SI.com  Fantasy Baseball Previews
	Philadelphia Phillies	Select Team Angels Astros Athletics Blue Jays Braves Brewers Cardinals Cubs Devil Rays Diamondbacks Dodgers Expos Giants Indians Mariners Marlins Mets Orioles Padres Phillies Pirates Rangers Red Sox Reds Rockies Royals Tigers Twins White Sox Yankees

Projected Lineup (2003 stats) Pos. Player Avg. HR RBI SB CF Marlon Byrd .303 7 45 11 SS Jimmy Rollins .263 8 62 20 1B Jim Thome .266 47 131 0 LF Pat Burrell .209 21 64 0 RF Bob Abreu .300 20 101 22 C Mike Lieberthal .313 13 81 0 2B Placido Polanco .289 14 63 14 3B David Bell .195 4 37 0 Projected Rotation (2003 stats) H Player W-L ERA WHIP RH Kevin Millwood 14-12 4.01 1.25 LH Randy Wolf 16-10 4.23 1.27 RH Vicente Padilla 14-12 3.62 1.24 RH Brett Myers 14-9 4.43 1.46 LH Eric Milton 1-0 2.65 0.94 FANTASY BASEBALL Sign up Today! • NEW! Baseball Commissioner Full service league management tool. $99.95 per league • NEW! Fantasy Baseball Conquer your league and take home the pennant. $19.95 per team • NEW! Salary Cap Challenge Select your dream team with a $75 million budget. $9.95 per team

This could finally be the Phillies' year. Creaky Veterans Stadium will be a memory by Opening Day and the new Citizen's Bank Park opens with Philadelphia looking for its first postseason appearance in the Wild Card era.

Despite breaking a finger earlier this month, Jim Thome is expected to be ready for Opening Day and continue his assault on pitchers. Thome hits the ball as hard and far as anyone east of Barry Bonds and switching leagues last season had little effect on his power (he led the league with 47 home runs). But his batting average suffered, dipping to a career-low, mainly because Thome fanned a league-high 182 times.

Once a dominant closer, Roberto Hernandez, 39, is hanging on. In an injury-plagued season for the Braves in 2003, Hernandez allowed 104 runners in just 60 innings (1.76 WHIP), poor numbers for any pitcher. At this point in his career, Hernandez shouldn't be on your draft-day wish list.

Third Base: David Bell, who missed most of 2003 with a back injury, is recovered and hoping to regain his 2002 form when he hit 20 home runs and drove in 73 runs for the Giants. A shoulder ailment sidelined him this spring so keep an eye out for his status. If Bell can't go, then Placido Polanco could shift to third, opening second base for Chase Utley. Former Angels catcher Shawn Wooten is in the best shape of his career and is also a possibility at third.

Jimmy Rollins is a top basestealing threat but he doesn't produce enough with the bat to warrant more than a late-round pick. Polanco doesn't have a big name but last season he hit 14 home runs and stole 14 bases. He's eligible at second, third, corner infield and middle infield in most leagues, making him an outstanding pick.

After the agony he's been through late in games the past couple of seasons, Larry Bowa has to be thrilled to have obtained a top closer like Wagner. However, Tim Worrell, who was signed following his 38-save season for San Francisco, will fill the role of set-up man and emergency closer; he should get between five and 10 saves and help keep Wagner fresh.

When Pat Burrell hits the ball it usually goes a country mile, but last year his average fell to .209 from .282 in 2002. Burrell spent the offseason revamping his swing and came to camp ready to get back in the fast lane to stardom. Look for a big year from him, with a career-high average and a dramatic drop in strikeouts (he had 142 Ks last year).

Rheal Cormier, Mike Lieberthal, Vicente Padilla, Randy Wolf

Doug Glanville, Todd Pratt, Chase Utley