Phillies 2026 News and Discussion

zambonir 2026-03-31 12:37:58 UTC #61

Three games in a row, even, with the opener replacing DeGrom. But I don't think a 22 year-old needs a "rest" after three games. No, it's not a big deal in and of itself, but having Marsh be the only guy who can play CF if Crawford needs a day off still seems sub-optimal (especially when you add in Kemp's bumpy LF defense). And how does Moore even get into a game? Garcia days off I guess.

As far as the heart of the line-up, if Schwarber and Harper can't hit LHP as well as they have in the past, and you're playing Marsh, that's a problem too. Not actually worried, they aren't going to hit .150 (or worse) forever. Probably more worried that Bohm and Garcia won't do enough to balance out the line-up.

I also don't have a problem with building an offense around home runs, but then you need guys to actually hit home runs.

andyb 2026-03-31 13:07:00 UTC #62

Clearly Rojas would have had a better role as a 5th OF/pinch runner. Moore really only plays because of injury since Kemp has the same profile but hits better. And Sosa has a similar profile of right-handed infield role and does most things better. In the larger scheme Moore does not matter. Crawford will probably play most of the time against lefties. He just needs to prove he can hit better than Marsh against them.

Rob's worst managerial moment of the year was NOT changing the lineup against the replacement starter. I guess the Phillies thought he'd only go once around the lineup but he was stretched out to compete for their 5th starter job. So we started 5 lefty bats against a LHP. Dumb and dumber right there. I think we also got complacent on Schwarber and Harper hitting lefties as good as righties where there is probably a short term small sample in place. We still should not rest either against lefties regularly, but we also should expect some platoon differential.

Starting Marchan last night was a bit weird but I assume they just want JT with Painter and even with Sanchez (where that start would have been logical for Marchan as the day game after a night game).

Bats need to wake up tonight. LH reliever opener plus Zack Littell who has only had a couple weeks of Spring Training.

zambonir 2026-03-31 13:13:20 UTC #63

I would settle for Gavin Floyd. 15.9 WAR in his five peak years is not far off from Ranger. He just didn't have it at all in his 30s. But it's still a lot harder to be Gavin Floyd than Mark Appel or Vince Velasquez.

(Yeah, it's Marcus Hayes)

zambonir 2026-03-31 13:18:02 UTC #64

I don't know that he can. Heck, I don't know if Rojas can! But in theory either of them give you better CF defense.

I understand why you don't change the line-up two hours before when you've already told guys they were going to play the night before (and they've prepared accordingly). But when there's a good reason like that, you do it. And if they didn't understand how long the opener could go that's an own goal.

andyb 2026-03-31 13:20:07 UTC #65

Tonight the opener is a 1-inning reliever so the situation is different. We also need Turner and Bohm to have good first inning at bats. When we see all these lefties it is on those guys to perform much more than the platoon guys like Kemp and Sosa.

jimbomill 2026-03-31 14:45:15 UTC #66

To me, Harper seems to be the one needing a rest against lefties.

andyb 2026-03-31 15:39:03 UTC #67

I have wondered if the WBC messes up hitters more than pitchers because in the first round the hitters are often facing pitchers with no shot at MLB. Dante Nori had great stats but he hit 2 HRs off of Brazilian pitchers I believe that would not be in the lowest rung of the minors (think 85 mph fastballs).

Turner had a bad start last year after a hot WBC as I recall. Harper is also a routine guy and the WBC disrupts that.

Callison 2026-03-31 15:58:58 UTC #68

Should you watch today's game or go for some dental surgery? Think carefully!

zambonir 2026-03-31 15:59:18 UTC #69

Wasn't last year per se, but Turner's WBC slump was the same one where the fans began cheering him right? (They even made that movie about it).

I worry more about Harper overall. Think Chase Utley - still a really good player putting up 3 or 4 WAR at 34 and 35, but he had to do a lot just to be pain-free and mobile. With Chase it was legs, with Bryce it's his back (but obviously has had wrist and elbow issues too). And more of Chase's WAR came from defense.

Philsmania 2026-03-31 16:17:16 UTC #70

Yes, in the 2023 WBC, people were calling Turner "Captain America" with all the towering majestic homers he launched. Then he endured a slump which lasted beyond the ASB. As was the case with guys who go cold after winning the HR Derby, there were some who wondered if the success in the tournament led to some bad habits although, in reality, he's always had a looping swing. That slump led to "The Ovation".

Philsmania 2026-03-31 16:18:46 UTC #71

Painter's ML debut is something worth watching. We hope.

zambonir 2026-03-31 16:20:58 UTC #72

My dentist isn't open after 6pm

flyers19rw 2026-03-31 21:53:11 UTC #73

This start of the season is not really a sample size. It’s a carry over from last season through spring training. There is something off with the roster and its management. My feeling is there is a sense of entitlement among some players based upon past performances which they are unfortunately unable to replicate any longer.
A shake up is long overdue. I don’t believe that Thomson is capable of doing what needs to be done to motivate the players. It would be difficult for Dombrowski to move around some of the players but it might have to happen. All that I know is that John Middleton isn’t getting proper return on his investment.

VoteForKalas 2026-03-31 22:19:36 UTC #74

Should have already happened. Running back this core for the 4th straight season and expecting better performance at older ages is crazy.

The pitching has always been the strength of this team during this run, but this season that will be shaker due to Wheeler's injury, Waller & Nola's inconsistency and likely growing pains for Painter.

The offense had to be realigned & upgraded to carry a bigger part of the load, but they just ran it back and added another iffy vet iRF in Garcia and one of the farm hands in Crawford.

zambonir 2026-03-31 22:33:39 UTC #75

Well they did try to shake up the offense. And I still think it was correct to bring back Schwarber. And there still would have been risk to downgrade catcher while adding Bichette.

And they ate $19 million on Nick and then wrote checks for two starting pitchers for years to come instead of spending more money on this year's roster.

Still not sure this slow start is any worse than 2024 (1-3) or 2023 (1-4). But time will tell. If it goes completely wrong, there will indeed be a new manager and bigger changes to the roster, though I'm not sure that would include Turner or Harper, nor is there still a single high-level corner/power bat in the system unless Miller really forces his way up (which is obviously not happening any time soon).

Bichette will still be a FA next year. Kyle Tucker the year after that. We'll see.

Austinfan 2026-04-01 18:01:54 UTC #76

I don't worry until 40 games, SSS the first couple weeks.
Good signs:
1) Garcia is clearly >> Nick, just on defense, already saved 2 hits in 5 games. If he hits as well or better that's about a 2 WAR turnaround just based on defense.
2) Painter is as advertised, 4 seamer 96-97 at 70-80 pitches, 2 seamer (need to use more), slider (a little erratic), curve (killer), changeup (improved as game went along). Sweeper seems superfluous. Thought it wasn't a great performance, release point on breaking stuff was too early at times, resulting in pitches up in the zone. Imagine when he figures it out.
3) Crawford is as advertised, GBs but also line drives, we'll see how he holds up, but I can see him leading off by June.
4) Bohm, Stott, Realmuto, meh. Get healthy Miller, and hopefully Escobar is for real. They need a young catcher.
5) BP a little shaky, but the raw talent is there, they won 96 last year, they should win 95-100 this year if Garcia and Crawford can improve the hitting a little. And if Wheeler is back.

Philsmania 2026-04-01 19:17:03 UTC #77

Austinfan:

I don't worry until 40 games, SSS the first couple weeks.
Good signs:
1) Garcia is clearly >> Nick, just on defense, already saved 2 hits in 5 games. If he hits as well or better that's about a 2 WAR turnaround just based on defense.
2) Painter is as advertised, 4 seamer 96-97 at 70-80 pitches, 2 seamer (need to use more), slider (a little erratic), curve (killer), changeup (improved as game went along). Sweeper seems superfluous. Thought it wasn't a great performance, release point on breaking stuff was too early at times, resulting in pitches up in the zone. Imagine when he figures it out.
3) Crawford is as advertised, GBs but also line drives, we'll see how he holds up, but I can see him leading off by June.
4) Bohm, Stott, Realmuto, meh. Get healthy Miller, and hopefully Escobar is for real. They need a young catcher.
5) BP a little shaky, but the raw talent is there, they won 96 last year, they should win 95-100 this year if Garcia and Crawford can improve the hitting a little. And if Wheeler is back.

Not a good opening homestand but, yes, there are positives. The young guys--Crawford and Painter--have arguably carried us. Another positive is Sanchez keeping things at last year's level. Also, the Phillies are no strangers to poor first weeks, even during this decade when they've generally had contending teams.

LoneStarPhan 2026-04-02 02:29:59 UTC #78

Winning the last two games makes this first home stand much easier on the phans. End up 3-3. A series loss and a series win. Two 9th inning come backs to force extra innings. Painter and Crawford off to good starts. New corner outfielders likely better than last season. I anticipate Turner and Harper will be fine. Bullpen should shake out and Wheeler in on pace to be back in a couple weeks. I am expecting another solid season.

zambonir 2026-04-02 14:50:45 UTC #79

Interesting stuff. ABS means the longtime practice of inaccurate player heights is over. Bryson Stott, formerly 6'3", is now 6'0. But that's to his advantage.

andyb 2026-04-02 14:55:32 UTC #80

Aroon Escobar down to 5'9" from 5'11" though. Does that make him a lesser prospect?