10 bold predictions for 2012

March, 28, 2012

3/28/12

10:00

AM ET

By Jim Bowden | ESPN.com

With the season beginning today in Japan, it's that time of year when everyone is making predictions. I figure it's about time that I get in on the act.

1. The Philadelphia Phillies will not make the playoffs.
With Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels fronting the game's strongest rotation, how can I go against them? Well, here's why: Last year the San Francisco Giants failed to make the playoffs with a rotation just as an impressive at the top with Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner. However, injuries and lack of offense led to their downfall. The Phillies will have the same problem with injuries to Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, not to mention aging veterans all over the diamond. The Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals are much improved and it looks like the Phillies are heading back toward the pack.

2. Neftali Feliz will save more games than Joe Nathan.

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ABOUT THIS BLOG

Jim Bowden

Bowden, who served as the senior vice president and GM for the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Nationals, is an analyst for ESPN.com. In 1992, Bowden became the youngest GM in MLB history when the Reds hired him at age 31. The Reds finished in first place twice during his 10 years as GM, and he was named MLB Executive of the Year by Baseball America in 1999. After working for ESPN in 2004, Bowden became the first GM of the Washington Nationals when the franchise relocated from Montreal to Washington, D.C., in 2005, working in that role until the 2009 season. Bowden co-hosts the "Inside Pitch" radio show on Sirius XM satellite radio. Follow on Twitter: @JimBowdenESPNxm.