Clearwater, Florida, in February, is where every Phillies season starts. The weather isn’t yet humid and muggy – spring is clear down there. Despite the rain, that time of year is filled with hope, promise, and growth – and that extends to the fields at the Carpenter Complex and BayCare Ballpark.
Despite those feelings, plus a few new faces, most of the team from last season returned. The jerseys that populated the field were as familiar as the sounds of bats cracking and mitts popping. Many of those known commodities came with playoff pedigrees and big paychecks. That meant a star-studded rotation anchored by Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. That meant a star-studded lineup with the likes of Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Trea Turner. It meant more than aspirations – it meant World Series expectations.
You may have wished for any number of things coming into the season – a strong bullpen, a dominant rotation, the development of prospects, and consistency across the board. But what matters for this team is performing in October. At this point, you know the story of this era of the Phillies. They made it to the World Series in 2022 and fell to the Astros in six games; they lost in seven games in the 2023 NL Championship Series to the Diamondbacks, and they fell to the Mets in four games in the 2024 NL Division Series. In spite of its regression each postseason, the team has progressed each regular season.
Big Picture
Philadelphia and New York have battled back and forth for the lead in the National League East. The Phillies currently sit a half-game behind the Mets and are in charge of the Wild Card. If you polled fans today, the club’s sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros dampened the excitement they had drummed up after a victory over those rival Mets in the series prior. Regardless of their feelings, the team sits with a record of 47-34, sixth best in the majors.
Their record at the midway point last season was 53-28 – the best in baseball, and six games better than they stand right now. No team in the majors has a record that strong. And yet, depending on how you treat each game and series of the slog that is the major league baseball season, you might think the world is falling. After years of increased productivity in the season’s six months, to see them a step behind may feel in line with the regression experiences in the playoffs. However, there are plenty of things that have gone right for the Phillies in 2025.
Top Performers
Trea Turner was tasked to not worry about hitting home runs this season by manager Rob Thomson, but to focus on setting the table by using the entire field, walking more, and scoring more runs – he’s done exactly that. Turner leads the NL in hits, sports what would be his best batting average since 2021, and despite his lowest slugging percentage in red pinstripes, his OPS is still .800. The shortstop is playing his best defense since signing with Philadelphia. Turner has a fielding percentage 20 points higher than his prior best in Philly and is on pace for only 10 errors – the lowest number since his sophomore season (excluding the shortened 2020 season).
Kyle Schwarber has steadily evolved from a three-true-outcome hitter to one of the more well-rounded hitters in the league. His evolution from pull hitter to the best numbers of his career could not have come at a better time, with team leader, Bryce Harper, finding himself enduring an extended absence. Schwarber finds himself as the leader both on and off the field for Philadelphia, and is on pace for one of his best averages, highest home run total, and best on-base percentage of his career.
Zack Wheeler is once again firmly entrenched in the Cy Young conversation. His 2.55 ERA is inflated by early failures from the bullpen and some questionable scoring decisions. Tell me if you heard this before: Wheeler is 10th in MLB in innings pitched (with 1 less start than 60% of those in front of him), among the leaders in ERA, No. 6 in WHIP, No. 5 in batting average against, third in strikeouts, tied for third in quality starts, top 10 in K:BB ratio – the list goes on. Exactly what you’ve come to expect is what you’ve received from the Phillies ace.
Ranger Suárez had question marks coming into the season. In spring training, he reaggravated the lower back issues that tormented him in the second half of 2024, sapping him of his powers and Cy Young potential. As a result, he started the year on the injured list. Since returning on May 4, he’s returned to that superhero form.
Aside from a hiccup in his first start, he’s been one of, if not THE best, pitcher in baseball. Ranger has allowed one or zero runs in seven of his ten starts, already recording six wins. His 2.05 ERA would be third third-best in the majors if he qualified. Remove his first outing where he allowed seven earned runs – he’s pitched to a 1.17 ERA, striking out 52 while walking only 14 across 61.1 innings.
Orion Kerkering was pre-ordained the closer of the future, but there had been some growing pains in that role last season. He found a role as a cleanup or setup man and thrived in 2024. This season, the king has arrived. Rob Thomson doesn’t formally name a closer, but his go-to man when he needs a big out is Orion. He’s recorded the first 2 saves of his career, and only yesterday had his streak of 19-straight scoreless appearances snapped. Kerkering’s even mixed in a sinker to continue to attack hitters in different ways.
Sore Spots
On the defensive end, they have cost themselves a few games due to either mistakes or just plain average defense. Nick Castellanos has worked hard and greatly improved his glove in right field, but he recently had an incident with his manager over being removed for a defensive replacement that resulted in his benching. Trea Turner’s defense is the best it’s been this season, but some mistakes haven’t been recorded as errors and have cost the team close games. Center field seems to be hot and cold, and left field has been a revolving door of inexperienced outfielders when a left-handed starter is on the mound opposing the Phillies.
While mistakes happen all the time in baseball – it’s why errors are listed in the mini score bug – mix that with average to below average offensive production from several positions, and you have a team that is struggling to meet the expectations set by the back of their baseball cards and the team’s payroll. Something has to give.
Looking ahead
A lot can change over 81 games; it has to. At this very moment, the Phillies are a World Series contender that can ride the backs of their elite starting rotation. A strength that makes them the envy of the league. It’s why frustrations rise when the pitching staff allows only five runs in the series in Houston, and the team still gets swept.
President of Baseball Operations, Dave Dombrowksi’s, comments this week on Jayson Stark of The Athletic’s podcast, Starkville, flustered the Phillies fan base – to believe they don’t need to adjust the offense is to ignore the fact that you have a team that only has one player on pace to hit 20 home runs (Kyle Schwarber, who’s already surpassed that total). It’s ignoring an outfield unit that ranks 21st in the majors in OPS. It’s choosing to be blind to diminishing offensive returns from several positions on the field – a team that changed its approach in the off-season but can’t seem to deliver a dagger, when needed, consistently.
Forgetting that these are the same concerns that plagued this team in the postseason the last two years, or acting like you have, is one thing. Truly not doing anything to address them is another. The trade deadline is still in front of them, with more desirable talent in their farm system than they’ve had in many years. Dombrowski doesn’t want to ignore the future either. The biggest boost to the club would be their star players returning to form – whether that be getting healthy in the case of Bryce Harper, or hitting like they have before in the case of many others.
Still, their second-half strength of schedule is tougher than the first half was. Many players heat up as the temperatures rise, a trend found in the Phillies locker room as well. However, the question is still the same – can they retain that heat as summer turns to fall, the calendar flips to October, and the temperature falls, even though the pressure increases and their feet are held to the fire. In the interim, they’ll need a spark while navigating through existing fires.
Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images
