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Five things for Phillies fans to look forward to in 2019

By John Town

NAGOYA, JAPAN - NOVEMBER 14: Designated hitter Rhys Hoskins #17 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a two-run home run in the top of 2nd inning during the game five between Japan and MLB All Stars at Nagoya Dome on November 14, 2018 in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)
NAGOYA, JAPAN - NOVEMBER 14: Designated hitter Rhys Hoskins #17 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a two-run home run in the top of 2nd inning during the game five between Japan and MLB All Stars at Nagoya Dome on November 14, 2018 in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 17: Starting Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitch in the first inning against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on August 17, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

As we enter the new year with the potential to be special, let’s take a look at five things Phillies fans can look forward to in 2019.

2018 was a long and climactic year for the Phillies. They entered the year with heightened expectations as the team looked much better in the second half in the 2017 season. They had new manager Gabe Kapler on board and made some intriguing moves during the offseason. In a National League East race largely wide open, they had the chance to do some damage in the division or in the wild-card race.

The season couldn’t have opened much worse for the team, but they quickly turned things around and held first place in the division through July. Unfortunately, as you probably know by now, the team went from 15 games above .500 to an 80-82 finish as they crashed and burned their way to the end of September.

A couple questions we had entering the year were answered by the end of it. Aaron Nola is not only an ace but one worthy of Cy Young consideration. Rhys Hoskins is a top-tier offensive player, but left field wasn’t his strong suit. Carlos Santana didn’t make quite the impact we were hoping for and is now back with Cleveland after two trades.

With 2018 officially in the books, we can take a look forward to the 2019 season. We saw how well the Phillies can perform in the first three months of the season. The hope is that they can extend that performance over an entire season, which may just be needed in a division that looks a lot more competitive.

Let’s dive into five things we can look forward to in the new years.

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