2006 Philadelphia Phillies Predictions & Season Preview
June 5, 2008
Get ready for your baseball betting with our 2006 Philadelphia Phillies predictions. The Phillies were a tough egg to crack in 2005, which means that we will be best served to take a close look at this team in the early going, but paying attention early on to their performance as an underdog could be the best thread to follow in 2006. There are still some questions about their pitching, but they do have some strong bats, namely Bobby Abreu, that will keep them in games. Jimmy Rollins came into this season riding high on a 36 game hitting streak and should be a nice option at the leadoff spot for many seasons to come. Speed is an asset the Phillies have been missing in recent years, but Rollins fills that void and will give them a nice threat on the bases. Chase Utley, Pat Burrell, and Ryan Howard will be nice complements to Abreu. Howard was dangerous a season ago winning the rookie of the year. His bat was going to help atone for the loss of Jim Thome who has been dealing with injury problems of late, but Thome is now healthy and off to a great start in Chicago. They did pick up Aaron Rowand for Thome and this guy should be what the doctor ordered in center field and may prove to be a good acquisition in the long run. But in the short term, they will greatly miss Thome’s big bat.
The pitching staff took a big hit when they lost Billy Wagner. I can’t see Tom Gordon returning to form and being nearly as effective as one of the game’s premier closers. Brett Myers has the stuff to develop into the ace of this staff and perhaps a Cy Young contender in the near future, but there isn’t much after him.
The Philadelphia Phillies would have been the wrong favorite to fall in love with last season. Not enough bettors jumped on the Phillies as an underdog. If they would have done their homework, it wouldn’t take long to see that that’s where the best value was. Make sure you don’t fall into the same predicament that so many sports investors fell into a season ago. Many times being an underdog coincides with being on the road. I would suggest looking for places to take the Phillies away from home as they have gained their supporters 14 units on the road the past 2 seasons.
The Phillies ended their 2005 campaign just 2 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the NL East title, but public opinion seemed to be that Philly was a poor team last season, probably because of the amount of close games they played. If this public perception persists in 2006 and bettors go against the Phillies, you should be able to find value in taking them, especially in the right spots as an underdog. I wouldn’t completely stay away from the Phillies or go against them religiously like so many bettors did in 2005. Remember that they would have gained their backers 4 units last season and they were even better as an underdog, which is where the best value is.
