Forget Juan Soto and Roki Sasaki; it’s spring, so for now, until the start of the season at least, the Philadelphia Phillies are once again the greatest team in baseball.
It’s hard to believe it was only last summer that the Phils were over in the UK playing in the MLB London Series. What an amazing experience. I dragged my Dad along to game two for a bit of American-style father-and-son baseball bonding. Decked out in Phillies merch but with no idea yet who they were or what was going on, he turned to me mid-way through the third inning and said, “And these are the London Mets?”
WHAT HAPPENED IN 2024?
Aside from an historic trip to London, it’s worth mentioning that the 2024 Phillies won the National League East division title with a 95–67 record, ending a thirteen-year drought.
In July, Alec Bohm, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper shipped out to join the All-Star game, the first time the Phillies had been represented by three infielders since 1981.
While this was a testament to how well the Phils were playing, somehow, the season seemed to come unstuck right around this time.
Was it a coincidence that super-utility player Whit Merrifield was cut from the team right before things started going wrong? I think so. The words ‘super’ ‘utility’ ‘player’ and ‘Whit Merrifield’ are doing a lot of heavy lifting in this sentence, and I chalk it up to a plague of injuries and slugging slumps instead.
The Phillies made it back to the postseason for the third year running but ultimately ran out of steam. They crashed head-on into a London, sorry, New York Mets team who were finding their stride. OMG.
NOTABLE COMINGS AND GOINGS
Relief Pitchers Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez are out.
The Scott Kingery six-year, $24 million contract has finally come to an end. Kingery was once the beacon of hope back in 2018 but somehow didn’t quite live up to the promise. ‘Jetpax’ as he’s affectionately known, has now rocketed over to the Los Angeles Angels organisation, and we wish him well.
Max Kepler and Jesús Luzardo are in to bolster the outfield and starting rotation, respectively. Joe Ross and Jordan Romano to add depth to the bullpen.
AREAS OF WEAKNESS
Let’s see if Max Kepler can strengthen the outfield and bring some discipline at the plate. It feels as though these could be two big hurdles for the Phillies in 2025. Unless the bullpen collapses.
ONE TO WATCH
I’m going to say Bryce Harper. This season could be the last roll of the dice for the current roster. Harper will want to go all out.
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR IN SPRING TRAINING
I’m excited to see non-roster invitees Aidan Miller, Andrew Painter, and Justin Crawford in action.
Though Painter is not expected to get game time, I hope we still get to see him throw. Painter had a brief outing in Spring 2023 but has been recovering from Tommy John surgery in the minors since then. We should see him join the roster to pitch later in the season. Head of Baseball Operations, Dave Dombrowski has been quoted as saying that this could be ‘July-ish’.
[Editor’s note: Check out Tom’s excellent “A Portrait of the Artist” article on Andrew Painter]
Shortstop Aiden Miller and outfielder Justin Crawford have been making names for themselves down in the minors. This will be their first visit to Spring Training.
HOW 2025 WILL UNFOLD
I just don’t know. The season is likely to go one of two ways, and it hinges on the offence. Can Bryson Stott shake off 2024 and return to form? Can everyone please stop chasing?
I worry about Alec Bohm, too. Though offseason trade rumours were batted away by both Dave Dombrowski and manager Rob Thompson, it remains to be seen to what extent they may have shaken Bohm.
It won’t be an easy ride for the Phillies this season. They will have the pressure of returning to the World Series weighing on them through all 162 games.
Oh, and then there’s the Mets. The ones from New York.
Featured Image: Elsa, via Getty Images
TOM BAKER is the Philadelphia Phillies correspondent for Bat Flips and Nerds. You can read more of his articles here and follow him on Bluesky @lawsonbaker.bsky.social
