The Philadelphia Phillies shocked the world by being a wildcard team making the World Series last year, and even though they fell short of a championship, they are looking like a strong contender to make another push for the World Series this season with acquisitions and experience.
The Phillies making the playoffs last season for the first time since 2011 was finally a step in the right direction, but the season started with the firing of former manager Joe Girardi after an abysmal start.
Rob Thomson took over in June, helping the team gain confidence, but the fans expected another season of no playoffs for the Phillies. However, the team snuck into the playoffs, being a wildcard team, and stayed hot beating the Cardinals in the first round – likely the only team not better than the Phillies roster.
They moved on to the Braves, who had much more talent than the Phillies and better pitching – they beat them in four games 3-1 series win. The last series they won was against the Padres in a 4-1 National League Championship Series win.
The Padres top to bottom was loaded with stars. They moved on to the World Series and lost to the Astros 4-2, losing all their momentum as well as being outmatched in practically every spot.
This season they made moves to fix the holes in the bullpen and added a star shortstop, Trea Turner.
The front office saw the weakness in the bullpen during the playoffs and added a proven veteran, Craig Kimbrel, who “had a 3.75 earned run average and 22 saves last year according to baseball-reference.com.”
The Phillies also added Gregory Soto, who made back-to-back all-star games in 2021 and 2022. “Last year he posted a 3.28 ERA and 30 saves according to baseball-reference. com.” They also added Trea Turner, who can do everything asked of him.
He is a special talent, toting a .298 batting average, 21 home runs, 39 doubles and 27 stolen bases.
He also was an all-star last year and finished 11th in the MVP voting.
Harold Landman, a Bucks County Community College student from Levittown had this to say about Trea Turner: “We finally have a leadoff hitter, and the middle infield has severely improved from last year.” The team is missing one of the biggest stars in baseball, Bryce Harper.
He won the Most Valuable Player in 2021, and last year, won the National League Championship Series MVP, proving he is the most important part of the Phillies.
Brandon Morgan, a Bucks County Community College student said this about Harper, “His return after the injury is exciting news for the team and will hopefully help increase the odds of making the playoffs again.” The start of the season has been slightly shaky, but fans are not worried about the start mainly due to the fact they made the world series.
Morgan added, “Although I believe it’s too early in the season to honestly tell, they do stand a chance considering the 2022 season…they need to use last year’s playoff loss as a motivator.” Morgan is not the only student who isn’t worried.
Landman also had this to say about the slow start: “I think the world series hangover is hitting hard combined with the two best hitters being sidelined.
Plus, the guys were in the World Series Classic, so they joined the squad late. We’ll get rolling once everyone gets their rhythm.” Although everyone seems to be relaxed with the current performance of the Phillies, the expectations are very high.
Luke Landman, an electrician had this to say: “My instincts lead me to believe they are going to have a roller coaster of a year but think they will squeak out in first in the division.” He also said, “Anything but a sweep in the World Series is a disgrace to every Philly fan.”
Luke Landman also said this about what would be considered a successful season: “With how high the payroll is, a World Series win.”