10:03 PM EDT, Thu March 28, 2024
Mar 24, 2024
Rise and Phight: 3/24/2024

Rise and Phight: 3/24/2024

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports The start of the Turnbull era? Last season, the Phillies had to test their starting pitching depth early due to an injury to Ranger Suárez and ineffectiveness from Bailey Falter. It led to a scramble of bullpen games, Matt Strahm going into the rotation, and a revolving door of fifth starters. Now once again, the Phillies depth will be tested early, as Taijuan Walker is headed for an MRI on his shoulder and looks unlikely to be ready by Opening Day. Spencer Turnbull looks poised to start the season in the rotation after an impressive...
Mar 23, 2024
Rise and Phight: 3/23/2024

Rise and Phight: 3/23/2024

Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports What a Friday evening news dump. You would be correct in saying that the Phillies have had a rather boring camp. There’s really not a whole lot of news other than Bryce Harper’s back stiffness. Desiring a little more spice is only natural. Luckily, the Dodgers are providing all the intrigue anyone could ask for. On to the links Phillies news: Bryce Harper is expected to return to the lineup today after taking some swings on the backfield yesterday. Matt Strahm was an underrated part of the Phillies success last season, and he thanks...
Mar 22, 2024
2024 Season Preview: Bullpen Predictions

2024 Season Preview: Bullpen Predictions

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports 100% success rate. Bullpens are volatile by nature and the Phillies are no exception. They carry some of the nastiest stuff in all of baseball but also some command questions. We see what the successes look like with their high upside swings. José Alvarado is the best left-handed reliever in the National League. Jeff Hoffman finished in the top 15 in fWAR by a reliever. We also know what it looks like for someone who doesn’t work out. How many horrible memories of James Norwood, Sam Coonrod, or McKinley Moore do you have? Dave...
Mar 22, 2024
Rise and Phight: 3/22/2024

Rise and Phight: 3/22/2024

Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via This Ohtani thing is getting weird It’s not the Phillies, but this Shohei Ohtani story is just getting stranger and stranger. I am by no means a legal expert, so commenting on it without all of the facts is pointless since speculation leads to nothing, but it just seems....odd...that Ohtani knew nothing of all of this. On to the links. Phillies news: While the Johan Rojas decision looms, Whit Merrifield is ready to go. Wherever that may be on the field. The team is getting ready to join Comcast to re-develop the area around...
Mar 21, 2024
Rise and Phight: 3/21/2024

Rise and Phight: 3/21/2024

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports End the games! It’s almost time for the season to begin. The team is relatively healthy, so my suggestion is to simply end games now and head north. They should be listening to me. On to the links. Phillies news: Ranger Suarez has looked great this spring. It should help him secure a lucrative amount of money. Taijuan Walker, though, has looked rough this spring. It’s going to be an interesting season for the pitcher. The swing of Johan Rojas is the biggest roster decision the team has. Where do they stand with it? MLB...
Mar 20, 2024
Is there a prospect other than Orion Kerkering that will affect the bullpen?

Is there a prospect other than Orion Kerkering that will affect the bullpen?

Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/ He’s kind of the obvious pick, right? The Phillies’ bullpen doesn’t exactly have a lot of open spots available. We all know that Jose Alvarado, Seranthony Dominguez, Matt Strahm and Gregory Soto are going to have jobs. Dylan Covey (or whichever long reliever takes his place) will serve as a bulk innings guy, meaning there were always only going to be three jobs open when spring training began. Based on last season, one of those jobs was clearly earmarked for Orion Kerkering. Bursting onto the scene last year and dominating several levels of...
Mar 19, 2024
Is it time to start caring about the lineups in spring training?

Is it time to start caring about the lineups in spring training?

Photo by Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire via All this news about Bryce Harper brings it into focus Bryce Harper was the Phillies topic of the day the yesterday. Jayson Stark wrote about his balky back, which required the team to talk about, both the manager and the player. Thomson didn’t seem too concerned about it. “I don’t have any concern at all,” Thomson said. “He’s going to be ready by opening day. He’s going to be playing for sure by the end of the week. So, he’ll be ready to go.” When Harper himself was asked about it, he also relayed a level of...
Mar 19, 2024
No need to worry about the punchless Phillies spring offense... yet

No need to worry about the punchless Phillies spring offense... yet

Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via It ain’t just Johan Rojas who is struggling down in Clearwater. There’s no sugarcoating this. So far this spring, the Phillies offense has been ugly. Generally speaking, pitchers are ahead of the hitters in the early going, and with a couple weeks left in camp, the bats usually catch up. But for the most part, Phils hitters haven’t quite found their groove yet. Here are their spring ranks in some key offensive categories: Home Runs (T-21, 22) AVG (27, .235) OBP (27, .308) SLG (23, 379) OPS (24, .867) Strikeouts (1,...
Mar 19, 2024
Is Gregory Soto in for a bounce back season?

Is Gregory Soto in for a bounce back season?

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports Adjustments helped Soto throw more strikes. Now he has to find some consistency. Gregory Soto’s first season in Philadelphia could easily be described as one of extremes. The lefty reliever alternated between strong months and disastrous ones, often following a string of dominant performance with an epic blowup. In the months of April, June, and September, Soto had a combined ERA of 2.51 in 37 appearances. In the other months of May, July, and August, Soto had a combined 7.07 ERA in 32 games. All of this resulted in a season ERA of...
Mar 19, 2024
Rise and Phight: 3/19/2024

Rise and Phight: 3/19/2024

Photo by Rich Storry/ Is it time to pay attention to the starting lineups in spring training? It’s that time of the year when all you hope for is the team making it through spring training without anyone getting injured. Orion Kerkering is still working his way back from the flu, their stud first baseman has a stiff back, but that’s about it. Time to cross fingers, toes, whatever else you can to make sure there is a healthy lineup against the Braves. On to the links. Phillies news: Bryce Harper hasn’t been in the lineup lately with what the team is calling a...
Mar 18, 2024
2024 Season Preview: the State of the Bullpen

2024 Season Preview: the State of the Bullpen

Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Let’s keep a good thing going Players in camp: José Alvarado, Andrew Bellatti, Austin Brice, Connor Brogdon, Max Castillo, Dylan Covey, Seranthony Dominguez, Jeff Hoffman, Orion Kerkering, Yunior Marte, Griff McGarry, Luis F. Ortiz, Ricardo Pinto, José Ruiz, Michael Rucker, Nick Snyder, Gregory Soto, Matt Strahm, Spencer Turnbull Expected to make the roster: José Alvarado, Seranthony Dominguez, Jeff Hoffman, Orion Kerkering, Gregory Soto, Matt Strahm, two of the following: Connor Brogdon, Yunior Marte, Spencer Turnbull, Luis...
Mar 18, 2024
Zack Wheeler: Opening Day starter

Zack Wheeler: Opening Day starter

Photo by Julio Aguilar/ Expected? Maybe. Deserving? Sure is. It’s been a bit of an expected move, one that felt more like an predetermined outcome, but on Sunday the Phillies made the decision official. Zack Wheeler will start for the team on Opening Day. Rob Thomson says that Zack Wheeler will start on opening day.— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) March 17, 2024 Aaron Nola has started the past six Opening Day games for the Phillies, so some thought that the honor would be his to continue, but now it’ll be Wheeler. It’s actually something that Nola himself has...
Mar 18, 2024
Rise and Phight: 3/18/2024

Rise and Phight: 3/18/2024

Dave Nelson-USA TODAY Sports It’s been seven years since someone other than Aaron Nola started on Opening Day Zack Wheeler is getting the ball on Opening Day, which ends the streak that Aaron Nola had going with the team. It’s something that will get sports radio all a’flutter, but this shouldn’t exactly be unexpected. Wheeler is the best pitcher on the team and deserves the honor of being the first starter the team sends to the hill. On to the links. Phillies news: Two of MLB’s most notable mascots were sent to the United Kingdom....but not London. They went...
Mar 17, 2024
Rise and Phight: 3/17/2024

Rise and Phight: 3/17/2024

Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Táimid chun gach rud a bhuachan Top o’ the mornin’ to ya and happy St. Patrick’s Day! Fun fact: the first professional baseball league in the world was formed on St. Patrick’s Day in 1871. It took place, appropriately, in a bar called Collier’s Café. The influence of America’s Irish community on the development and history of baseball is significant and filled with colorful characters. Just look at Pud Galvin and Hugh Duffy. If you’re interested in learning more, check out this Irish Times piece on the rise...
Mar 16, 2024
The Phillies’ roster flexibility can help their depth

The Phillies’ roster flexibility can help their depth

Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/ It’s not perfect, but it’s something Publicly available research has been a boon for the baseball industry. Baseball sites such as Baseball Prospectus and Fangraphs and the work they have accomplished has led to a greater understanding of how the game functions on the part of the readers. It has forever shifted the way we consume the game, how we compare players not just across the current group, but also across generations. If you’re anything like me, you’re checking those, and other, sites each and every day to get maybe just a little...