You know what time of year it is. If we don’t check the Naughty or Nice list, how will we know which Phillies players are getting presents from Santa?
I personally got a peek at Santa’s list and made sure that it was double-checked. So if you disagree with this list, take it up with the big jolly guy (Not the Phanatic).
Phillies Nice List
Bryce Harper
Obviously.
The man worked hard to become the fastest position player to ever return from Tommy John surgery and somehow STILL posted a .900 OPS during the regular season.
Trea Turner
Trea Turner was a close one. Santa usually looks down on stealing but being a perfect 30/30 helped his case. Also, Santa was swayed by the goodwill of the Philly Phaithful that continued to cheer Trea on during his struggles.
Alec Bohm
It was clear that Bohm worked hard to make himself a proper 3rd baseman.
While the stats still say Bohm isn’t good defensively, Santa trusts the eye test that says he’s much improved.
Bryson Stott
Stott was the Phillies breakout player of the year and probably had the moment of the year with his grand slam against the Marlins. Santa is a personal fan of his walk-up music too!
JT Realmuto
Realmuto might’ve had a down season, but he continues to be a hard worker behind the plate. It’s also very nice of him to give Garrett Stubbs all those days off.
Johan Rojas
Rojas faced the challenge of skipping Triple-A and still hit .302 in the regular season. With elite CF defense too? That’s pretty nice.
The Entire Starting Rotation
I was surprised too. I guess Santa likes consistent starting pitching. Aaron Nola almost made the Naughty List, but he re-signed with the Phillies on a favorable deal.
The CURRENT Bullpen Staff
Santa really only seemed to have it out for Craig Kimbrel, so the rest of the current bullpen makes the Nice List.
He has a special note for Dylan Covey. He had to deal with so much criticism but still fulfilled his role with a 3.69 ERA, nice.
The Naughty List
Kyle Schwarber
Something about hitting under .200 but having a .817 OPS and 47 homers felt naughty to Santa. He couldn’t shake it, therefore it’s the Naughty List for the Schwarbarian.
Brandon Marsh
While Santa admires the Caveman’s beard, he doesn’t look kindly on throwing water on people. Although Stott also participated, Santa believes Marsh instigated it. Plus, Santa is confused by the barking.
Nick Castellanos
Going on a 0-23 stretch in a playoff series is Naughty List behavior. Encouraging young Rojas to unbutton his jersey also pushed Castellanos to the Naughty List.
Garrett Stubbs
Perhaps the naughtiest of all the Phillies. Santa took one look at his Spotify playlist and instantly added Stubbs to the Naughty List. One elf overheard Santa yell, “WHATED DOWN IN DALLAS???”.
Photo Credit: (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
