In baseball the top dogs tend to stay the top dogs, and that’s as true in 2012 as it has been at any point in the last five years. The Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers are all considered preseason favorites to take home World Series honors, but each team’s respective claim to the throne is surprisingly different.

The Phillies are currently 11/2 (via Bovada’s 2012 World Series Odds) to win it all, but given the high hopes that everyone has for the Atlanta Braves and the general strength of the NL East, Philly’s path to a championship is mired with uncertainty. And that’s to say nothing of the questions surrounding the squad’s personnel, obviously. Will Ryan Howard persevere through injuries and eventually live up to his massive, ridiculous contract? Will left field be a point of strength or weakness? Will Jonathan Papelbon live up to the hype in his closer role? Can this squad get consistent offensive production? If the answer to those last four questions proves to be ‘yes,’ then the Phillies are more than deserving of the lofty expectations set out for them. If the answer to any of them is a ‘no,’ though – watch out. Continue reading →