Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training Tickets - Preseason Overview

The world champion Phillies come into the next season with a lot to be excited about. Even though winning the second one is much harder than winning the first, the Phillies seem to have made the right moves to keep in contention. Plus, it's not like the Phillies have rested on their laurels, so fans looking to buy Philadelphia Phillies spring training tickets and take the trip out to Florida will have some interesting narratives to follow. According to the Wilmington (Del.) News Journal, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said:

"I'm looking forward to some of the competitions that will arise in spring training. We've got our backup catcher competition, our fifth-starter competition, some bullpen competition. I'm getting excited about seeing guys perform because I know that we've built a situation now that all the players know we're built to win. This is not about developing players at the major league level. This is about putting players on the field to win, and you can learn a lot about a player when they're put in these situations."

Let's take a look at some of the best and worst from last year, and then discuss a few issues facing the Phillies as they enter spring training.

2008 Highlights
Even though it seemed as though the Phillies were more famous for their offense than their defense, it was really the pitching of this team that got them far, and it was the pitching that came through for them in the end. Closer Brad Lidge was an All-Star, and managed to end the regular season with an impressive 1.95 ERA and 41 saves, the second most in the National League. Not enough can be said about the performance of Cole Hamels in the postseason, but in the regular season he wasn't too bad either. Ever the workhorse, Hamels won 14 of the 33 games he started, and ended the regular season with a 3.09 ERA and 196 strikeouts.

Cole also won the World Series MVP. Veteran Jamie Moyer provided some quality starts, and the bullpen stepped up when they were asked. On offense, Chase Utley was the meat and potatoes of the batting order, as he was an All-Star and a Silver Slugger. Utley racked up 113 runs, 177 hits, 105 RBI and 33 home runs. The Phillies offense provided the second most runs in the league. They were a power hitting team. Their team batting average was well below the NL mean, but their team slugging percentage was bettered only by the Chicago Cubs. Ryan Howard led the NL in home runs (48) and RBI (146).

2008 Lowlights
Catcher Carlos Ruiz was a weak portion of the batting order for much of the season, and Kyle Kendrick, for all his promise, was prone to giving up flurries of runs. Other than a few nit picky things, the Phillies presented a fairly balanced team, with noting bad enough to complain about.

Spring Training and Future
With little tinkering needed to get this team back in championship form, the Phillies had a relatively quiet offseason. Their pitching staff will look mostly the same, as Cole Hamels signed a big contract to stay. Jamie Moyer, Joe Blanton, Ryan Madson, Chad Durbin and a few others also re-signed. The biggest loss came when Pat Burrell left for (gasp!) Tampa Bay. Raul Ibanez was acquired to fill in the spot Burrell left open, but it's doubtful he'll post the same numbers.

Utley, Rollins and Howard will still be around, so the Phillies should have a powerful batting order once again. If you're thinking of looking for some Philadelphia Phillies spring training tickets, you might be interested in watching all the home runs, and perhaps a battle for backup catcher.

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