2018 Philadelphia Phillies Expert Predictions and Odds to Win the World Series

From 2008 to 2011 the Philadelphia Phillies won 5 NL East Crowns and a World Series title. Since losing their latest playoff series against the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2011 NLDS, the Phillies have been an absolute disaster. They have not finished with a winning record and have lost 90+ games in each of the last three seasons. Long gone are the days of Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and the late Roy Halladay. Instead, Phillies fans get to cheer for up-and-comers like Rhys Hoskins and Maikel Franco. If Phillies' fans think this is the year they turn it around, I would be inclined to them crazy.

Last season the Phillies finished with a record of 66-96, which was good enough for last place in the NL East, 31 games back of the division-winning Nationals. The Phillies had moments of brilliance in a season that was generally filled with despair, but it's hard to imagine them climbing out of the basement and back to relevance after just one offseason without making any major acquisitions.

The Philadelphia Phillies get their 2018 campaign underway with a six-game road trip that will take them to Atlanta and New York for three-game sets against the Braves and Mets, respectively. The Phillies will kick off the home portion of the schedule on April 5 by welcoming Miami and Cincinnati for three games apiece. The Phillies are currently +10000 to win the World Series, +5000 to win the NL Pennant and + 900 to win the NL East crown. The season win total is 75.5 (-175 to the "over"), which means that the Phillies are expected to be bad but could surprise some teams if they stay healthy all year long.

All odds are courtesy of Bovada.

Phillies 2018 Projected Lineup

The Phillies had a relatively quiet offseason. They were, however, able to lure away Carlos Santana from the Cleveland Indians and ink him to a massive three-year $60-million-dollar contract. He will be a nice addition to a lineup that is void of any real power. As of writing this, the Phillies' batting lineup looks something like this:

1. Cesar Hernandez

2. Odubel Herrera

3. Carlos Santana

4. Rhys Hoskins

5. Maikel Franco

6. Nick Williams

7. J.P Crawford

8. Jorge Alfaro

9. Pitchers Spot

The biggest storyline surrounding the Phillies last season was the emergence of Hoskins. He burst onto the MLB scene thanks to his phenomenal home run rate. In 50 games, Hoskins launched 18 dingers and drove in 48 runs. I highly doubt this production is sustainable for an entire season, but optimism seems to be the only thing the Phillies can hang their hat on. The biggest power bat in the lineup comes from the No. 3 hole where Carlos Santana will bat. Santana had a relatively quiet year last year but was still able to put up 23 home runs and 79 RBIs while hitting .259. The Phillies hope that the 31-year-old still has something left in the tank physically and mentally to help mentor his younger teammates.

Behind those two players is where you will find Franco. He had a solid 2017 campaign where he contributed 24 long balls and 76 RBIs. Franco is just 25, so if he can continue to get better both in the batter's box and in the field then he will become a leader on this team. Further down the lineup you'll find Williams batting sixth and playing the outfield, Crawford batting seventh and playing shortstop and Alfaro batting ninth and doing the catching. To be completely honest with you, none of these players are household names, so don't feel too bad if you have no clue who these guys are.

Phillies 2018 Projected Rotation & Closer

The Phillies pitching staff is comprised of young pitchers who have extreme upside. Unfortunately, none of them outside of their staff "ace", Aaron Nola, has been able to put together an effective full season. Nola was one of the lone bright spots last year for the Phillies, pitching to a record of 12-11 with a 3.54 ERA.

Behind Nola, the Phillies will trot out Jerad Eickhoff, Vincent Velasquez, Nick Pivetta and Ben Lively. Eickhoff and Velazquez are the more known pitchers out of this foursome, but both pitchers had down seasons last year. Eickhoff struggled to a 4-8 record with a 4.71 ERA, while Velasquez turned in a 2-8 record with a 5.13 ERA. It's hard to win ball games with a pitching staff that is inconsistent, so the Phillies will need to hope and pray these young pitchers can finally put it all together and perform to their abilities.

In terms of the bullpen, the Phillies will rely on Hector Neris to do the closing. Neris performed admirably last season and was able to convert on 27 save opportunities while keeping his ERA to just 3.00. Pat Neshek will be tasked with being the setup man, and Luis Garcia, Tommy Hunter Jr., and Mark Leiter Jr., will all be used in a relief role.

Phillies 2018 Predictions

FanGraphs projects Philadelphia to improve their record by eight games this year to 74-88. That would put them in third place in the NL East, 16 games back of the division-winning Nationals. The Phillies have several pieces throughout the roster that have the potential to be special. The problem with the Phillies is that they are extremely inconsistent, and the teams above them in the pecking order are constantly getting better. It'll be another long season for the Phillies, and I believe the season win total of 75.5 is a tad too high. The batting order did get better with the addition of Santana, so the onus will fall on the shoulders of the rotation to keep them in ball games.

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