Finishing with the third-worst record in baseball, the Phillies are looking up
Much has changed for the Phillies in a relatively quiet offseason around Major League Baseball. They’ve made the biggest free agent signing to date with Carlos Santana, traded their Gold Glove-caliber shortstop Freddy Galvis to San Diego, signed three relief pitchers over the age of 30, and hired a manager with virtually no experience.
While none of that sounds appealing and there is still work to be done, things are on the upswing for the Phillies. We asked our writers to gauge how they would define this season as a success under first year manager Gabe Kapler.
Koy Zidmal
The Phillies need 79 wins minimum for a successful season. The team has enough potential to be wild card contenders and being the race would be great and is very possible, but the main goal should be one last year of development. Hopefully Maikel Franco can take a next step, and Hoskins continues his run.
This also depends on Cesar Hernandez being on the roster at the end of the year. Their bullpen is more solid and Aaron Nola needs to have a career year. One last year of preparation before a 2019 playoff run