With rough shadows, inconsistent umpiring and a ton of strikeouts, the Philadelphia Phillies didn't look in the best of shape during most of the Opening Day game to begin the 2025 season. After13 strikeouts through six innings, the team was wondering if all the offseason discipline work would really pay off.
When the game eventually got into extras tied 3-3, third baseman Alec Bohm, the Phillie who had the most uncertain offseason, lived up to the moment and delivered for his team, something he struggled with down the stretch in 2024.
Get the RBI machine goin' pic.twitter.com/0HWq1vi8GE
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 27, 2025
Bryce Harper officially disbands the Phillies Daycare with one simple line
In 2022, a group of young, fun, energetic players flooded onto the Phillies' roster that included some former top draft picks like Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh as well as some since departed members like Matt Vierling and Nick Maton, who recently made the Chicago White Sox's Opening Day roster. The group of youngsters became known as the "Phillies Daycare." Now it houses two 27-year-olds and a 28-year-old entering into what should be the primes of their careers.
Before the Phillies' 7-3 win on Thursday, first baseman Bryce Harper was asked about some of the young players or newcomers to the team and what he has done or said to help them. The Phillies' captain emphasized one specific part of his response to the question, as shared by Tim Kelly of On Pattison.
Bryce Harper says “they’re not the daycare anymore.”
— On Pattison (@OnPattison) March 27, 2025
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/pnYX2hXuqB
"Yeah, young guys. First of all, they're not the daycare anymore," Harper said. "Obviously, they're on this team. It's gonna be a lot of fun for them to go in and enjoy this year. I want them to just have fun.
"At this moment in their career, they have a lot of guys in here that have played baseball for a long time and have been in the game for a long time. So I want them to put all the pressure on us [the veterans] and just go out and play their game, just have fun, enjoy the moment because this might be the last time they are able to do that. ..."
The Phillies are also putting more pressure on the young guys, expecting more out of their performance. Bohm earned himself the third spot in the lineup after hitting primarily cleanup in 2024. Marsh has had high remarks from manager Rob Thomson through his trust in being the team's everyday center fielder to begin the season, even with his struggles against left-handed pitching. Stott is now a perennial Gold Glove candidate and is expected to be one of the Phillies' most improved after an elbow injury battered him last season.
Harper's message means more than just showing respect to the players who have been crucial to the team for at least three seasons. It was about the expectation of more from not only the fans, but the players themselves. The Daycare connotated growth and development. The "young guys" emphasizes a different level of play, not only contributing but winning games on their own and the maturity that comes with it.