Philadelphia Phillies 2006 Season Preview

The Philadelphia Phillies open the 2006 baseball season on Monday, April 3, 2006 at home against the defending National League Central Division Champion St. Louis Cardinals.

For at least one day, optimism reigns supreme as the Phillies are undefeated and dreams of a long sought after playoff appearance appear realistic.

In fact, the 2006 Philadelphia Phillies do have an excellent chance to break the Atlanta Braves long string of Eastern Division Championships. Over the off-season two of the division's teams appear to have become considerably weaker than they were last season. The Florida Marlins once again held a fire sale of their best players and they could easily lose 100 games. The Washington Nationals still have considerable weaknesses. While the New York Mets added several key players, their starting pitching is highly questionable. Granted the greatly improved their bullpen with the addition of free agent Billy Wagner who left the Phillies for big money in the Big Apple. Once again the Atlanta Braves appear to be the class of the division and who will bet against them until they actually lose the division.

The Phillies made a significant number of changes in the off-season. While most of their starting lineup remains intact except for center field where Aaron Rowand takes over for last year's platoon of Kenny Lofton and Jason Michaels, the team's bench has been vastly improved. The starting pitching looks familiar with the exception of Ryan Madson who moves from the bullpen to become the Phillies' number four starter. The relief squad looks considerable different with a new setup man, Arthur Rhodes and a new closer, Tom Gordon.

Let's look at who's come and who's gone since last September:

Arrivals:

Pitchers

• 23 Ryan Franklin R/R - signed as free agent 01/05/06
• 45 Tom Gordon R/R - signed as free agent 12/03/05
• 22 Arthur Rhodes L/L - acquired by trade 01/27/06
• 44 Julio Santana R/R - signed as free agent 11/30/05

Catcher

• 13 Sal Fasano R/R - signed as free agent 12/1/05

Infielders

• 8 Alex S. Gonzalez R/R - signed as free agent 02/08/06
• 3 Abraham Nunez S/R - signed as free agent 11/29/05

Outfielders

• 2 David Dellucci L/L - acquired by trade 04/01/06
• 33 Aaron Rowand R/R - acquired by trade 11/25/05

Departures:

Pitchers

• Eude Brito
• Pedro Liriano
• Aquilino Lopez
• Vicente Padilla
• Robinson Tejeda
• Amaury Telemaco
• Ugueth Urbinad
• Billy Wagner
• Tim Worrell

Catcher

• Todd Pratt

Infielders

• Ramon Martinez
• Jose Offerman
• Tomas Perez
• Danny Sandoval
• Jim Thome

Outfielders

• Endy Chavez
• Kenny Lofton
• Jason Michaels
• Michael Tucker

So, what can we expect in 2006 from the new-look Philadelphia Phillies? The team won 86 games in 2001, 2003 and 2004 and 88 games last season. The Phillies certainly look stronger in 2006 than in 2005. The Phillies' biggest nemesis, the Florida Marlins, look very weak. I'm predicting a 91 win season and, yes, a division championship.

New team General Manager Pat Gillick has made significant changes and may actually be looking for the team to reach its peak in 2007, but I think that the Phillies' time is now.

The Phillies play their home games in beautiful Citizens Bank Park. If you've never been to the new ballpark, plenty of seats are available for most games. Take a look at our Citizens Bank Park Photo Gallery to see what's in store for you when you go to a game.