What do the Phillies need to do this offseason to contend in 2022?
Despite some dazzling talent, the Philadelphia Phillies have been largely mediocre over the last decade. And even though they finished the 2021 season with a winning record for the first time since 2011, they were still mediocre.
After all, they were only one game over .500 at the end of the season.
The team was, to borrow a term from today’s youth, extremely mid, and we have the numbers to prove it.
The Phillies were exactly league average in runs scored (734), doubles (262), home runs (198), RBI (700),
They were ever-so-slightly below league average in runs scored per game, strikeouts, slugging percentage, OPS, and OPS+ despite Bryce Harper leading MLB in slugging, OPS, and OPS+. Of course, he’s only one man.
So, what can we learn from these numbers?
Hidden within team totals is the weakness of the team’s dead weight, and the strength of a player like Harper, who did his best to keep this team relevant. Without his offensive output, the Phillies would be below-average in almost every category.
The biggest takeaway is that if the Phillies want to separate themselves from the middle of the herd, they need more. Harper cannot do it alone, and even if he could, he shouldn’t have to. The Phillies need to sign another slugger, like Kyle Schwarber or Nick Castellanos (or both!), and bring up Bryson Stott sooner than later. They also need players like Alec Bohm to improve.
In a tug-o-war between star power and failure, the end result is that the Phillies were stuck in the middle once again. They need to upset the balance in 2022.