Monday, December 5th, 2022. That was the day that news broke that the Philadelphia Phillies would be signing one of the top position players in all of baseball, Trea Turner. Except, the celebration that day would not just come from the team’s latest addition but also the recognition of three special players — who already play in the City of Brotherly Love — and the impressive season they had.
Major League Baseball’s 2022 “All-MLB” teams have been announced, with several familiar faces appearing for Phillies fans. First and foremost, recognition is deserved for one J.T. Realmuto.
The BCIB, J.T. Realmuto
What can you say about the man known across much of the major league as the Best Catcher In Baseball — or BCIB for short. Realmuto had yet another impressive season in 2022, batting .276 while collecting 22 home runs, 84 RBIs, 75 runs, 21 stolen bases, and an OPS of .820, contributing heavily to the Phillies’ World Series run.
A Gold Glove winner, a Silver Slugger winner, a top-10 NL MVP vote-getter, and now a place on the All-MLB first team. Just absurd from one player in a single season, and it shows — or at least gives a taste of — just how important Realmuto is to the Philadelphia squad.
It was yet another impressive season for Realmuto, but he wasn’t the only Phillie to impress, as two of his teammates made the All-MLB second team as well.
Nola’s bounce-back year for the Phillies
Aaron Nola was in need of a bounce-back season after an uneven performance in 2021 that saw him finish the year with a 4.63 ERA. This year, however, things would be different. This year, Nola would prove not only that he still has the stuff of a fringe-Ace, but that he also can contribute late in the season — battling preconceived notions.
2022 saw the Aaron Nola of old return — despite his pedestrian record of 11-13 — as he pitched to an impressive 3.25 ERA and 235 strikeouts — fourth in MLB. Nola also finished fourth in Cy Young voting.
Perhaps more important than all of that, Nola finally proved himself late in the year when many have often questioned his ability — with a legitimate case, to be fair. This September was different, though, as Nola would be even better than he had during most of the season as he would boast an ERA of just 2.93 throughout the night.
And as is the case with Realmuto, as impressive as Nola’s performance was, there was still yet another Phillies player who earned the honors of being named to an All-MLB team.
Schwar-bombs away!
Last but certainly not least is one of the Phillies’ 2021 off-season additions, Kyle Schwarber. In a year that saw major injuries to the lineup — namely to the 2021 MVP, Bryce Harper — Kyle Schwarber stepped on in a major way in the superstar’s absence.
His average may not be pretty (.218), but he did well to balance it out with patience at the plate leading to an On-Base Percentage of .323 on the year. The true story, however, is the power that Schwarber displayed, hitting 46 home runs on the year, second in all of baseball to only Aaron Judge’s otherworldly 62 home runs in 2022.
Schwarber provided all Phillies fans could have asked for and more. At this point, there’s little else to say except that next year is shaping up to be spectacular for the Philadelphia Phillies and their fans.
Stay tuned for what the rest of the hot stove has to offer and the upcoming 2023 season by following Philly Sports Network’s Phillies team.
