What’s Wrong with the Philadelphia Phillies?

Phillies First Baseman Darick Hall Being Thrown Out at Second Base Against the Yankees

In October of 2022, the city of Philadelphia was buzzing. The Eagles were off to an undefeated start, and the 76ers season was just kicking off, however, neither of these two teams were the talk of the city - instead, it was the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies went on a magical run to the World Series as a 6th seed in the National League, but would fall short against the juggernaut Houston Astros.

In the offseason, the Phillies improved- acquiring All-Star Shortstop Trae Turner, All-Star closer Gregroy Soto, as well as other key pieces in the form of Matt Strahm, and Taijaun Walker.

Primed for another postseason appearance and potential run again, the Phillies looked to come out the gates swinging- and so far, they have struck out.

So it begs the question- what’s wrong?

Offensively, the Phillies as a team have the fourth highest OPS in the league (.789), the third highest average (.276), and are the league leader in hits. So, why are they not winning games?

The Issues begin with hitting with runners in scoring position. As a team, the Phillies leave 4.23 runners in Scoring Position per Game, 2nd worst in the entire league behind the Mets.

Furthermore, though the team continues to have guys on base, they are one of the worst baserunning teams in the league. They lead the league in Outs On Base with 10, and they are 7th worst in Run Scoring Percentage (Percentage of Times a Baserunner Eventually Scores a Run), at 28%.

The pitching staff for the Phillies has been far more abysmal than the hitting. As a staff, they have a 1.398 WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched), putting them at 7th worst in the league. The staff also has the 6th worst ERA+ (ERA adjusted for the player’s ballpark), at 89.

The starting rotation has been the root cause of a majority of these issues, as the Phillies are below league average in Quality Starts, with only 7 through the first 23 games. Their inability to go deep into games has taxed the bullpen, leading to multiple pitchers throwing a great number of innings early in the season.

Despite the rocky start to the season, the Phillies remain only 1 GB (game back) from .500. They have strung together 3 wins in a row for the first time this season, and sit only 2.5 GB from the third WC spot.

Therefore, don’t be alarmed by this Phillies fans- just last year, the team started off 11-12 in their first 23 games, and eventually put it together in June. However, if they want to be able to go on a run like they did in 2022, the Phillies will need to figure it out soon, as the road is only tougher in the daunting NL East.