New Manager, Not a Lot of Time
It may be easy to forget, but the Phillies hired a new manager with a slew of new coaches to their staff this past offseason.
Girardi is a veteran manager, no doubt, but it can take time to work things out with a new organization, considering the 2009 World Series champion has arguably only been a part of the New York Yankees in recent memory.
Re-signing Realmuto
An ongoing storyline for the Phillies is them needing to re-sign star catcher J.T. Realmuto. Say in the 50-game stretch, Realmuto plays in 40 games (with Andrew Knapp or the backup catcher taking the other reps) and bats well over .300.
In a normal, 162-game season, law of averages usually takes over, and any hot stretch is almost always matched with a considerably cold stretch.
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With a small sample size, anything is possible, and a strong showing from Realmuto may make it even more difficult for the Phillies to bring him back after 2020. Also, say Realmuto has a cold stretch and bats closer to .250; I don’t think the Phillies could benefit, because he and his agent would argue that it was not a full season for stats to play themselves out.
It’s a lose-lose situation for the Phillies.
Tough Division
Having only 50 games in a season, just how will the schedule be arranged? Who will the Phillies play? Surely, most of the games will be against National League East opponents. And, they are no pushovers, except for the Marlins, perhaps.
The Washington Nationals are coming off of a World Series championship. While they no longer have Anthony Rendon at the hot corner, their lineup is still stacked with talent, including rising star outfielder Juan Soto.
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Also, don’t forget the Nationals’ rotation, as well as the New York Mets’, even with Noah Syndergaard being sidelined. Perennial Cy Young Award candidate Jacob deGrom has had much success against the Phillies. Also, the Mets added Marcus Stroman to the mix this past offseason, complementing Rick Porcello, Michael Wacha, and Steven Matz.
Then, there is the Atlanta Braves, who have appeared to always been a “thorn” for the Phillies ever since their most recent postseason success window came to an end in the early 2010s. Cole Hamels is a part of their rotation on a one-year deal. The Braves seem to have talent everywhere, at every position. Bullpen, outfield, first base, you name it.
Fifty games is not a lot, and the Phillies would have a lot of work to put in. Yet, the games would bring that much more intensity.