The starting rotation (although Vance Worley has greatly exceeded expectations) has dominated hitters all season while helping the team avoid any prolonged losing streaks, as expected.

And now the door is about to be opened to the next set of expectations for the Phillies as they continue their historic season.

If someone had told manager Charlie Manuel in December that one of his toughest decisions this season may be deciding who should start Game 1 in the playoffs, Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee, he would’ve gladly taken on the challenge.

But now the time has almost arrived for Manuel to make this decision.

And his decision should result in handing the ball to the pitcher who has appeared in the past two World Series.

No matter which pitcher takes the mounds, the Phils should have a great chance of winning Game 1.

But their chances may be best with Cliff Lee on that mound.

Call it unfinished business.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Current Phils Who Won’t Be Back Next Year

A team that recently set the record for most games over .500 in franchise history is sure to bring back all of its players next season, right?

Not if that team is the Philadelphia Phillies.

Very rarely in sports does a team remain the same from one year to the next.  Whether they decide to keep their roster the same, let players go, or bring in new acquisitions, teams either become better or worse.

And the Phillies are no exception.

After winning 93 games in 2009, the Phils went out and traded for pitcher Roy Halladay and finished with their highest win total since 1993.

Last offseason, the team signed pitcher Cliff Lee, before acquiring outfielder Hunter Pence prior to this season’s trade deadline.  And now the Phillies are on pace for over 100 victories.

But what about next year?

For a team that has little breathing room between themselves and the luxury tax threshold, and who still has to pay up in order to keep shortstop Jimmy Rollins and starter Cole Hamels long term, the chances of bringing back the entire roster appear slim to none.

Not that the Phillies would necessarily like to have every current player back.

But which current Phils have the highest chances of not returning?

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Philadelphia Phillies: Ranking the Importance of All Their Injury-Prone Stars

This season, the Philadelphia Phillies have seen over half of their 25-man roster land on the disabled list.

In total, the Phils have sent five infielders, four relief pitchers, three starting pitchers and one outfielder to the DL.

Yet, they have kept on winning.

Thanks to players such as Ryan Howard, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee missing minimal, if any, time, and Michael Martinez, Wilson Valdez and John Mayberry, Jr., coming off the bench, the Phils have hardly skipped a beat this season.

But, as the team begins the final stretch of the regular season, and with the playoffs only a month away, a healthy roster is as important as ever.

While the Phils have had time to adjust to certain injuries, other, more recent trips to the disabled list could deal the team a blow that is difficult to recover from in a short amount of time.

But which of the Phils injury-prone stars this season is the most important the rest of the way, and whose health may have championship implications hinging on it?

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Philadelphia Phillies: A Look at the Phils’ Candidates for End of Season Awards

In the past decade, the Philadelphia Phillies have had a player win the MVP award, a pitcher win the Cy Young, a Rookie of the Year winner and a manager become Manager of the Year.

Just not in the same season.

From Larry Bowa in 2001, to Ryan Howard in 2005 and 2006, to Jimmy Rollins in 2007, to Roy Halladay this past season, the Phillies have recently been the recipients of every major end of season award.

This season, for the first time in recent history, the Phils’ have legitimate candidates for all four awards.

While some awards, such as the National League’s most valuable player, may be more difficult to obtain. Others, such as the league’s Cy Young award, have multiple candidates from the team that may win.

With 33 games to go, the Phillies not only have team goals that are within reach, but their players, individually, have accomplishments on the line that their play during the regular season’s final month may determine whether they are achieved or not.

The Phillies’ ultimate goal this season involves the team as a whole.

However, they still have players who, individually, have become candidates for the league’s end of season awards.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 7 Best Midseason Additions in Phils History

After their transactions in recent years, the Philadelphia Phillies declining to make a big-name, mid-season acquisition ,would be like seeing Bill Belichick without his sweatshirt; it just wouldn’t be right.

From Chuck Klein and Harry Walker, to Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt, the Phillies have been trading their fair share of big-name players for over 70 years.

Unfortunately, these trades have not always improved the team.

For every deal that brought the Phillies players such as Joe Blanton and Hunter Pence, there have also been deals such as the one that sent Curt Schilling to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2000, and the trade that dealt Bobby Abreu to the New York Yankees in 2006.

While some of these trades resulted in setbacks, or minimal improvements, others paved the way for World Series appearances.

As of late, Phillies fans have been spoiled by general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr., and his recent mid-season acquisitions.

Although teams have a shorter window to get deals done by the non-waiver deadline than they do in the offseason, these deals may be the final chance a team has to make the postseason, and advance.

And, in the Phillies case, eventually become World Champions.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 10 Players They’ll Be Eyeing This Offseason

The Philadelphia Phillies 2012 offseason will feature general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr., signing a big name player, just as he has during the past three offseasons.

The only difference this year is that, instead of a big name player signing on with the Phils for the first time, the player will be re-signing with the team.

Jimmy Rollins, Raul Ibanez, Ryan Madson, Brad Lidge, Brian Schneider, Ross Gload, and Roy Oswalt are all potential Phillies free agents.

Rollins, Ibanez, Madson, Schneider, and Gload are set to hit the open market, while Lidge and Oswalt have options that can lead to their free agency, as well.

In addition to these names, starting pitcher Cole Hamels is also due for a big pay-day.

Although he can’t become a free agent until after the 2012 season, Hamels is still headed for either a long-term deal, or arbitration.

As one of the best left handed pitchers in baseball, Hamels should be paid accordingly.

The only problem is that a fair contract could cost upwards of $120 million.

The Phillies currently have the second highest payroll in the league at over $172 million, with not much room left before the team crosses the luxury tax threshold.

However, the Phillies will be able to get close to $30 million back, by letting players such as Ibanez and Lidge go, with the potential to reach nearly $45 million if Oswalt does not return.

The Phillies can also get close to $15 million back if they are able to move the contracts of Joe Blanton, Ben Francisco, and Jose Contreras.

By allowing some players to leave as free agents, re-signing their top talent, and moving certain contracts, the Phillies will have options when it comes to the free agent class of 2012.

And Amaro is sure to make the most out of these options.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Lessons We Learned About Phils at Trade Deadline

The trade deadline taught us more than just the fact that Ruben Amaro Jr. is relentless when it comes to getting the player he sets out to acquire.

It also taught us that, as a player, when you hear the Phillies are interested, you might as well book a flight to Philadelphia.

For the third consecutive season, Amaro acquired the player he wanted at the deadline.

This season it was Hunter Pence from the Houston Astros.

Next season it may be Peyton Manning.

But, for now, the acquisition of Pence did more than just fulfill the Phillies desire for a right handed batter.

It also taught us some lessons about what the Phillies have planned for this season, and even in the near future.

And that on the 29^th, Christmas really does come in July for Phillies fans.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Ranking Each of the Uniforms in Phils History

Since 1883 the Philadelphia Phillies have used more versions of the letter “P” than any team should ever feel the need to wear.

From uniforms that would make Frank Rizzo proud, to pieces that would make Versace roll over in his grave, the Phillies have experimented with combinations that bring back both fond and repressed memories.

Before their current uniform, it seems like the Phillies had their best success in some of their worst looking uniforms, and vice versa. 

However, the one saving grace for even their worst uniforms has been the players who have worn them.

Even if they looked like they were found at the bottom of Santa’s closet.

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10 Most Underrated Phillies of All Time

Trying to nail down a true definition of ‘underrated’ is like trying to pinpoint what exactly is wrong with Charlie Sheen; there’s just too many options.

For a team such as the Philadelphia Phillies, who have been around since 1883 and were the first major professional sports team to reach 10,000 losses, the negatives have far outweighed the positives.

However, amid all the losing, there have been a number of players who have worn the Phillies uniform and given fans plenty of reason to cheer.

From Richie Ashburn and Steve Carlton to Mike Schmidt and Chase Utley, the Phillies have had their share of elite players.  However, a few players have slipped through the cracks over the years and never received the credit they deserve from the baseball world.

Here’s an attempt to give some underrated Phillies some well deserved recognition.

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Phillies Pitching Success Runs Deeper Than Four Aces

Although it’s hard to believe at times, the Phillies‘ pitching staff consists of more than just Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. 

A combined 29 wins, 2.59 ERA, 369 strikeouts, 11 complete games and an opponent batting average of .228 is enough to give the Phillies three of the game’s best pitchers through the first half of the season. 

However, the success of the Phillies’ pitching staff is being enjoyed by more than just these three pitchers.  With injuries to five members of the team’s bullpen, a fair share of innings have been up for grabs all season long. 

So far, there have been no shortage of takers.

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