Phillies News and Discussion 2025 Season

[EastFallowfield]

Needed better lighting.

I was curious and looked at ticket prices for those games and you could get really cheap tickets, but with the drawback of having to be in Florida.

[zambonir]

It was sad but not surprising to hear so many Phillies fans. Florida's always going to be like that anyway with all the transplants and I believe that ballpark is closer to Clearwater than St. Pete (if only by a hair). I wonder what it was like in the regular stadium when the Rays played the Yankeee.

[EastFallowfield]

John Oliver show did another montage of John Kruk saying funny/odd things during our games.

[EastFallowfield]

Has everyone seen or heard this:

Harper has seen the lowest percentage of pitches in the strike zone — 42.9% through Friday night — of 282 major-league hitters with at least 50 plate appearances this season. By contrast, leadoff-hitting Bryson Stott leads Phillies regulars with 55.4% of pitches in the zone.

And when Harper does get a pitch over the plate, it’s often a breaking ball. Entering the weekend, he faced more curveballs — by total pitches (107) and percentage (16.4%) — than any hitter with enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title.

Bryce Harper’s struggles at the plate for Phillies stems from the types of...

[VoteForKalas]

That is smart on their part. Harper mashes fastball.

They should (and may) do the same to Casty and Turner

[Austinfan]

They definitely pound Casty with breaking balls on the outer edge of the plate.

[phillychuck]

They pitched Luzinski the same way. Some seasons he just didn’t chase, and he was an MVP candidate. It seemed like he never learned not to chase as a permanent skill. Casty seems to lay off the outside sliders for a few weeks, then revert.

[Austinfan]

That's why to me, plate discipline is the key to aging gracefully, see Schmidt, Thome, etc.
Knowing what you can hit and what you can't, and spitting on the latter.

[andyb]

Batspeed is really the key to aging gracefully offensively. Plate discipline always helps, but if you cannot hit velocity you really can't wait to decide if a pitch is a ball or strike. It is kind of what worries me about Bryce aging. He goes through periods where he loses batspeed (like now). So his approach works less well without being overly aggressive.

Hitting is much more complicated than plate discipline.

[bkeich]

Do you think Schwarber would take 3 year, $70M? Should the Phillies offer that.

It would be nice to have the DH spot open, but he has turned into our best hitter. I can see him having 3 years of good production, but worry after that.

[andyb]

Schwarber was worth 3.5 WAR last year. 1.7 this year in a quarter of the season.

It really feels like he'll be priced like a 3 WAR player. I think this starts at 3 years/$100 million and maybe goes higher than that if the contract is only for 3 years.

[Philsmania]

Too bad Casty was the guy we signed for five years/$20 million per year while Schwarber was the guy we signed for four years/$25 million per year and not the other way around.

[BaseballCat]

So what is the price for a 3 WAR player? I would probably only go 3 years, but not sure on a fair price

[andyb]

So what is the price for a 3 WAR player? I would probably only go 3 years, but not sure on a fair price

WAR is probably in the $10-$12 million range these days. More for star players, less for average players. With Schwarber you take age into account of course (and Pete Alonso just got a 2 year/$54 million deal which is really a 1 year/$30 million deal). Alonso is 2 years younger, but his 1-year deal this year came off of last year when he was not as good as Schwarber.

The contract gets really expensive though if Schwarber hits like this all year. He is on a 6+ WAR pace at the moment. If he does that all year someone might give him 3/120. I am not sure whether Schwarber would have taken a 3/70 extension before the season started if offered, but he certainly should not take anything close to that now. I am guessing he and the Phillies are talking like with Wheeler so maybe we'll find out around the All Star break.

[VoteForKalas]

This decision fits into the larger context of what the organization plans to do in the off-season with players like Realmuto, Bohm, Casty, Walker, Kepler et al. to free up salary and roster spots to extend the championship window.

I think Schwarber is a player I would take more risk on because of his production, lineup versatility and the fact he takes very good care of himself and works hard to stay sharp.

The downside is you would not have space for Harper at DH if that becomes necessary and playing Schwarber in the field is already an adventure.

However, I see him also having potential to stay with the Phillies after his career ends as a coach or in the front office. He is universally respected not only in the organization, but around the league and would an asset for the Phillies.

[zambonir]

Schwarbs just might get five. Certainly four. But will he truly be the highest paid Phillies player?

Deferrals might also be an option.

Schwarbs and Casty both made the same salary ($20 million), just four years versus five years (technically Schwarbs was 79, he only made 19 in Season 1). Still a little baffling to have given Nick the extra year but not that he was the more valuable player at the time given what he'd done in 2021. He was that much better in 2021 and while neither of them were good in 2020, Nick was still a little better and Schwarber was bad enough to get non-tendered.

I don't think Schwarber has a future with the Phillies after playing though, he prefers to be back in Ohio or maybe would coach a Big 10 baseball team.

I think he's making the decision pretty easy for them, sign him, worry about the parts fitting from there, but I don't know what sort of offer they'd have to make to not let him hit the open market, and JT decision is still a tough one. The other stuff is easier to manage.

[EastFallowfield]

Tonight's game cancelled. Day night 'doubleheader' tomorrow.

[andyb]

Still a little baffling to have given Nick the extra year but not that he was the more valuable player at the time given what he'd done in 2021.

Back in 2021 Castellanos looked like the younger, more athletic player who would age better than Schwarber. There are a whole lot of Adam Dunns and Mo Vaughns and Prince Fielders who aged poorly with Schwarber's body type. Maybe the early DH move has really helped him.

I really don't know what the Phillies will do. We all thought it was unwise to sign both Schwarber and Castellanos given the need to keep some of the DH spots available for Bryce. Schwarber is getting better at an older age and defying logic. It probably all breaks at some point but who knows if that is next year or in 5 years.

[andyb]

Day night 'doubleheader' tomorrow.

Tempting fate to do the split admission. Looks like the rain will end in the morning, but the field will be wet tomorrow. Cardinals are off Thursday too. I guess they REALLY wanted the off day. Tomorrow was supposed to be a day game so I guess it would have been harder to do a night game tomorrow and a day game Thursday which probably would be easier on the players.

I guess we might get a Max Lazar sighting (or one of the other non prospect arms we have stashed on the 40).

[Squire]

Phillies calling up RHP Mick Abel to start on Sunday v. the Pirates