CLEARWATER, FLORIDA - MARCH 28: Kyle Schwarber #12 and Nick Castellanos #8 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate after Schwarber hit a home run in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles during a Grapefruit League spring training game at BayCare Ballpark on March 28, 2022 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
There’s no crying in baseball, nor is there an option to forfeit.
The latter is true, anyway.
Dave Dombrowski confirmed the obvious, that Harper is not replaceable, saying that his teammates will need to go the extra mile to make up the difference:
“He’s a guy who’s not really replaceable on an individual basis but we’re in a position where other people need to step up offensively. That’s what teams have to do, they have to pick it up, even for star players.”
Realistically, it’s not an extra mile so much as an entire marathon. It feels impossible, yet the Phillies did take the series from the Padres, winning Saturday and Sunday’s games without their superstar.
With that in mind, here’s who we’re looking at to pick the Phillies up while Harper is down:
Kyle Schwarber
On Sunday, Kyle Schwarber hit his 21st home run of the season. He continues to lead the team in home runs, and only he, Harper (15), and Rhys Hoskins (13) have homer counts in the double digits. Good for them, bad for everyone else slacking.
Schwarber has now played 72 games for the Phillies, which is exactly how many he played for the Washington Nationals last year before going on the Injured List and getting traded to the Boston Red Sox.
Here’s how his 72 games with each NL East team stack up:
Schwarber’s powerful swing is helping the Phillies immensely, but he’s still striking out too much. Now, more than ever, he needs to figure that out so he can maximize his contributions.
May 13, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper (3) celebrates with left fielder Nick Castellanos (8) after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
Nick Castellanos
Castellanos had a four-hit game on Sunday, his most hits in a game since May 9, but on the whole, his first few months in Philly have been underwhelming.
He’s hitting .252/.306/.387 with a .693 OPS. His batting average is the lowest of any season in his 10-year career in which he played more than 60 games, and his slugging percentage and OPS are the worst of his career, excluding his 11-game debut in 2013.
As far as bridging the power gap created by Harper’s absence, Castellanos hasn’t done much. He’s homer-less in June, with only four doubles in 24 games. Worse yet, he’s scored only five runs and driven in nine RBI this month, after putting up double-digits in both categories in April and May.
After a four-game hitless streak last week, it was nice to see Castellanos have six hits in the four-game set against the Padres over the weekend, but the power still isn’t there; none of his hits were for extra bases. In fact, he hasn’t had an extra-base hit since his two-double game on June 17.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 18: J.T. Realmuto #10 of the Philadelphia Phillies (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
J.T. Realmuto
After Harper left Saturday’s game with his injury, Realmuto hit a home run to help the Phillies take the game 4-2.
Unfortunately, that bomb doesn’t change the fact that Realmuto is putting up the worst numbers of his four years in Philly, and some of the worst of his entire nine-year career. His .237/.316/.364 line and .680 OPS are a precipitous drop from his All-Star season last year when he slugged 25 doubles and 17 home runs in 134 games. This season, he has 11 doubles and five homers in his first 65 games.
While Schwarber and Castellanos can play the New Guy card and say they’re still getting used to Citizens Bank Park – though that excuse will get old fast – Realmuto has no leg to stand on. His backup catcher, Garrett Stubbs, has almost as many home runs, in just 17 games.
Bottom line, the Phillies have a lot of power potential in their lineup. They just need to figure out how to unlock it. Winning for Harper should be a pretty good motivator.
