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  • Baseball’s Top Predictions for the Year – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    Baseball’s Top Predictions for the Year – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    If you like a flutter at the races or to place a bet on who will score next in football, then you might be looking for a new way to play – and you might fancy looking a bit further afield for another sport to bet on.

    Baseball might just give you the excitement you are looking for, especially with so much riding on the World Series’s results and the sheer amount of money being spent on salaries, merchandise, and sponsorship. 

    Once you’ve looked and read on this article about casino games that pay real money, check out the sites that offer great odds on baseball – with the right research and a bit of luck, you could become a fountain of knowledge about this bat and ball game from across the pond and turn it into a winning combination.

    What is Baseball?

    As with American Football, baseball evolved from games played in England and was brought over by the immigrants. English watchers will recognise some of the similarities of baseball in comparison to games like rounders – a bat and ball game, where two teams take turns to bat and to field, each hoping to score more ‘runs’ than the other.

    Specifically in baseball, the ball and the bat are crafted in very particular ways, the ‘bases’ are in a diamond, and the fielding team includes a pitcher. The pitcher throws the ball to the next available player, who tries to hit it far enough that they have time to run to the next base (with the end intention of completing a loop and scoring a run). The fielders, then, want to catch the ball and get the player ‘out’ by throwing it to the fielder standing on the base. 

    Thanks to the simple rules, baseball soon became known as ‘America’s Pastime,’ although it is not the only place where the game is played. In fact, according to the World Baseball Softball Confederation, America’s national baseball team is only the third best in the world, behind Japan and Mexico. 

    Why is Baseball So Popular?

    Major League Baseball (MLB) is the oldest major professional sports league in the world. Started in 1903, the MLB consists of 30 teams in total – 29 from the US, and 1 from Canada. The first professional baseball team in America was the Cincinnati Red Stockings (a name that hasn’t stuck, surprisingly) – they were officially founded in 1869.

    Behind NFL, the MLB is the second wealthiest professional sports league, and boasts not only the highest total season attendance of any sports league around the world, but games that are broadcast on TV, radio, and online in multiple countries and continents. 

    The passion for the game is a family tradition, attending the ball game is a rite of passage in many cases, and fans are just as enthusiastic about their little league teams as they are about their favourite major league team. 

    Who Will Win in 2024?

    The MLB is split into two distinct leagues – the American League and the National League. Each team in the league is playing for the opportunity to win their group and the sought-after pennant. Below are all the teams in each league:

    American League

    • Chicago White Sox
    • Cleveland Guardians
    • Detroit Tigers
    • Kansas City Royals
    • Minnesota Twins
    • Baltimore Orioles
    • Boston Red Sox
    • New York Yankees
    • Tampa Bay Rays
    • Toronto Blue Jays
    • Houston Astros
    • Los Angeles Angels
    • Oakland Athletics
    • Seattle Mariners

    When it comes to winning the American League pennant in 2024, the oddsmakers favor the New York Yankees or maybe the Houston Astros.

    National League

    • Chicago Cubs
    • Cincinnati Reds
    • Milwaukee Brewers
    • Pittsburgh Pirates
    • St. Louis Cardinals
    • Atlanta Braves
    • Miami Marlins
    • New York Mets
    • Philadelphia Phillies
    • Washington Nationals 
    • Arizona Diamondbacks
    • Colorado Rockies
    • Los Angeles Dodgers
    • San Diego Padres
    • San Francisco Giants

    For the National League pennant, bookies favor the Atlanta Braves, closely followed by the Philadelphia Phillies.

    Of course, for most fans, it all comes down to who wins the World Series. This is essentially the FA Cup of the baseball world, displaying the best teams and giving the offseason more focus for the players – so who has it in the bag for 2024?

    The Texas Rangers had an awe-inspiring postseason run that culminated in them winning the World Series in 2023, and while their fans might think they could pull off the double, most pundits are looking elsewhere. 

    If it comes down to the amount of money spent, then it’s the Los Angeles Dodgers – they’ve signed two new contracts to a reported value of $1 billion in their attempt to win. Other options for the World Series title include the Atlanta Braves, the New York Yankees, the Houston Astros, and the Philadelphia Phillies. 

    With barely a month gone in the season, there is still everything to play for in the game that America loves so much. 

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    The post Baseball’s Top Predictions for the Year appeared first on Philadelphia Sports Nation.

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  • Is Kody Clemens Here to Stay for the Phillies? – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    Is Kody Clemens Here to Stay for the Phillies? – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    If you haven’t heard, Roger Clemens’ son has been playing a key role for the Phillies since Trea Turner was placed on the Injured List.
    The son of the 11-time All-Star and 7-time Cy Young award winner is on a pretty nice heater right now and is making a name for himself independently of his father.

    In 10 games this season with the Phillies, Kody Clemens is batting over .300, slugging .826, and has an OPS of 1.159, all while providing some flexibility all over the infield. Clemens’ highlight of the season and perhaps his career came last night when he hit a game-tying home run against the Nationals with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Phillies would go on to win the game in the 10th on a sacrifice fly by Bryce Harper, something that would’ve never happened if Clemens didn’t bat in the ninth.

    The 28-year-old utility man came over in the Gregory Soto deal going into 2023 and has floated between Triple-A and the majors with the Tigers and now with the Phillies. Clemens came very close to making the Opening Day roster this year after a hot spring training but ultimately was sent down late in the Spring.

    Clemens seems like he could be a nice spark off the bench if a situation presents itself late in games.

    After Saturday night’s heroics, he is almost certainly gaining popularity among the fan base, but Turner is not going to be out forever.

    Clemens has a spot on the team right now because Edmundo Sosa has gotten the bulk of the time at shortstop after Turner went on the IL.

    The lefty is basically filling the utility infield spot that was Sosa’s.

    It’s going to be interesting to see what the Phillies decide to do when Turner returns, but what Clemens is doing should absolutely not be overlooked.

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  • For the 30-win Phillies, the Best is Yet to Come – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    For the 30-win Phillies, the Best is Yet to Come – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    Zach Wheeler isn’t happy.
    The Phillies ace, who ranks second in the N.L. in strikeouts, had his worst start of the season on Sunday against the Marlins, allowing six runs on six hits and three walks over just four innings.

    He’s admitted over the first month and a half of the regular season that he hasn’t had his “best stuff.” He’s been battling through some things, often unseen, as his command hasn’t been quite as sharp as it usually is. The catch? He’s currently in the lead for the N.L. Cy Young award, perhaps only rivaled by his battery mate Ranger Suarez, with a 2.53 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 11.0 K/9, and a .190 BAA. 

    Wheeler’s dominance, in spite of not living up to his own performance standards, is a microcosm of how the Phillies have played this season. Yes, entering Tuesday’s matchup against the Mets, the Phillies have the best record in MLB, up 2.0 games on Atlanta with a gaudy 29-13 start to the regular season.

    And while some degree of regression is to be expected, there is evidence to support the theory that the best is yet to come for this talented Phillies roster. 

    Trea Turner’s Absence

    Since the Phillies star shortstop left May 3rd’s matchup against San Francisco with a hamstring strain–the first victory in a four-game sweep of the Giants–the Phillies have gone 7-2, splitting a two-game set against the Blue Jays and winning three out of four in Miami. Turner’s absence has paved the way for some of the team’s utility players to get extended reps. Edmundo Sosa has taken the opportunity in full stride–entering Tuesday’s matchup, Sosa had made six straight starts at shortstop, hitting .375 (6 for 16) with two triples, two doubles, three RBIs, and most notably, five walks. In 2023, Sosa had a walk rate of just 2.7% in 300 plate appearances. In 2024, he has a walk rate of 11.1% in just 54 plate appearances. 

    Kody Clemens has become the utility man extraordinaire since his call-up to the big leagues on April 22. He has five hits in 15 plate appearances, many of them clutch, including a pinch-hit single in the 9th inning to invigorate a rally against Mets closer Edwin Diaz. He added to his night with a heroic leaping catch at second base in the bottom of the 9th.

    An Opening in the Outfield

    Turner’s absence, combined with a lingering back injury that took Kyle Schwarber out of much of the series against Miami, has shifted the lineup enough to where another young, promising utility man has had a chance to shine: outfielder Cristian Pache. The 25-year-old from the Dominican Republic has seen limited playing time in 2024–in 42 games, Pache has made only 10 starts with just 30 at-bats.

    The rise of Johan Rojas, combined with the presence of Whit Merrifield and starting left fielder Brandon Marsh, has made it difficult for Pache to stand out. However, in the last seven days, Pache has made three starts, hitting .385 with two RBIs in 13 plate appearances. Pache’s physical tools in the outfield, he ranked in the 94th percentile of arm strength in 2023, paired with Marsh’s continued inability to hit left-handed pitching, could pave the way for more playing time in the coming weeks. 

    Bryson Stott’s Resurgence

    Middle infielder Bryson Stott had a tough start to the 2024 season. A strong 2023 campaign had left expectations higher than ever for Stott in his third year with the big league club. Pre-season polls had him ranked amongst the 10 best second basemen in the sport, and his Gold Glove-level defense, combined with his power at the plate and speed on the base paths, primed the 26-year-old for a breakout in 2024. However, things didn’t go as planned. Stott entered the month of May hitting just .225, with more strikeouts (17) than walks (11). He was more of a burden than a contributor, unable to be the power bat in the middle of the lineup that the team envisioned him as. 

    Despite his poor start to the year, Stott remained confident in his abilities and the results have started to show. Along with playing excellent defense at both second base and shortstop, Stott has been on fire as of late, hitting .433 and slugging .700 in the month of May. His emergence into the player he is capable of being will be key to the team’s continued success.

    In the face of adversity, the Phillies have continued to find ways to win.
    With a roster as deep as any in the sport, they’ve proven that they can add to their win total in any way–from bottom-of-the-order contributions against Miami to late-inning heroics in the Big Apple, their depth and tenacity are why the best may still be yet to come for this Phillies squad. 

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  • Eytan Shander: Phillies’ playoff experience driving 2024 success

    Eytan Shander: Phillies’ playoff experience driving 2024 success

    The Philadelphia Phillies have a secret weapon.

    No, it’s not Bryce Harper. It’s not the brilliant rotation. It’s not the breakout of Alec Bohm. It’s not the manager, the bullpen, the day care growing up. It’s not the home crowd.

    It’s not anything to do with what the team is currently doing, you know, just going out and being the best team in baseball. This has everything to do with what they’ve already done. Their secret weapon, the special sauce, is actually experience. Not winning the World Series two years ago and exiting in horrific fashion last year are major pieces of a foundation for a championship team.

    The Phillies are doing it better than most teams across the entire sport. Their bats are as dangerous as anyone, including bloated teams like the Dodgers. Their pitching staff can stretch deep into the rotation with no drop-off right now from No. 1 through No. 3. Watching this team put stretches together is incredible. We normally have to wait until mid-June for “hittin’ season,” but this year it’s come early.

    The team has combined an amazing effort from guys both on the mound and at the plate. There’s zero coincidence between how much they are getting from Ranger Suárez and Bohm and where they are in the standings. It’s one thing for guys they rely on to step up. It’s another thing to see it on an all-star level.

    Back to experience…

    This team is two years removed from losing in the World Series. Not much has changed from the makeup of this squad. They’ve been able to capitalize on getting over the top performances from younger players at the plate, combined with a rotation that’s been able to pitch deeper into games, leaving less error for the bullpen.

    The team that normally starts slow, sees massive hitting slumps, and relies on 1.5 starting pitchers has shed those obstacles. The result is clear: the best damn team in baseball. We now find ourselves, rightfully so, asking how sustainable this run can be. So much is coming together, especially at an earlier point in the season, it’s only right to question if this thing truly has legs.

    It does.

    The same principles applied to the start of the regular season can be placed on the team post all-star break. Coming from behind late in the season isn’t easy. It’s not a sustainable way to play sports, nor live for that matter. It’s brutal to watch as a fan with so much hinging on games late into a monster of a season. 162 games add up, but when it’s minimized down to the final week, the stress multiplies. The past two seasons saw that both internally and externally, as the Phillies played the role heading to the World Series, only to be upended by a similar team the following year.

    Past experience leads to better focus.

    The 2008 vibes are absolutely real. We saw that team lose with disappointing exits in the playoffs, leading up to that magical run. This team has as much talent but an even better history, losing in the World Series as opposed to a divisional round.

    The Phillies are built for the long haul, bBuilt to compete with anyone in the NL, including the Dodgers out West. We already know how the Braves series go in the playoffs. They are built to handle whatever the American League throws at them, assuming they can get back. They have the resilience and experience to battle back from any hole, but the talent to make it a little easier this time.

    It’s what makes me so damn excited for this year’s team. While they aren’t looking to establish a dynasty, they have all of the makings to win one. This one.

    Eytan Shander is a long time radio and TV personality in Philadelphia. In addition to his weekly column, you can currently listen and watch him on Fox29’s Good Day and other sports shows. He’s giving betting advice on OddsShopper. A lifetime Eagles fan, Eytan lives just outside the city with his wife.

    Follow Eytan on Twitter: @shandershow

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  • By the numbers: Ranger Suárez and his dominant 7-0 start

    By the numbers: Ranger Suárez and his dominant 7-0 start

    Ranger Suárez mowed through another lineup Friday night down in Miami and collected another win as the Phillies went on to thrash the struggling Marlins, 8-2. 

    The 28-year old lefty is now 7-0 on the season, and the Phillies remain at an MLB-best 27-12 going into Saturday afternoon’s next game.

    Suárez has been a highly effective third starter in the rotation for a while now, but this season? He’s been something else. 

    “I think this is the best run he’s been on, no doubt about it,” manager Rob Thomson said postgame Friday night (via NBC Sports Philadelphia). “He’s really been focused and locked in and very consistent.” 

    Here’s a look at that run by the numbers…

    8

    Suárez’s starts this season so far and the number of starts it took him to reach 7-0. The only other pitcher in Phillies history to do that: Hall of Fame lefty Steve Carlton in 1981. 

    41

    Days and counting since Suárez has gotten any decision other than a win. He got a no-decision in the opening series finale against the Braves back on March 31 – a 5-4 Phillies victory. He’s rung off seven straight wins in heavily dominant fashion since. 

    How dominant?

    4

    Suárez’s number of scoreless appearances so far. That’s half of his starts and of which he’s gone at least six innings in each.

    9.2

    Suárez’s strikeouts per nine rate, which is second among the Phillies’ starters behind ace Zack Wheeler at 11.5 and a major contributing factor to the club’s overall 9.57 strikeouts per nine rate that trails only the Minnesota Twins at 10.24.

    0.72

    Suárez’s minuscule WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched), which leads all of baseball among qualified pitchers. 

    32

    The number of scoreless innings Suárez threw up until the eighth inning of April 27’s 5-1 Phillies win over the Padres out in San Deigo. That streak put him in the company of notable to outright great Phillies pitchers in Cliff Lee, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Steve Carlton, Robin Roberts, Ken Heintzelman, and Larry Andersen throughout the franchise’s history.

    And speaking of Cliff Lee…

    Man, is that calm demeanor sure familiar.

    1.50

    Suárez’s ERA on the season so far, which is second in the majors among qualified pitchers only to the Cubs’ Shota Imanaga, who has pitched just under 13 fewer innings. Suárez has pitched 54.0 and Imanaga has 41.2.

    27.5

    Suárez’s sweet spot percentage, per Baseball Savant, which ranks ninth among qualified pitchers in baseball. He’s made solid contact really hard to come by for opposing lineups. 

     .240

    Which makes it really hard for opposing lineups to get on base, as Suárez’s .240 xwOBA (expected weighted on-base average) – also per Baseball Savant – ranks third in all of baseball. 

    1

    The lone complete game Suárez has thrown – a masterpiece of an eight-strikeout shutout of the Rockies back on April 16 – yet only one of seven complete games thrown in the majors so far this season. 

    MORE: Regular season crowds have been revitalized at CBP

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  • By the numbers: Alec Bohm is hitting like the best in baseball

    By the numbers: Alec Bohm is hitting like the best in baseball

    Alec Bohm went for 1-for-2 with an early run driven in on a bases-loaded hit by pitch in Saturday night’s rain-soaked blowout of the visiting San Francisco Giants. 

    He was pulled in the third for Whit Merrifield out of an injury precaution that neither he nor the Phillies seemed all too concerned about afterward, but nevertheless, the homegrown third baseman’s scorching start to the season continued on. 

    On a club that isn’t left wanting for star power between Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, and Trea Turner (though Turner will be out for a bit now), it’s been Bohm who has not only been the Phillies’ best bat, but flat out one of the best in baseball in the early part of the season. 

    And numbers racked up so far put together quite an impressive picture. Here’s a quick rundown of them…

    17

    With his second-inning single into left Saturday night, Bohm extended his hit streak to 17 games, matching the one that second baseman Bryson Stott jumped out to from the start of last season. 

    Bohm’s complete line during his streak, which started on April 16: a .477 batting average with a 1.283 OPS, 3 home runs, 10 doubles, 22 RBIs, 5 walks, and only 8 strikeouts and 2 double plays grounded into across 72 plate appearances. Moreover…

    9

    The number of multi-hit games Bohm has had during his hitting streak, which included a 4-for-4 night in a 7-4 loss at Cincinnati on April 24 and his two-homer, six-RBI game in a 7-0 thrashing of the White Sox at home on April 19. 

    .364

    Bohm’s batting average on the year so far, which leads the majors over the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts in second (.360) and Cleveland’s Steven Kwan in third (.353).

    32

    Bohm’s RBI count so far, which is also in the major-league lead in a tie with Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna as of Sunday afternoon. Now, runs batted in can be a finicky stat, but when it comes to the Phillies specifically, producing with runners on has been a strange weakness for the club at numerous points going back the past several years. So that Bohm can step up and make those situations count in the (still) early going is a good sign for a group that runs heavily through its offense. 

    .457

    Bohm’s batting average with runners in scoring position, a much more telling number, along with…

    1.278

    His OPS with runners in scoring position, the sum of a .535 on-base percentage and a .743 slugging percentage. 

    Situationally…

    1.515

    Bohm’s OPS with runners in scoring position and two outs. In 23 plate appearances under this scenario, he’s slashing .500/.565/.950 with two homers, three doubles, 10 total hits, and 18 runs driven in. 

    21

    Bohm’s strikeouts on the season, which are the third-fewest among the regular Phillies lineup behind Stott (17) and Johan Rojas (15). Bohm struck out only 94 times in 2023, but that was another touchy stat since it could be countered with a less-than-stellar walk rate and debate over his quality of contact.

    He’s kept the Ks to a minimum as his offensive output has spiked though, which leads into…

    15.2%

    Bohm’s strikeout percentage through 2024 so far – currently a career low, and…

    10.9%

    His walk rate through 2024 so far – currently a career high. 

    Last…

    14-3

    The Phillies’ record throughout Bohm’s hit streak, which you can debate the quality of opponents during that stretch, sure. But take the wins however they come over a 162-game schedule. You need every last one you can get when you’re chasing after the division title, and right now it’s all helped the Phils to an, as-of-Sunday, MLB-best 23-11 record. 

    Stat credits: Baseball-Reference, FanGraphs, Baseball Savant

    Archive: The case for five first-time Phillies All-Stars in 2024

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  • Is Jose Alvarado the Closer? – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    Is Jose Alvarado the Closer? – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    It’s been quite an April for the Phillies who vowed to get off to a hot start. The team is keeping that promise, they are 9 games above .500, a milestone that they did not reach until the month of July last season. 

    One thing that has been noteworthy is that Jose Alvarado seems to be getting the opportunity to close games on a pretty consistent basis. Outside of the first game of the season against the Braves, Alvarado has been outstanding this year. The Phillies have been very clear dating back to the Gabe Kapler era that a solidified closer is not necessarily something that they believe in and Rob Thomson specifically has made mention on more than one occasion that the 9th inning will largely be left up to matchups, but it doesn’t seem that way right now. 

    The Phillies flame-throwing lefty notched his fifth save of the season this afternoon in San Diego. Alvarado has previously been used as the team’s “fireman”, coming into games in big spots and stomping out the fire, something he did very well at. The emergence of Gregory Soto and Matt Strahm pitching in high-leverage spots have obviously given the Phillies confidence that they could save Alvarado, who is perhaps their best arm in the pen, for the ninth.

    It’s very unlikely that the Phillies will ever have a set closer perse, even someone with as much experience as Craig Kimbrel fell victim to circumstances where he would not get the final three outs last season. However, Alvarado has gotten the bulk of the opportunities (5) and has made the most of it thus far. Only Jeff Hoffman has more than one (3) in the rest of the Phillies pen. 

    It’s assumed that Orion Kierkering could work his way into some save opportunities this season and could serve as the closer of the future but with the job that Alvarado has done this year, that could now be up for discussion.

    Photo via Photo by Todd Kirkland of Getty Images

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  • The Phillies’ 2024 rotation is 2011 levels of dominant

    The Phillies’ 2024 rotation is 2011 levels of dominant

    The Phillies’ starting pitching has stormed out of the gate as one of the best in baseball in the early part of the season. 

    Between Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez, Cristopher Sánchez, and a resurgent Spencer Turnbull, the five-man rotation has been shutting club after club down, racking up strikeouts in bunches, eating up innings, and even flirting with no-hit bids. 

    They’ve been dominant, which has helped push the Phils to a 15-9 start and compensated for points where the bats and bullpen were searching for their footing. 

    And they’ve been so dominant, in fact, that maybe it isn’t too far-fetched to compare the 2024 rotation so far to the last truly assembled Philadelphia powerhouse: the four-ace lineup of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt, and Joe Blanton from 2011. 

    Wheeler, Nola, Suárez, and Sanchez – after his three-inning, five-run setback Tuesday night in Cincinnati – have each made five starts, while Turnbull has been through four and will likely make his final one on Wednesday night before moving to the bullpen to make way for Taijuan Walker. 

    Using those as the barometer, here is how the Phillies’ 2024 starting rotation compares to that of the 102-win 2011 club at the same point in the year:

    2024  GS  W-L  ERA  IP  CG  SO  HR 
    Wheeler, R  5  1-3  2.30  31.1  0  38  2 
    Nola, R  5  3-1  3.16  31.1  0  26  6 
    Suárez, L  5  4-0  1.36  33.0  1  32  2 
    Sanchez, L  5  1-3  2.96  24.1  0  28  0 
    Turnbull, R 4  2-0  1.23  22.0  0  22  1 
     2011 GS   W-L ERA   IP  CG SO  HR 
     Halladay, R 5  3-1  2.41  37.1  1  39  1 
    Lee, L  5  2-2  4.18  32.1  1  39  4 
    Hamels, L  5  3-1  3.13  31.2  0  34  1 
    Oswalt, R  5  3-1  3.33  27.0  0  21  2 
    Blanton, R  4  0-1  5.92  24.1  0  17  2 

    Numbers via baseball-reference

    And by that point, the 2011 Phils were 16-8, were well on their way to the best regular season in franchise history, and were heavy World Series favorites the whole way through – you know, until that damn squirrel had something to say about it…

    Anyway, a few other points…

    • If you’re wondering where Vance Worley is in the 2011 table, he didn’t come into the picture until the end of April, when Blanton went on the injured list and the Phillies looked to him to take on the fifth-starting role upon his call-up – a role he ended up pitching well enough in to hold on to for a good while. 

    • Suárez has taken a massive leap as the third starter so far this season and has been so dialed in that he’s on a 25-inning scoreless streak, the longest such streak for a Phillies starter since…Cliff Lee in 2011 (per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki)

    That calm and effortlessly cool composure on the mound sure looks familiar, too.

    • Complete games feel like a rarity anymore when not considerably all that long ago, it wasn’t surprising at all to see someone like Halladay go the full nine. Suárez has pitched one of the just four complete games so far in 2024. 

    • Wheeler’s record right now isn’t ideal, but a lack of run support through his first three starts, some rotten luck, and a grand slam on his part against the Pirates on April 14 didn’t do him any favors. He bounced back in a major way though with a scoreless 7.1 innings against the White Sox last go around that he was also pushing a no-hit bid for. 

    • A notable difference in the makeup of the 2024 rotation compared to 2011, other than that 2024 isn’t as star-studded of a group: Only Wheeler and Turnbull are the arms in the current rotation who were brought in from the outside. Nola, Suárez, and Sanchez are all homegrown. 

    With 2011, Halladay was acquired via trade; Lee through trade, trade away, then sign back; Blanton through trade; and then Oswalt through trade. Hamels was the only homegrown talent there up until Worley joined him for a bit. 

    The Dave Dombrowski-led Phillies of today do spend a lot of money, but they’re built from within a bit more than most would think at face value. 

    MORE: How a group of Phillies fans are using every triple this season to give back

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  • Assessing the Phillies’ Starting Outfield Three Weeks into the Regular Season – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    Assessing the Phillies’ Starting Outfield Three Weeks into the Regular Season – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    The same thing happened last year. In the midst of the Phillies’ early-season mediocrity, outfielder Brandon Marsh got off to a torrid start.
    According to Newton’s law, however, what comes up must always come down, and Marsh’s hot start petered out to a banal slash line of .277/.372/.458 with 12 home runs, 60 RBI, and 10 stolen bases over 133 games. 

    However, things are not the same as they were last year. After sweeping both the Rockies and the White Sox, the Phillies are 14-8 through their first 22 games, their best 22-game start since 2018. The rotation, which struggled early in 2023, has been magnificent, posting a cumulative 2.25 ERA to start the year. And Brandon Marsh, at least in April, has continued to impress. Through 20 games, Marsh is hitting .288/.324/.561 – a similar line to 2023’s full season – however, he already has five home runs and 13 RBI. 

    In the field, Marsh has been perfectly solid, which is a drastic upgrade in left field from Kyle Schwarber. Save for a few blips, his defense is trustworthy, and his arm, which ranks 5th in arm value per Baseball Savant, has the ability to elevate him from an average corner outfielder to a very good one.

    Left Field

    At the plate, the usual demons continue to plague Marsh, however: left-handed pitching and a high strikeout rate. These are invariably tied together–Marsh’s high strikeout rate of 36.6% is buoyed by his struggles against left-handed pitching. 11 of his 26 total strikeouts come against left-handers. For context, he only has 21 total plate appearances against lefties and is hitting just .197 in that span.

    This year Marsh has made just four of his 20 starts against lefties. In 2023, it was just 18 of 117, or roughly 15%. Against right-handers, Marsh clearly has what it takes to play every day. Unfortunately, the Phillies are going to need to see a marked improvement against left-handed pitching to have the confidence to start Marsh every single day. 

    Center Field

    In center field, the Johan Rojas experiment seems to finally be yielding positive results at the plate. Although his defense has never been a question, Rojas got off to a freezing cold start at the plate; however, the tide appears to be turning. Since starting the season 1-22, Rojas has clawed his way back to a more than respectable .264 batting average with six steals and just eight strikeouts in his 59 plate appearances this April.

    This is thanks to a torrid stretch over the last two weeks in which Rojas has walked just as much as he’s struck out and hit .429/.455/.484 over 34 plate appearances. He’s also stolen five of his six bases in the year. It turns out that when he gets on base, swiping second isn’t all that difficult for the speedy 23-year-old. 

    Right Field

    In right field, Nick Castellanos has had a tough time. In 79 at-bats, Castellanos is hitting just .177 and has yet to log a home run. After a resurgent 2023 campaign, this is not the start the Phillies nor Castellanos were hoping for. Unfortunately, when he’s going bad, it looks awful–he’s constantly caught in between, behind on fastballs, ahead on breaking balls, and unable to generate competitive at-bats.

    With Castellanos, the assumption and hope is that he’ll eventually turn things around. Because while the Phillies are winning, they are doing so largely in spite of him.

    If they can get Castellanos hitting somewhat close to the level that they expect out of him, then the lineup will be even more of a nightmare for opposing pitchers than it already is.

    PHOTO: —

    Dylan Campbell

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  • 5 awards from the Phillies’ sweep of the White Sox

    5 awards from the Phillies’ sweep of the White Sox

    If your offense is struggling, a series against the Chicago White Sox is the perfect remedy. Over the weekend in South Philadelphia, the Phillies swept the Sox, improving their record to 14-8 as they’ve won their sixth-straight game. Watching the standings in April is certainly premature, but, hey, the Phillies are currently a Wild Card team in the National League. They’re right where they need to be.

    Here are my five awards from the series, highlighting everything from Alec Bohm to the iconic Phillie Phanatic…

    The “Twice As Nice” Award: Alec Bohm ✌️

    In Friday’s Phillies victory, Alec Bohm smacked a three-run home run in the first inning:

    Two innings later, he hit another three-run homer:

    Bohm showcased some true power there, going opposite field on the first blast and then driving his second home to deep left center. He could be on his way to replicating the 20-homer, 97-RBI campaign he posted in 2023.

    The “Almost No-Hitter” Award: Spencer Turnbull and Zack Wheeler ❌

    How about this Phillies rotation right now? Spencer Turnbull is only getting starts due to other pitching injuries, but he has a 1.23 ERA across four starts so far in 2024. In Friday night’s 7-0 win, Turnbull pitched 6.1 innings before allowing his first hit of the night. He finished out the inning for an evening of seven scoreless frames. Huge. 

    Taijuan Walker is making rehab starts and is on his way back to the majors to re-join the rotation, but can you really take Turnbull and move him to the bullpen with the way he’s pitching? It’s undeserving to either Turnbull or Cristopher Sánchez (2.53 ERA in four starts, 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings). 

    Optics could play a role here. Walker, despite struggles at times in 2023, is in the second year of a contract worth $72 million. Would the Phillies really make him the longman in the bullpen? It feels doubtful. Why not trot out a six-man rotation for a bit and see how that goes? 

    The next day, another Phillies starter flirted with a no-hitter. Cy Young Award candidate Zack Wheeler pitched 7.1 innings of no-hit baseball. He currently leads the majors in strikeouts. Elite stuff.

    Wheeler’s phenomenal performance aired simultaneously as Game 1 of the Sixers’ first round matchup with the Knicks on Saturday night. It conjured up images of 2010 when Roy Halladay tossed a perfect game while the Flyers were playing in the Stanley Cup Finals against Chicago. It was a bit of a double whammy, however, as Wheeler wasn’t able to finish out the no-hitter and, of course, the Sixers lost in crushing fashion. 

    The “Crushing the Vibes” Award: Ricardo Pinto 🤦

    Saturday was a breeze for the Fightins. They threw up a crooked number on Chicago, scoring nine runs. Wheeler took a no-hitter into the eighth inning. In what should’ve been an easy-as-anything ninth inning, things quickly took a turn for the worse.

    In some mop-up action, the Phils turned to Ricardo Pinto for the top of the ninth with a nine-run lead. Pinto proceeded to allow five runs. He exited the game with the tying run coming up to the plate. Again, they began the inning with a nine-run lead. Nine! When it matters most, Pinto won’t be out there on the mound, but it did leave a bitter taste for what should’ve been a complete beatdown. 

    The “They Swept a Little League Team” Award: Phillies 🤣

    This turn of events from the White Sox looks more like a Babe Ruth League team from 7th and Bigler than a major league ball club:

    “Yakety Sax” should be played over that video. The Phils tied the game after that and never looked back in an 8-2 victory.

    The “This Should’ve Been the City Connect Look” Award: Phanatic hats 🧢

    With its atrocious font and clash of colors, the Phillies’ City Connect uniforms have been panned. A look celebrating the greatest mascot in all of sports, the Phanatic, would’ve been much better. Phils fans saw what might have been when the team wore their batting practice Phanatic caps on Sunday in honor of the mascot’s birthday.

    10/10 cap. At the very least, these should replace the current red and blue caps the team wears with their cream uniforms.

    During his birthday festivities, we received an update on the Phanatic’s dating history, too:

    I’d love to hear what the Kelce brothers have to say about that!

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  • A Temple Hospital worker needed a kidney transplant. When the call finally came, his colleague performed it

    A Temple Hospital worker needed a kidney transplant. When the call finally came, his colleague performed it

    Julian Harmon assists doctors, nurses and patients in the operating rooms where organ transplants are performed at Temple University Hospital.

    Harmon also has lived with kidney disease for nearly a decade and was put on the kidney transplant waiting list in 2019. Of the more than 90,000 Americans waiting for a kidney, only 28,144 received one in 2023.

    But every day at work, Harmon remained hopeful as he cleaned operating rooms, took specimens to labs and transported patients in and out of surgeries. 

    “I would even meet people who were going to get a kidney transplant,” said Harmon, who works as a perioperative services assistant.

    Instead of making him feel jealous or resentful, Harmon said talking to others as he wheeled them into operating rooms for transplant surgery helped him maintain hope. “I knew I wasn’t alone,” he said. “I always knew I would get the surgery done.”

    On Jan. 6, 2023, Harmon received a call at work that a kidney was available for him. Within hours, Harmon was in one of the operating rooms where he spends his days, receiving a life-saving transplant performed by Dr. Kenneth Chavin, director of Temple Health’s Abdominal Organ Transplant Program, whose locker happens to sit right next to Harmon’s.

    “Now we’ve become friends,” Chavin said. “He’s maintaining his kidney beautifully.”

    Earlier in April, Harmon and Chavin threw out the first pitch at a Phillies game. Their appearance was a way to celebrate and raise awareness about kidney donation during National Donate Life Month.

    Kidney disease is the fastest-growing noncommunicable disease in the United States and kills more people each year than breast or prostate cancer. About 37 million Americans are living with kidney disease, including 808,000 with kidney failure. 

    Black Americans are more than four times as likely to develop kidney failure than white Americans. Hispanic and Native Americans are more than twice as likely. 

    The shortage of available kidneys means that the majority of people living with kidney failure – which has no cure – are on dialysis while they hope for a kidney transplant. More than 556,000 people are on kidney dialysis, according to the American Kidney Fund.

    Harmon eventually ended up on dialysis after being diagnosed in 2015 with IgA nephropathy, a disease in which IgA protein builds up in and damages the filtering part of the kidney. For about four years, Harmon had to do peritoneal dialysis at home for 12 hours each night. The process which required him to attach a catheter surgically placed in his abdomen to a machine that pumped cleansing fluid into his stomach and waste products from his blood.

    “I would come home, make myself dinner, wash up and hook myself onto the machine,” Harmon said. “Some nights would be good, and some nights I would end up lying the wrong way and all sorts of alarms would go off.”

    His mother and his tight group of friends kept his spirits up. “I knew I had people in my corner,” Harmon said.

    “I used to work through the week and by the weekend I would be exhausted,” Harmon said. Often he had to rest in bed most of the weekend to regain the strength to return to work the following week.

    His mother worried about him, Harmon said. “To see me from there to now – she’s just ecstatic.

    “When you’re doing dialysis, there are a lot of things you have to sacrifice,” such as a social life, said Harmon, who now has a girlfriend.

    Receiving a kidney transplant is “transformational,” Chavin said, noting that it allows people to “go back to normal activity.”

    With more research and knowledge about the immune system and medication, one-year survival rates after a kidney transplant are now about 90%, Chavin said. In the early days of transplant surgery, they were closer to 50%.

    Someone who donates a kidney and then needs a transplant for whatever reason goes to the “top of the list,” Chavin said, “so the system has this safety net.”

    Donating organs not only impacts the people who receive them, but also “their legacy, what they do in life,” Chavin said.

    By sharing his story, Harmon said he hopes more people will consider organ donation. 

    “There are a lot of people in my situation,” Harmon said, “A lot of people who deserve that second chance at life.”


    People can register to be an organ donor when renewing their driver’s licenses or state IDs. They also can register online.

    Courtenay Harris Bond

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  • The Tables Have Turnbulled – Should Spencer Turnbull Remain a Part of the Rotation into the Summer? – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    The Tables Have Turnbulled – Should Spencer Turnbull Remain a Part of the Rotation into the Summer? – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    We’re just 16 games into Major League Baseball’s 2024 regular season, and the Philadelphia Phillies, currently 8-8, are in a state of flux.
    Like most other teams in baseball, the Phillies are still figuring things out–Johan Rojas maintains a tenuous hold over center field, the bullpen runs hot and cold, the offense has been spotty, and the starting rotation has been surprisingly bolstered by the back end.

    Aside from Bryce Harper’s revelatory performance at first base, the defense has been atrocious, Kyle Schwarber has been uncharacteristically contact-happy (12 out of his 15 hits have been singles), and the officiating has been subpar, to say the least. At home, fans are ranting and raving at the television with each game, still seemingly unaware that 147 of them remain to be played. It’s April. We’re all still figuring this out. 

    Fortunately for the Phillies, the schedule makers have given them some cushioning to ease their early-season growing pains. On Monday night, they open a three-game set against Colorado, currently 4-12, followed by another three against the lowly White Sox, currently 2-13. Both series will be played at home. Their schedule becomes marginally more difficult as they make their way West, first with a four-game series in Cincinnati before landing in California to face the Padres and ending the month in L.A. against the Angels. 

    As it turns out, one of the more pleasant surprises of this young season is also one of the more immediate challenges that the team faces regarding roster construction. 31-year-old right hander Spencer Turnbull has filled in admirably for an injured Taijuan Walker, his performance impressive enough that some are calling for him to replace Walker in the rotation upon Walker’s return to the big league roster in the next few weeks. In just three starts, Turnbull has injected a shot of energy into the Phillies’ rotation–posting a 1-0 record and 1.80 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 15 innings. This past week, Turnbull contributed to a dominant stretch by the bottom three pitchers of the starting rotation, in which Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, and himself compiled 23 strikeouts in 22 cumulative innings across four starts with a combined 1.63 ERA. 

    Three of the groups’ four allowed runs, however, came in Saturday’s game against Pittsburgh. Although the Phillies saved face with a strong 4-3 comeback win, Turnbull had his first down start of the year, allowing three earned runs on four hits and four walks in just four innings. Throughout the start, Turnbull struggled to find the zone, and without command of his six-pitch arsenal, he was largely ineffective. 

    So what does this mean? Should the Phillies give up hope on Turnbull?

    Or is the wily right-hander still a long-term option at the back end of the rotation? 

    The answer is somewhere in the middle. Thus far, Turnbull has been a great little surprise and everything that a team could want out of a number five starter: someone who can give them a strong, solid 5-6 innings every fifth day. But Turnbull is not Taijuan Walker. There are a few important distinctions to be made. 

    One, Taijuan Walker is in the second year of a four-year, $72 million contract. With a higher paycheck comes increased expectations. Walker is meant to be a number four pitcher and not the fifth starter in a five-man rotation, a solid innings eater with the upside of something greater. Something akin to what the Phillies wanted Zach Eflin to be if they thought he could stay healthy for a full season. 

    There is also the issue of arm health. Although Walker has been sidelined with a shoulder issue and has another three to four starts left in his rehab, he did throw 172.2 innings last year. Turnbull, who has struggled mightily with arm injuries in the past five years, threw just 31 innings in 2023. As a general rule of thumb, pitchers aren’t recommended to increase their inning total from more than 30-40 per year, thus capping Turnbull’s potential innings at around 100. 

    The possibility of keeping both Turnbull and Walker in a six-man rotation upon Walker’s return is enticing but not likely this early in the season. Although ostensibly the idea makes perfect sense–limiting the innings on all of the pitchers early on should make things easier–the team found out last year that it wasn’t necessarily conducive to success: Zack Wheeler pitched remarkably better on four or five days rest compared to six. 

    Turnbull’s mere presence as a positive starting option, however, is perhaps the best kind of problem that the Phillies could have. The season is a long one, and one of the starting pitchers, invariably, will go down with an injury at some point in 2024. Having Turnbull as a replacement option or even as the sixth man in an extended rotation in, say, July or August could be invaluable. Even as the long man out of the ‘pen, Turnbull could prove his worth. 

    Walker will get the nod when he returns from rehab, and he should. After not making an appearance in last year’s postseason, one would imagine that he has something to prove. The Phillies are paying him to be a long-term, viable starter, and they have to see if he can do just that. However, if Walker struggles for an extended period of time–his velocity never picks up, he’s not consistently pitching past the fifth inning, etc.–then the leash should not be long.

    Because $74 million or not, only one thing matters to the Phillies at the end of the day: who gives them the best chance to win.
    That should be the deciding factor in who takes the mound every fifth day. 

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    Dylan Campbell

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  • Phillies Quick 6: 2 of 3 from the Nats gets Philly on track

    Phillies Quick 6: 2 of 3 from the Nats gets Philly on track

    Nothing like a series against the Nats to get things back on track – well, somewhat. 

    The Phillies took two of three on the road from Washington this weekend, though closing out with a 3-2 loss on Sunday, leaving them within a game of the .500 mark at 4-5 heading to St. Louis next. 

    It isn’t all perfect – it never is with this club – but it’s still early into the season and this three-game set brought some promising signs, though with some more to be concerned about. 

    For now, here are a quick six thoughts on the series to take things into a new week…

    • In the series opener on Friday, a 4-0 shutout win, Aaron Nola got his second turn on the bump and put up 5.2 scoreless innings with only two hits surrendered. He struck out only four and was pulled after 95 pitches, but brought much sharper stuff and a much better performance than his first go against the Braves when he got tagged for 11 hits and six earned runs. 

    Nola is durable and dependable, and when him and Zack Wheeler are at the top of the rotation and fully on, there’s arguably no better 1-2 punch in baseball. We know this.

    But what we also know, and have for years now, is that there are three versions of Aaron Nola, and which one you’re going to get can often be a dice roll. A big key for the 30-year old and longest-tenured Phillie this season is going to be in making sure that he brings out his best stuff as consistently as possible, because his best stuff either has batters whiffing on breaking pitches or reaching for contact on grounders that amount to nothing. 

    Probably pretty safe to say that few fans want to be holding their breath throughout the summer and, hopefully, well into October when the fourth inning rolls around on Nola’s day. 

    Again, early into the season, and we only have a sample size of two here. Let’s see how the rest of April shakes out for him.

    • Kyle Schwarber pulled a two-run single into right early into Friday night, then notched another base hit on Sunday after going 0-for-5 in game 2 (with 3 strikeouts). He entered Sunday’s game batting .257 at the top of the order. This time last year, he was batting .158.

    Who said he couldn’t hit for average?

    • J.T. Realmuto crushed a two-run bomb in Saturday’s 5-2 win, and Alec Bohm made the highlight reel with an RBI triple and then a barehanded grab in the field. 

    That’s Bohm at his best, and what could quietly make him one of the better third baseman in the NL if he can do that consistently. Sunday, not so much with an 0-for-3 effort and the strikeout to end it offensively, and then an offline throw on a grounder that pulled Bryce Harper off the bag at first to allow an infield hit. 

    Bohm’s come a long way from “I f***ing hate this place” two years ago, but can be a polarizing player within the lineup among fans for what he has offered so far compared to the idea of what he still could in the way of more power (he hasn’t homered yet this season) and sharper fielding.

    • Edmundo Sosa started at second on Sunday and did everything he could to push the Phillies to win this one, first with an RBI single into left in the second and then a solo shot to tie it up 202 in the fifth. 

    They didn’t come through this time, but he has really left them in good shape reaching into the bench ever since getting to Philly from the 2022 trade deadline. 

    • Brandon Marsh drove in the first run on Friday with a bases-loaded sac fly off Patrick Corbin, a lefty. He really pushed that one into center, too. Then on Saturday in the ninth, he bounced one off the mound and through the middle to score Bryson Stott from second and make it a 5-2 ballgame. 

    On Sunday, Marsh sat and Whitt Merrifield took the start in left with the Nationals sending out MacKenzie Gore, another lefty. 

    It has to be kept in mind that Marsh did only recently return from late offseason knee surgery, but a key point in his development is figuring out how to hit off lefties, and it’s been noticeable that the Phillies have been protecting him from that so far. 

    Again, this is another thing to monitor and see if it might gradually loosen up over the course of the season.

    • Johan Rojas also sat on Sunday. He’s a miserable 1-for-22 eight games in. Cristian Pache took over in center, and at this point, you do have to wonder if the scale between what Rojas brings in the field versus what he can do at the plate has tipped, and if the call might be coming to send him down to Triple-A. 

    The situation for the 23-year old entering 2024 was always positioned as a sink or swim one, and so far, he’s struggled mightily to stay afloat with his bat. Some time in Lehigh Valley might be the best thing for him now after bypassing that part of the minor-league climb entirely last season. 

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  • Phillies to unveil City Connect uniforms this week

    Phillies to unveil City Connect uniforms this week

    New looks are on the way for the Phillies. The team’s first City Connect uniforms, a new initiative for Major League Baseball after Nike took over handling the sport’s jerseys and pants, will be released this Friday at 10:00 a.m., the team announced on Monday morning.

    The team will wear them every home Friday game beginning on April 12 against the Pirates.

    While the uniforms have yet to be officially revealed, a potential leak of the jerseys popped up during the offseason and provided a lukewarm response from the fan base:

    The blue and yellow colors, of course, are an homage to the flag of the city of Philadelphia. The team also briefly had blue and yellow primary logo colors back in the late 1930s. They don’t look great, sure, but if anyone can make them look cool, it’s probably Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos. 

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  • Bryce Harper goes 4-for-4 with Philly sports tribute cleats

    Bryce Harper goes 4-for-4 with Philly sports tribute cleats

    Bryce Harper always seems to know the fastest way to Philly fans’ hearts, and his new set of cleats that the Phillies offered a glimpse at ahead of Opening Day more than do the job.

    A look at the cleats posted to the Phillies’ TikTok:

    A beauty of a four-for-four set right there, with tributes to each of the Phillies, Flyers, Eagles, and Sixers – plus nods to the Kelly Green and Iverson eras in the latter two’s case. 

    Points on the matching jacket, too. 

    Harper usually goes for Phanatic-inspired cleats for Opening Day and Friday is expected to be no different, but the Phillies star first baseman told MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki earlier this month that he has a number of special looks lined up for this season, including for the London Series in June, for the new City Connect uniforms that will debut in April, and a Wawa-inspired set that should pop up throughout the summer. 

    And these Philly sports tribute cleats should definitely be a favorite in the rotation if and when they hit the field.

    MORE: Phillies’ release 2024 hype video

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  • Phillies Team Up With Asplundh in a New Partnership Aimed at Being a Home Run for Fans, Trees and the ALS Community

    Phillies Team Up With Asplundh in a New Partnership Aimed at Being a Home Run for Fans, Trees and the ALS Community


    WILLOW GROVE, Pa., March 27, 2024 (Newswire.com)
    –
    The Philadelphia Phillies are excited to announce that Asplundh Tree Expert, a leading provider of safe, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable vegetation management and infrastructure services, has been named one of the team’s “Official Community and Sustainability Partners of the Phillies.” 

    The new multi-year partnership with the family-owned Asplundh, which is headquartered in Willow Grove, Pa., is aimed at making an impact in the community and introducing fans to the company’s environmentally sustainable vegetation management and other utility-related services. As one of the team’s Official Community and Sustainability Partners, Asplundh will take a leading role in several key initiatives. 

    “For more than 95 years, Asplundh has served the utility industry, helping communities build, recover and thrive in a changing world,” said Jackie Cuddeback, Phillies Senior Vice President of Partnership Sales, Suites Sales and Corporate Marketing. “We are thrilled to welcome Asplundh, a world leader in our own backyard, to the Phillies family as they join us in several important causes.” 

    “We’re very excited to partner with the Phillies and are eager to work with the team to strengthen our long-standing ties to the Philadelphia community established over the last 95 years,” said Asplundh CEO Matt Asplundh. “Sustainability and medical advancement in treating ALS are important initiatives to Asplundh, and we look forward to collaborating with the Phillies and the community to advance these goals.” 

    The new synergy will feature Asplundh as the proud sponsor of the Phillies Home Runs for Trees program, where for each home run hit by a Phillies player, a tree is planted in the Greater Philadelphia area by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. More than 2,000 trees have been planted in the community since the program started in 2012. 

    Asplundh will also join the Phillies in their mission to strike out ALS as the new presenting sponsor for Phillies ALS Awareness Day on Sunday, June 2. That game will see the Phillies take on the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. This ballpark-wide event is dedicated to raising awareness and funds for ALS research and care for families affected by ALS in the Delaware Valley. 

    The company will have a prominent presence at Phillies home games, with signage at various locations, including behind home plate and in left field at Citizens Bank Park. 

    Source: Asplundh

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  • Why Zack Wheeler Might be Worth Every Penny of his 3-year, $126 million contract extension – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    Why Zack Wheeler Might be Worth Every Penny of his 3-year, $126 million contract extension – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    The Philadelphia Phillies believe that their soon to be 34-year old ace Zack Wheeler is still evolving. That’s why on Monday, they inked him to a three-year, $126 million contract extension. The extension, which starts in 2025 and runs through the 2027 season, will make Wheeler the third-highest paid pitcher in Major League Baseball with an AAV of $42 million. 

    Since coming to the Phillies in 2020, Wheeler has only gotten better with age. Once a promising, yet injury-ridden middle of the rotation starter for the New York Mets, Wheeler has blossomed into the staff ace of one of the best teams in the National League, if not all of baseball. In his five years with the club, Wheeler has 43-25, with a 3.06 ERA over 629.1 regular season innings. In the last four, he has led all starting pitchers in WAR and per Baseball Reference estimates, he’s 19.6 of his 28.7 Wins Above Replacement since signing with the Phillies. Wheeler has been equally dominant in the postseason, with a 2.42 ERA across all appearances. His pairing with Aaron Nola has become one of the deadliest one-two combinations across the sport, paving the way for the team’s recent postseason success. 

    Wheeler’s extension, however, isn’t just a showing of gratitude for what he has done for the team. It’s an investment, especially as an extension, into what he can be for the next four seasons. The Phillies are hopeful that Wheeler, who remained relatively healthy over his tenure with the team, will continue to be a workhorse even as he progresses into and beyond his mid-thirties. There’s reason for optimism: because he missed significant time earlier in his career with the Mets, Wheeler has 1,378 and 2/3rds innings in the majors. Cole Hamels, through his age 33 season, racked up 2,362. Roy Halladay had tallied 2,297. 

    What’s even more noteworthy, however, is that Wheeler has continued to evolve as a pitcher. Upon arriving in Philadelphia, Wheeler found success by significantly increasing his 4-seam fastball usage. Last season, Wheeler incorporated a sweeper–a slower version of his cutter, with horizontal break–to slot in between his low-90s cutter and low-80s curveball. His sweeper became his best swing-and-miss pitch last season, leading his arsenal with a 39.2% whiff rate. This year, Wheeler looks to revive his splitter for the first time since 2018, in his unyielding quest to baffle opposing hitters. It’s an encouraging sight for an aging power pitcher: as Wheeler’s fastball velocity has dipped from the upper to the mid 90s, he’s continued to add different ways to stay elite. 

    In 2018, owner John Middleton spoke to the press about spending “stupid” money to improve the team, after a sixth consecutive losing season. And yes, Middleton did end up spending an inordinate amount of money to bring the Phillies to the brink of a World Series championship. Hardly any of it, however, has been stupidly spent–including the cumulative $244 that Wheeler will pocket at the end of his contract extension. Perhaps a better way to phrase it is that the Phillies have a stupid amount of money to spend and are willing to spend it on the right player. The front office knew that retaining Wheeler would cost upward of a franchise record $40 million per year. Their willingness to spend it on Wheeler is both an admission–of his value to the team and their willingness to spend inordinate amounts of money on the players they want the most–and a bet, that the last few years of Wheeler’s career will be enough to carry them into deep into October, time and time again.

    Dylan Campbell

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  • Ranking the best Phillies second basemen ever

    Ranking the best Phillies second basemen ever


    For the next two weeks, leading up to pitchers and catchers reporting to Clearwater for the 2024 Phillies, we decided to take a look at each position in the Phillies storied 100+ year history and come up with a list of the all-time greats at each position.

    We’re going to limit our lists to 10 (with a few extra mentions) in part because there were more than 100 players to play second in at least one game for the Phillies.

    At second base had a few requirements. The player had to have started at the position for at least three seasons in Philadelphia and their statistical and cultural impact were both weighed when making these rankings.

    The Phillies have had some really great second basemen in their history, many of whom are borderline Hall of Famers who never got that special call.

    Before we dive into our top 10, here’s a look at a handful of 2B-men that either didn’t qualify, or make the cut talent-wise:

    Player Games Notes
    Bryson Stott 278 5.3 WAR
    Marlon Anderson 479 .266/.313/.383
    Mariano Duncan 406 1994 All-Star
    Joe Morgan 123 ’83 Pennant
    Cookie Rojas 880 1965 All-Star
    Tony Taylor 1,669 1960 All-Star
    Bert Neihoff 408 .244/.290/.334
    Emil Verban 348 1947 All-Star

    No one above is really a threat to knock off a top 10 pick below. To our list:

    1. Chase Utley (2003-15)

    .282/.366/.481 | 233 HR, 916 RBI | 6 All-Star, 4 Silver Slugger, 2008 World Series Champion

    Shamus Clancy: One of the best pure baseball players of the late ’00s and early ’10s, Utley was a winner who provided major pop as an up-the-middle player, reliable defense and the smartest base-running tactics around. Injuries derailed what coulda/shoulda/woulda been a slam-dunk Hall of Fame career given his peak, but, hey, he still may have a shot of getting in anyway.

    In what may be the best play in franchise history, Utley’s “fake to first, throw home” in the Phils’ clinching game of the 2008 World Series sums up his whole play style:

    World F—–g Champs, indeed.

    2. Nap Lajoie (1896-1900)

    .345/.374/.520 | 32 HR, 458 RBI | Hall of Famer

    Shamus: This dude could rake. While having more success during longer stints with the Philadelphia Athletics and Cleveland Naps (which were named after him!), he spent his first five big league seasons with the Phillies. Lajoie led the sport in slugging percentage (.569) and total bases (310) in 1897 and then doubles (43) and RBI (127) in 1898. 

    3. Juan Samuel (1983-89)

    .263/.310/.439 | 100 HR, 413 RBI | 2 All-Star, Silver Slugger

    Nick Tricome: From his first full season in 1984 and up through 1987, Samuel hit double digits in home runs, doubles, triples, and stolen bases with each year. He was lightning on the base paths, which created all kinds of headaches for opposing batteries, especially in ’84 when he stole a staggering 72 bags. 

    4. Dave Cash (1974-76)

    .296/.348/.371 | 7 HR, 171 RBI | 3 All-Star, Silver Slugger

    Evan Macy: What a three-year stretch Cash had. In addition to nearly batting .300 cumulatively, he also led the entire majors in at bats every year he was in Philly. The organization got a pretty good return when they traded starter Ken Brett for him in 1973, but they chose to let him walk after three All-Star campaigns and top 16 finished for MVP in all his seasons.

    5. Manny Trillo (1979-82)

    .277/.321/.369 | 19 HR, 160 RBI | 2 All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger, 3 Gold Gloves, 1980 World Series Champion

    Nick: A reliable bat, a solid glove, and an absolute tank in the do-or-die Game 5 of the 1980 NLCS against Nolan Ryan and the Astros.

    6. Cesar Hernandez (2013-19)

    .277/.352/.381 | 46 HR, 253 RBI 

    Evan: I am not here to make a case for Hernandez being an All-Time great Phillie. He was solid, sure, but his placement as No. 6 is surprising to me. However, look at his numbers compared to the No. 5 on our list in Trillo. He has the same batting average and a higher on base and slugging percentage, over a longer period of time. He generated 10.1 WAR in seven Philly seasons and Trillo had 6.8 over four seasons. And yet Trillo made two All-Star games and won all that hardware. It helps to play on a good team — and Hernandez never did that.

    7. Otto Knabe (1907-13)

    .249/.328/.315  | 5 HR, 280 RBI

    Evan: Franz Otto Knabe was called Dutch and was born in 1884. He was a really good second baseman for his era, collecting top 22 voting finishes for MVP three times as a Phillie. His career earnings for 11 seasons as a major league baseball player were just over $42,000 but that’s not my favorite part of his baseball reference page. After being “acquired” and “signed” and “released” several times by several teams, he apparently “Jumped from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Baltimore Terrapins,” via BR’s transactional records. He jumped!

    8. Jean Segura (2019-22)

    .282/.337/.427 | 33 HR, 143 RBI 

    Shamus: For a franchise that has over 11,000 losses in its largely undistinguished history, focusing on the little moments is important. Few little slap hits were more crucial for the Phils over the decades than Segura’s in St. Louis during the 2022 Wild Card Series.

    Facing a 2-1 deficit in Game 1 of that series, a prayer of a hit from Segura made it to right field, allowing two Phillies to score, giving the team a 3-2 lead and propelling them to win the series and make a run to the Fall Classic:

    Segura celebrating with a leap as he made his way to first as the ball broke through the infield was emblematic of the incredible vibes that Fightins squad had. 

    9. Mickey Morandini (1990-97, 00)

    .267/.334/.360 | 20 HR, 254 RBI | All-Star

    Nick: A quick bat for those 90s Phillies clubs who always seemed to have a triple spring loaded when they needed it. Case in point: Game 6 of the ’93 NLCS.

    He’s also one of the very few to have an unassisted triple play to his name. 

    10. Bill Hallman (1888-89, 92-97, 01-03)

    .278/.331/.354 | 12 HR, 574 RBI | All-Star

    Shamus: Who can forget Bill Hallman? Well, literally no one is who alive in this world was around when he played in Philly, but still. Hallman had the distinction of being the only player to improve their batting average in nine consecutive seasons, going from .206 with the Philadelphia Quakers in 1888 to .320 with the Phillies in 1896. He had nowhere to go but up!



    Evan Macy

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  • Phillies say goodbye, thank you to Rhys Hoskins after Brewers deal becomes official

    Phillies say goodbye, thank you to Rhys Hoskins after Brewers deal becomes official

    Knowing the goodbye was coming doesn’t mean it’s any easier to make. 

    Rhys Hoskins’ two-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers was made official Friday afternoon, marking the true end to the now former homegrown first baseman’s six-season run in Philadelphia. 

    With that, the Phillies said their goodbye, and their thank you, to Hoskins through their social media channels, paying tribute to his long journey up through the minors, the heartbreak of all those stalled-out late-summer runs, and then finally, the long-awaited breakthrough into the postseason and all the magic Red October’s return brought back to Philadelphia – bat spike and all. 

    Plus, of course, all the charity work he and his wife Jayme put into the city off the field. 

    A torn ACL suffered last spring robbed Hoskins of his 2023 season in a contract year and ultimately his shot at making another postseason run with the Phillies – though he was able to throw out the first pitch of the Wild Card round and then join the club in the dugout for Game 7 of the NLCS. 

    While he was rehabbing, Bryce Harper picked up first base in the meantime and it became clear by the end of the season that keeping him there was the direction for the Phillies to take moving forward, which effectively took up any room that would’ve been left for Hoskins in the lineup and put the writing on the wall. 

    The goodbye was coming, but never any easier to make because of it. 

    This really didn’t help either. 

    The Brewers will visit Citizens Bank Park June 3-5 this coming season and a heartfelt tribute to Hoskins will surely be waiting for him once the three-game series arrives.

    Rhys Hoskins is gone, but his bat spike will not be forgotten

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    Nick Tricome

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  • Diamondbacks stun Phillies 4-2 in Game 7 of NLCS to reach first World Series in 22 years

    Diamondbacks stun Phillies 4-2 in Game 7 of NLCS to reach first World Series in 22 years

    By DAN GELSTON

    PHILADELPHIA — Corbin Carroll went 3 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, and the Arizona Diamondbacks advanced to the World Series for the first time in 22 years Tuesday night by stunning the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series.

    Arizona plays the Texas Rangers in the World Series, with Game 1 set for Friday night at Globe Life Field.

    In their only other World Series, the Diamondbacks beat the New York Yankees in a seven-game thriller in 2001.

    The young Diamondbacks, who at 84-78 squeezed into the playoffs as the final National League wild card, completed their comeback from an 0-2 hole in the NLCS by taking early leads in Games 6 and 7 to win the final two in Philadelphia.

    Brandon Pfaadt struck out seven in four innings and five relievers combined to pitch their way out of late-inning jams for the surprising NL champs.

    Bryce Harper and the rest of the Phillies are forced to ponder this offseason how they let a second straight trip to the World Series slip away. Philadelphia returned home one win from a pennant but couldn’t close it out.

    Associated Press

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