Phillies' Starting Rotation: Review and Preview

Baseball watchers around the country might be excused for thinking the Phillies' starting rotation in 2008 was in the tradition of the formidable pitchers of the great Yankee or Oakland Athletic dynasties. After all, the Phils steamrolled their way through the post-season with only three losses which included only two weak starting efforts, one by Myers and another by Moyer. Hamels, Blanton, Myers and Moyer were imposing if not necessarily overpowering. However, for the Delaware Valley fans who saw the first 162 games, the reality was not so simple.

Overall, the starters were in fact effective and a major part of the Philadelphia story. But there was a lot of addition and subtraction. Eaton was now you see him, now you don't. Kendrick was for a while a major producer, then he was a nonproducer and gone. Myers performed his usual high-wire act. Hamels anchored the staff and was outstanding. Moyer overachieved, again. Blanton made a major contribution. But for a team that just won the World Series, this cast of characters presents far more questions than answers going into 2009.

Start with Cole Hamels. He performed brilliantly in the playoffs and Series to go along with a solid regular season which was marred by poor run support. Barring any health issues, you should be able to pencil in at least 15 wins for Hamels. So far so good.

But then there is Myers. It seems there are many who believe that he has exorcised all his demons, both mechanical and otherwise, and from here on it's clear sailing. That seems a bit premature. He pitched well in the second half of the season, but he was bombed in two outings late in the season to go along with that bad start in the post-season. All that you can pencil in here is a question mark, although with Myers' newfound hitting prowess, he may be the solution to the left fielder issues.

Jamie Moyer continues to defy numerous rules of physics as well as the normal aging process. It seems fruitless to bet against him but every time out he seems to be engaging in his own high-wire act without a net - there's just no margin for error. Joe Blanton was solid if not flashy but he only pitched in 13 games and struggled with his control frequently so the jury is still deliberating here. Also, Moyer and Blanton rarely went more than 5-6 innings so there was usually pressure on the middle relievers.

So how should the Phils structure their staff going into next season? Wholesale changes or minor tweaking?