Spring training is in full swing, with the Philadelphia Phillies a week into their Grapefruit League schedule. As Opening Day and the MLB regular season inches closer, more and more fans will start to tune in and pay attention to this year's version of the Phillies. Early on, the Phillies are 3-3-1 through their first seven games this spring.
This is your annual reminder that spring training results don't mean anything. Anything can happen during spring training games, with lineups filled with non-roster invitees, prospects and minor league call-ups that make you ask "Who?"
Sure, getting a feel for how certain players look early on is good. It's always nice to see the regulars get into a groove in Florida. But even then, how a player performs in meaningless exhibition games doesn't always foreshadow how they'll do once the switch is flipped, and the games matter. We'll get to that in a bit.
Don't get fooled by Phillies' spring training results
If you want proof that spring records are meaningless, look no further than last year. The Phillies went 9-15 in Grapefruit League action a year ago, finishing 14th out of 15 teams. We all know what happened after that. The Phillies went on a scorcher over the first half of the season and went into the All-Star break 62-34, 8.5 games up in the NL East. Despite playing .500 ball the rest of the way, they won the division by 6.0 games. We won't talk about the playoffs.
Conversely, in the shortened 2020 season, they went 15-6 in the spring, finishing first, before going 28-32. They finished 7.0 games back in the NL East and missed the playoffs.
Here's how the last five spring training and regular seasons have gone for the Phillies:
Year | Spring Training | Regular Season |
|---|---|---|
2024 | 9-15, 14th | 95-67, 2nd in NL |
2023 | 16-15, 8th | 90-72, 4th |
2022 | 10-7, 4th | 87-75, 6th |
2021 | 12-15, 12th | 82-80, 7th |
2020 | 15-6, 1st | 28-32, 10th |
As for seeing players get their timing and being ready to roll into Opening Day at the end of March, even the best spring performances don't always translate into the regular season. Take last year's "big" free agent signing of Whit Merrifield. The veteran three-time All-Star was brought aboard at the beginning of camp, accepting a role as a utility player after playing almost every day over the first eight years of his MLB career.
Merrifield surprised everyone with his Grapefruit League numbers, hitting .405 with a 1.143 OPS in 42 at-bats over 16 games. Unfortunately, we know how that translated once the season got underway. He hit a paltry .199 with a .572 OPS in 156 at-bats before the Phillies cut him loose before the All-Star break.
So, while we watch the Phillies go through the motions this month to get prepared to head north to begin their defense of their NL East crown, try not to overreact to their spring training results — as hard as it will be.