Philadelphia is among the top favorites to win the 2011 World Series at +180 in MLB Futures Odds.

The Phillies certainly do have a pitching staff that is unrivaled by any team in the league. While they probably have the best set of starters in the league, it is probably an overstatement to say that the Phillies have 4 aces. The Phillies have three of the most feared pitchers in all of Major League Baseball between Halliday, Oswalt and Cliff Lee. The 4th pitcher in the discussion is Cole Hamels. While he is a great pitcher, he is probably not a top of the rotation starter at this point in his career.

With this pitching staff the Phillies will have the opportunity of sending an ace to the mound up to 3 times in a series. The thought that on the off days they will have pitchers of the caliber of Hamels is extremely encouraging for Philadelphia.

Not only does Philadelphia have one of the best pitching staffs, but they also have one of the best hitters in all of Major League Baseball.

Ryan Howard has proven the ability to hit homeruns and bat in runs with people on base over the course of his career. He is an annual candidate for MVP and he could be the key to this team. The Phillies need him to come up with regular production in order to support this excellent pitching staff.

The Phillies have high hopes for 2010, with some new stars joining the club, and perhaps just as important, stability with proven players who have made Philadelphia home. The top six hitters in the line-up remain the same: speedster Jimmy Rollins, switch-hitter Shane Victorino, Chase Utley in the clean-up position, home run crusher Ryan Howard, steadily-improving Jayson Werth, and crafty Raul Ibanez know their positions and each other, which can only be seen as a plus defensive-wise.

Exciting new players have joined the Phillies this year. Right handed starting pitcher Roy Halladay comes from the Toronto Blue Jays, and is already working out at the Phillies training facility in Clearwater, Florida. Halladay has a win/loss ratio of 148 to 76, an earned run average of 3.43, and a lifetime strike out total of 1495.

Right handed bullpen reliever JC Ramirez comes from the Seattle Mariners organization.

Placido Polanco was a Philly from 2002-2005. He played second base for the Tigers, but will play third base this year for the Phillies. He brings a .285 batting average, a .351 on base percentage, and a .396 slugging percentage. He is a very good situational hitter.

Oddsmakers have the Phillies at 6-1 betting odds to win the 2010 World Series, behind the New York Yankees at 11-4, and tied with the Boston Red Sox, also at 6-1.