Through the Philadelphia Phillies' first dozen games of the 2026 season, we have seen an interesting mix of positive and negative on both sides of the ball. Enough baseball has been played to determine what can stick for the Phillies, and what is surely just growing pains to a new season.
The core of the starting lineup has not been great, and no one else off the bench has come to the rescue to pick up the slack. The pitching staff has done its part in certain areas, but has not been strong enough to elevate the team above .500. All of that can change, though. Or will will it?
Let's check out two things that the team has showed early that we believe will continue, as well as one thing that should change course.
2 things we believe the Phillies will excel at this season
We believe: Phillies' pitching staff is a strikeout factory
Philadelphia's staff has 120 strikeouts entering Thursday, which is third-most among NL clubs (the Marlins have 122 Ks in 13 games). The Phillies have nine total arms with a K/9 at 9.0 or higher this season, including six with 10.0 mark or better. They may give up a lot of runs on plenty of hits, but at least they are striking guys out. That much can be relied upon, especially with pitchers like Jesús Luzardo and Jhoan Duran on the staff.
We believe: Cristopher Sánchez is the best NL starter
If it wasn't for that meddling Paul Skenes, Sánchez would have a Cy Young Award to his name. After placing second in the illustrious race in 2025, Sánchez is off to a scintillating start. As the club's Opening Day starter for the first time in his career, Sánchez's 1.10 FIP is the best in the league, and his K/9 is up from 9.4 to 12.7 this season.
Even though he didn't have his best stuff in his most recent outing, scattering 11 hits, Sánchez capped the Giants at two earned runs. This showed that he can still wiggle out of trouble when he isn't completely locked in, which is a sign of a dominant season.
1 Phillies reality we can't buy in on just yet
Mirage: Phillies' lineup being in NL basement in OPS
Entering Thursday, Philadelphia owns a collective .658 OPS, which is the bottom five among National League teams. Their .220 batting average is third-worst in the NL, as is their 42 runs scored. It's been a bit of a chore watching this lineup piece anything together, especially in the last two games. The Giants were able to shut out the Phils in the last two games of the series, which hurt the team's overall numbers for the season, but being towards the bottom in several significant categories doesn't seem like something that will hold.
Trea Turner (.655), Alec Bohm (.550), and Bryson Stott (.405) have been the chief culprits in plummeting the team's overall OPS. Turner is coming off a season that saw him win his second batting title. Bohm was hot down the stretch in 2025, batting .345 in his final 14 games, and Stott was a consistent bat for most of last season. These players have been too good recently to think they will stay in a slump.