Predicting the Philadelphia Phillies’ Opening Day 25-Man Roster

The Phillies have what some would call an ideal lead-off hitter. Personally, I don't think he walks enough to be a great lead-off hitter, but he does bring great speed at the top of the Phillies' lineup. He puts the ball in play a lot, too, with a career strikeout percentage of just 9.7.

The former MVP and long-time Phillies shortstop has fallen out of favor with much of the team's fan base due to a poor 2013 season. In 666 plate appearances, Jimmy Rollins hit just .252/.318/.348 with a 84 wRC+.

When healthy, Chase Utley is still one of the best second basemen in the MLB. In 2013, Utley hit .284/.348/.475 with a 126 wRC+. Even at his advanced age, Utley is still a better than average defender.

After being suspended for 50 games in 2012, Marlon Byrd returned last season and had by far the best season of his career. In 579 plate appearances between the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates, Byrd hit .291/.336/.511 with a 136 wRC+.

If Ryan Howard can stay healthy, he will probably hit at least 30 home runs. However, the chances of him staying healthy all season seem low at this point. In 2013, Howard hit .266/.319/.465 with a 111 wRC+ and 11 home runs in 317 plate appearances.

One of the top prospects in the Phillies' organization for several years, Domonic Brown finally lived up to his potential in 2013. In 540 plate appearances, Brown hit .272/.324/.494 with a 123 wRC+ and 27 home runs.

The Phillies' catcher, Carlos Ruiz, was suspended for the start of the 2013 season after he tested positive for a banned substance. The substance was Adderall, and he is going to be allowed to use it in 2014.

While Cody Asche might not be the third baseman of the future for the Phillies, with top prospect Maikel Franco on the way, he is certainly a decent stop-gap until then. If Asche doesn't give the Phillies any production, at least he brings the team's average age down, right?

The Phillies' ace, Cliff Lee, is basically a robot. His control is too good for a human. In the last six seasons, Lee's worst control season was 2009 when he had 1.67 BB/9. He definitely doesn't hurt himself with walks.

Last season with the Pirates, A.J. Burnett led the National League in ground-ball percentage and in K/9. Playing in Citizens Bank Park, Burnett will need to keep getting strikeouts and ground balls, because that is a very hitter-friendly park.

Spending his whole career as a swingman for the Phillies, Kyle Kendrick has done a decent job as a starter and reliever. He features decent control with very few strikeouts. Due to the injury to Cole Hamels, Kendrick will likely start the season as the Phillies' third starter.

This isn't the "four aces" Phillies team that had Roy Halladay, Lee, Hamels and Roy Oswalt. Roberto Hernandez will likely be the fourth starter for the Phillies to start the season. Hernandez's stats are a bit weird, as he is a ground ball pitcher that gives up way too many home runs. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues in 2014.

It's a shame that the Phillies' rotation has come to this. A guy with a 6.42 career ERA is a candidate to be their fifth starter. Due to the injury to Hamels, it looks like Jeff Manship will probably be forced to start the season in the rotation.

Decline in fastball velocity has resulted in fewer strikeouts for Jonathan Papelbon, but he was still an effective closer for the majority of the 2013 season. Whether or not he can continue to be a great closer moving forward remains to be seen.

Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays over the offseason, Brad Lincoln brings a mid-90s fastball and a very good, sharp curveball to the back end of the Phillies rotation. Lincoln has the ability to start in emergency situations as well.

One of the lone bright spots in the Phillies' bullpen last season was Jake Diekman. The lefty had a 2.58 ERA and a 2.50 FIP in 38.1 innings, with a great 9.63 K/9. His ability to get ground-balls helps too, with 51 percent of the balls put in play against Diekman on the ground.

Another reliever for the Phillies that flies under the radar, Justin De Fratus is a capable bullpen arm. In 2013, the right-handed hurler pitched to a 3.86 ERA in 46.2 innings with 8.10 K/9. He has control issues, however, as he had 4.82 BB/9 last season.

The Phillies' top left-hander in the bullpen has filthy strikeout stuff. In 195 career innings, Bastardo has 11.22 K/9 and 4.20 BB/9. The only worry with the southpaw is that only 27.5 percent of balls put in play against him are ground-balls.

Now we are getting to the part of the Phillies' bullpen that gets ugly. In 44.2 career innings, B.J. Rosenberg has a 5.44 ERA with 4.63 BB/9. Luckily for the Phils, Rosenberg likely won't have to play a huge role in 2014, as he is one of the deeper options in the bullpen.

If Phillippe Aumont ever figures out how to command his pitches, he will be a shutdown reliever. He has outstanding movement on all of his pitches, but he simply can't throw enough strikes. When watching Aumont, the talent and potential is so obvious, but so far he hasn't figured it all out. The Phillies need to do whatever it takes to get him on the right track.

Without a true position to play in the National League, Darin Ruf finds himself as the best bat off the bench for the Phillies. The power of Ruf's bat is remarkable, but he simply has nowhere to play for the Phillies. In just 330 career plate appearances, Ruf is slugging .489 with 17 homers.

Replacing Erik Kratz as the backup catcher for the Phillies is veteran backstop Wil Nieves. While he won't bring the offensive pop that Kratz did, he will be a steady defensive presence behind Ruiz on the depth chart.

After a great season in 2012 in which he hit .338/.383/.451, Kevin Frandsen took a major step back last season. In 278 plate appearances, Frandsen hit just .234/.296/.341 with a poor 77 wRC+.

Like Ruf, John Mayberry Jr. is a first baseman/outfielder coming off the bench for the Phillies. Ruf is the better hitter, but Mayberry Jr. is slightly more versatile. Both Ruf and Mayberry bring solid power when they are in the Phils' lineup. In 1,232 career plate appearances, Mayberry owns a .430 slugging percentage.

The Phillies' super-versatile bench player has experience playing several positions. He doesn't bring much offensively, with a career .230/.269/.375 triple-slash line, but he does bring above average defense off the bench.