Spring training is beginning to wind down with just over a week before Opening Day on March 27. The Philadelphia Phillies have several players who are doing well this spring and some who are enduring struggles before the regular season.
It's important to remember not to overreact to spring training performances. Expectations should be tempered for players who are doing well. Fans should not panic if stars are inconsistent this early on before a six-month season begins.
With that said, here are three awful spring training performances that are hard for Phillies fans not to overreact to before Opening Day.
3 Phillies' spring training performances fans are overreacting to before Opening Day
Trea Turner, SS
Trea Turner has had an underwhelming spring training. He has a .669 OPS, a slash line of .192/.361/.308, and eight strikeouts in 26 at-bats. However, the shortstop is tied with J.T. Realmuto for third on the team with eight walks.
After going 1-for-13 in his first seven games, the 31-year-old has a hit in four straight and has looked better in the leadoff spot (subscription required), per The Philadelphia Inquirer's Scott Lauber, going 4-for-9, with one home run and five RBI. He has only one strikeout in his last six games while drawing six walks during the same span.
Shiesty so smooth pic.twitter.com/wdlikgITnd
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 9, 2025
Turner does have different expectations from manager Rob Thomson and the fanbase, considering he is likely to be the Phillies' leadoff hitter. The Boynton Beach, Florida, native needs to continue adjusting to getting on base via walks and hits in that role. He also needs to utilize his speed to get into scoring position.
The good news is that Turner looks to be breaking out of his early spring slump a little over a week before the first regular season game.
Jesús Luzardo, LHP
Jesús Luzardo, the newest addition to Philadelphia's starting rotation, made a good first impression in his inaugural start this spring. The left-hander had two strikeouts, zero earned runs, and no walks in two innings pitched versus the Boston Red Sox.
Jesus Luzardo very nice Phillies spring debut. Just 20 pitches https://t.co/K9YZCHJHDN
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) February 28, 2025
However, Luzardo's second start was concerning. He surrendered six hits and six earned runs, including back-to-back-to-back home runs against the Detroit Tigers in two innings, with one walk and two strikeouts.
He bounced back in his third spring outing, pitching four innings and allowing four hits, one being a home run. He surrendered one earned run with six strikeouts. The uptick in punchouts was encouraging, but allowing four home runs in two of his three starts is concerning.
He now has a 7.88 ERA in eight innings, but he has walked only one batter while striking out 10. He does, however, need to avoid struggling too much with Taijuan Walker pitching well and looking to start regularly again rather than be a spot starter/reliever. But it's too early to panic that Luzardo won't be good this year.
Kyle Schwarber, DH/LF
Kyle Schwarber has struggled in spring training. He has 16 strikeouts to four walks, an underwhelming .414 OPS, a .111/.220/.194 slash line and only four hits in 36 at-bats in 12 games. Schwarber may need time to adjust to hitting lower in the batting order (subscription required) after being Philadelphia's leadoff hitter the previous three seasons, per The Athletic's Matt Gelb.
Schwarber will have high strikeout numbers, unfortunately. That is a part of any power-hitter's makeup. However, he will be a top candidate to lead the Phillies in home runs, RBI and walks. After slashing .132/.250/.158 with a .408 OPS in 14 spring training games last year, he had a good regular season with 104 RBI, 38 home runs and an .851 OPS.
The official unofficial Statcast reading on this Schwarbomb was 1,000,000 mph pic.twitter.com/fso4G92Sr3
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 13, 2025
You can expect the 32-year-old to begin to hit home runs and get RBI regularly. His batting average may be low, but his on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS will be among the best on the club. Out of the three players who have not done well this spring, Phillies fans should be the least worried about Schwarber's statistics compared to Turner and Luzardo.