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The Phillies have what can only be described as one of the most promising starting pitching rotations in the history of Major League Baseball. Their potential for greatness—not just in the upcoming season but in the foreseeable future—is as large as the price they paid to be in this position, something few teams can say with a straight face. However, even knowing that great pitching can handily defeat great hitting, the Phillies still have a some hole that needs to be addressed before they can reach that illusive label of greatness. Now, to check in on your local internet casinos , sports book or other gambling hub, you’ll notice instantly that the Phils’ odds of winning the World Series far surpass any other team’s odds at this early juncture. But let’s not allow expectation to tell the tale. Potentially, there’s still a hole out in right field due to Jayson Werth’s decision to abandon the club for division rival—not on the same level, but still a rival—Washington, when he signed with...

Over the past couple of months I counted down the top 25 prospects in the Phillies organization here on PhoulBallz.com and over on PhilliesNation.com . In the process, we took a close look at the best minor leaguers that are on the rise throughout the Philadelphia organization. This is a handy list of those entries. The prospect countdown primer 25- Kelly Dugan 24-Leandro Castro 23-Cody Overbeck 22-Mike Zagurski 21- Jonathan Pettibone 20-Mike Stutes 19-Aaron Altherr 18-Michael Schwimer 17-Julio Rodriguez 16-Scott Mathieson 15-JC Ramirez 14- Domingo Santana 13-Phillippe Aumont 12-Harold Garcia 11- Matt Rizzotti 10- Tyson Gillies 9- Jesse Biddle 8- Austin Hyatt 7- Jiwan James 6- Trevor May 5- Justin De Fratus 4- Sebastian Valle 3- Brody Colvin 2- Jarred Cosart 1- Jonathan Singleton _________________________________________________________ Photo- Scott Greenwald You can follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter by clicking HERE . Connect with PhoulBallz.com on Facebook by clicking HERE .

Reports out of Clearwater today have Domonic Brown headed back to Philadelphia to meet with team doctors after X-rays showed that he has a fracture of the hamate bone in his right hand. Brown left Saturday's game against the Pirates shortly after he snapped an 0-for-15 slump with his first Grapefruit League hit, a single off Pittsburgh hurler Paul Maholm . According to Phillies.com's Todd Zolecki , surgery is likely for Brown, who is the Phillies' top prospect, and he could return to baseball activities in up to six weeks. These circumstances nearly lock Ben Francisco into the starting right field role for opening day. Francisco, who notched two hits in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Pirates, is batting .421 thus far in spring training action. Update: PhilliesNation.com 's Paul Boye' found this nugget in an ESPN.com chat (scroll down to 1:03), where baseball insider Keith Law states that the typical return to full power following a hamate injury is 12-18 months...

Phillies minor league third baseman Moose Mattair spoke with PhoulBallz.com's & PhilliesNation's Jay Floyd once again, to provide an inside glance at spring training in Clearwater. Mattair was the Phillies' second round draft pick in 2007 out of Southridge High School in Washington state. He later helped the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws win the South Atlantic League championship in 2009. After a rough spring training in 2010, Mattair, who was an all-state basketball player during his high school days, retired from baseball to chase his dream of playing Division I college hoops . After trying his hand with Boise State University, Mattair has returned to Clearwater to continue his baseball journey. Read ahead to check out what Moose had to say on various subjects, live and direct from Clearwater. On his first official day of minor league camp since he left the Phillies organization last year to dabble in college basketball. The first full official day was full of meetings. ...

Down in Ft. Myers, FL on Thursday, led by their pitchers, the Phillies won their third Grapefruit League contest of the year. 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels started the game, then gave way to some hungry young relievers that are trying to make a solid impression on the Phillies' brass this spring. Four pitchers combined to hold the Boston Red Sox to just one hit over 9 innings to help the Phillies claim a 2-0 victory. Read ahead for some key notes on today's Phils' victory and some exclusive quotes from right-hander Scott Mathieson . - Cole Hamels allowed a lone hit in his four innings of work. Hamels also walked one batter and struck out three. -In relief, Scott Mathieson and Mike Stutes each threw a pair of innings. Mathieson walked one batter, while striking out two. Stutes allowed no runners and struck out two batters as well. -Lefty Juan Perez worked out of a bases loaded jam in the 9th inning, following a walk and two errors, to earn the save. - Jeff Larish sta...

Mike McGuire's dream of pitching with the team he grew up rooting for was delayed recently, when a blood clot was discovered in his non-throwing arm. Surgery was required to repair the issue and McGuire has been kept out of spring training until he recovers. The right-handed hurler, whose contract was purchased by the Phillies from the Sussex Skyhawks out of the independent Can-Am League last July, experienced discoloration, with the skin turning purple and blue throughout his left arm, during a routine workout in early February. Phillies team doctor Michael Ciccotti examined McGuire and made the call to direct him toward a vascular surgeon at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. The procedure, that McGuire endured, involved the removal of the first rib on his left side, which actually pinched a vein and resulted in the clot. The 24-year-old McGuire first noticed a problem in January during a gym session. After raising his heart rate, he noticed multiple blue spot...

This video took the internet by storm late Wednesday night. It's an advertisement for the latest incarnation of 2K Baseball. The clip follows Phillies hurler Roy Halladay as he fumbles with everyday decisions and seeks the consultation of his battery mate's off-season place holder. The point...Doc needs Chooch to make the calls, when it comes to all aspects of his life. A little credit, where credit is due. Hat tip to OperationSports.com for posting the video and Greg Monaco for spotting it. __________________________________________________________________ You can follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter by clicking HERE . Connect with PhoulBallz.com on Facebook by clicking HERE .

With opening day just a month away, the best of all season previews is hitting store shelves. The Maple Street Press Phillies Annual 2011 has the best content available and definitely the biggest bang for your buck. This advertisement-free magazine features full roster analysis that includes player strengths and weaknesses, an interview with former Phillie Doug Glanville, an examination of Roy Halladay's perfect game and postseason no hitter, a look at the progression of the Phils' status as a powerhouse, a piece on Cole Hamels' return to excellence and a career milestone countdown. The exceptional collection of information about your favorite organization includes a 5 page article by yours truly, that tells the story of the back-to-back South Atlantic League champion Lakewood BlueClaws. Other writers featured in this year's MSP Phillies Annual include Peter Baker and the team from TheGoodPhight , Bill Baer of CrashburnAlley , John Finger, Matt Swartz of Baseball Prosp...

On Monday afternoon, in Dunedin, FL, the Phillies won their second Grapefruit League game, as they defeated the Toronto Blue Jays by a score of 6-3. Read ahead for some key notes from the match up. - Roy Halladay made the start against his former team, earning the win with 2 shut out innings of work. Halladay allowed 2 hits, walked 1 and struck out 1. - Ben Francisco continued to make a firm case to be the Phillies' everyday right fielder to start the season. Through 3 spring games, "Benny Fresh" is batting .571. He collected his fourth RBI in two days with an RBI single off of Jays hurler Carlos Villanueva in the 4th inning. -JC Ramirez, who was named the Phillies' #15 prospect recently by PhoulBallz.com and PhilliesNation, looked tremendous, throwing 2 shut out innings against the Blue Jays starting lineup. Ramirez struck out 4 and walked 1, while allowing a hit and reached 95 MPH with his fastball on the stadium radar gun. - Carlos Ruiz and Placido Polanco ea...

Octavio "Cookie" Rojas spent seven seasons as a member of the Phillies during the 1960's. Rojas came up in the Cincinnati organization, where he notched his first Major League hit against Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax. Acquired from the Reds in a trade for pitcher Jim "Bear" Owens after the 1962 season, Rojas helped the Phillies come out on top in that deal, as he became a productive player with Philadelphia for the rest of the decade and Owens never won a game for Cincinnati. At the age of 24, Rojas batted .221 while playing in just 64 games in his debut season with the Phillies. By the next year, though, Rojas began contributing steadily at the plate. In 109 games played in 1964, Rojas batted .291 with 2 homers and 39 RBI. In 1965, the righty hitting Rojas had his best season as a member of the Phillies and became an All-star as he posted a career high .303 average, .736 OPS and 78 runs scored. Rojas was a terrific contact hitter. He struck out just 245 times in ...

On Thursday, the Phillies opened their exhibition schedule as they do every year with a match up against the Florida State Seminoles. The ACC's top squad wasn't quite a tough challenge for the defending NL East division champions, as the Phillies won by a decisive score of 8-0. Not surprisingly, the Phillies took control early against hurler Tyler Everett when they jumped on the youngster for four runs in the first inning. The key blow in that frame was a two-run double by Ryan Howard . Additionally, other Phillies that drove in runs on Thursday were Carlos Ruiz , Brian Schneider , Pete Orr , Freddy Galvis and Michael Martinez . Aussie pitcher Drew Naylor started the game for the Phillies and struck out 2 while allowing just 1 hit and no runs. Eddie Bonine also pitched 2 scoreless innings. Lefty Juan Perez along with right-handers Mike Stutes, Michael Schwimer , Justin De Fratus and Scott Mathieson each added a scoreless inning of work. Following the win and retiring all ...

One of 2010's breakout stars in all of minor league baseball was Phillies' prospect Jonathan Singleton . Drafted in the 8th round of the 2009 amateur draft out of Millikan High School in Long Beach, CA, Singleton was already well regarded within the Philadelphia organization before roughing up South Atlantic League pitching last season. The left-handed hitting Singleton made his professional debut as a member of the Gulf Coast League Phillies as a 17-year-old after signing with Philadelphia. In 31 games there, Singleton batted .290, slugged 2 homers and drove in 12 runs. Nicknamed "The Boss", Singleton really emerged as he helped lead the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws win a second consecutive South Atlantic League title. Singleton actually began the season in extended spring training, but made a massive impact once he was assigned to the Lakewood roster, posting a .423 average in 19 May games. In 109 regular season games with Lakewood, Singleton posted a .290 batting ave...