What’s up, RotoBallers? Welcome back to our 2017 team preview series. As part of RotoBaller's ongoing effort to help you win your leagues, we're previewing all 30 MLB teams. Today, we’re diving into the 2017 Philadelphia Phillies Team Outlook and discussing their best potential fantasy contributors.

As part of this column, I'll take a look at the team's offseason moves, their hitters, pitchers, and prospects that you should be keeping an eye on. Let's get to it.

Editor's note: for even more draft prep, visit our awesome 2017 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. It has lots of in-depth staff rankings and draft strategy columns. You will find tiered rankings for every position, 2017 impact rookie rankings, AL/NL only league ranks and lots more. Bookmark the page, and win your drafts.

Offseason Moves

The Phillies are still recovering from the bottom falling out of the Ruben Amaro era. After five straight division titles, two pennants, and a championship from 2007 – 11, they’ve managed only one .500 season since. Andy MacPhail, Matt Klentak and the rest of the front office are patiently rebuilding the roster.

As such, Philadelphia mostly made moves on the margins this winter. They brought in a couple of veteran relievers with closing experience in Pat Neshek and Joaquin Benoit, traded organizational soldiers for infielder/outfielder Howie Kendrick and pitcher Clay Buchholz, and signed outfielder Michael Saunders. The players to whom they bid adieu are mostly not worth remarking upon. To wit:

Hitting Overview 

During this fallow five-year period for the franchise, the Phillies have been arguably the worst-hitting team in baseball by…well, pick a measure. There are some interesting fantasy assets here in 2017, though. Odubel Herrera was a four-category contributor last season, hitting .286 with 15 homers, 87 runs, and 25 stolen bases. Tommy Joseph rebounded from concussion problems to hit 21 dingers in just 347 plate appearances as a rookie and will no longer have to share first base with the corpse of Ryan Howard. Maikel Franco failed to live up to the hype in his sophomore season, but still managed to hit 25 home runs and drive in 88. Cesar Hernandez provided average and a bit of speed, while Freddy Galvis fell a few swipes shy of a 20/20 season.

Galvis, however, should definitely not be expected to repeat that performance, and not just because he’ll likely be pushed by top prospect J.P. Crawford. Crawford is a polished and well-rounded player who profiles as better in real life than fantasy. Then again, they said the same thing about Francisco Lindor. While the Phillies added Kendrick and Saunders, they also have several young outfielders with some potential. Aaron Altherr’s 2016 was scuttled by a wrist injury, but he showed some impressive tools in a cameo the prior year. Roman Quinn’s 80-grade speed makes him instantly relevant in fantasy leagues if and when he can crack the MLB lineup. Nick Williams and Dylan Cozens are already on the 40-man roster and could make their debuts this season as well.

Pitching Overview

The Phillies’ rotation showed real promise last year. Aaron Nola was in the midst of a breakout season before injuries derailed it. Assuming health, he’s a good bet to be one of the biggest bargains of the 2017 fantasy season. Vince Velasquez grabbed headlines early with a dominant performance against the Padres. He was inconsistent and homer-prone, but piled up strikeouts and proved he could stick in a big-league rotation. Jerad Eickhoff, an afterthought in the Cole Hamels trade, continued to be a pleasant surprise. He tossed nearly 200 innings with solid ratios (3.65 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 3.98 K/BB), while veteran Jeremy Hellickson turned in a nearly identical performance.  The final spot in the rotation will initially belong to Buchholz, whose Jekyll and Hyde routine is well-known to fantasy owners at this point. Should he falter, the Phillies have several young arms who could fill the void., though none are likely to be more than streamer options.

In the bullpen, Jeanmar Gomez somehow saved 37 games despite being not particularly good at pitching. The magic finally ran out in September, as he posted a 19.13 (!!!) ERA down the stretch. With Benoit and Neshek in the fold, along with the returning Hector Neris, Gomez is unlikely to retain the closer role. Other names of interest include Edubray Ramos and Alberto Tirado, though the latter still has to learn command.

Prospects Overview

Crawford is the name to know here, of course. We’ve touched on him as well as Williams and Cozens. Fantasy owners should also keep an eye on catcher Jorge Alfaro. He’ll open the season as the backup to Cameron Rupp. Alfaro has had contact issues in the minors and looked overmatched in a brief September call up, but he boasts enticing power for a backstop.

Conclusion

After a few seasons in the wilderness, the Phillies have fully committed to a rebuild. The Hamels and Ken Giles trades brought back several young players who have already made an impact, and the farm system is well-stocked after ranking among the worst in baseball for several years. They won’t contend in 2017, but the future looks bright in Philadelphia.

While fantasy owners won’t find any superstars here, there are some solid assets. The majority of the rotation should be, at minimum, useful. Herrera is a well-rounded contributor, Franco and Joseph’s pop makes them fine CI options in standard leagues, and Crawford will be worth a look whenever he’s called up.

(Seriously though, don’t bother with Galvis.)