We knew that this Phillies team wasn't quite up to snuff (at least from a regular season perspective) with some of the recent renditions of the squad we’ve seen in the 2020s. That much was evident when they lost 10 straight games in April, their longest skid since 1999.
But one stat in particular is a telling revelation of the depths of this group’s inadequacies: Philly’s combined Baseball-Reference.com WAR (bWAR) for its position players was 4.4 entering play on Tuesday night (a game that did not go well offensively!), approximately 20 points below what it’s been in each of the last four seasons. In order to reach the more traditional benchmarks for this edition of the franchise, these Phillies are going to have to absolutely sprint to the finish.
What’s more, PhilliesNation.com’s Destiny Lugardo noted that pitchers Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez both have higher individual WARs than the Phillies’ position players combined. Wheeler’s currently sits at 4.6, while Sánchez leads NL pitchers with 5.5.
Combined position player Baseball-Reference WAR for each Phillies team:
— Destiny Lugardo (@destiny_lugardo) July 27, 2026
2022: 21.3
2023: 23.2
2024: 26.8
2025: 23
2026: 4.4
The last time the Phillies had a combined position player bWAR in the single digits was 2018 (4.9 for non-pitchers).
Simply, the Phillies’ lineup is not putting together a significant combined effort that can support substantial winning. And that’s shown in its recent stretch of games.
Entering Tuesday, the Phillies were 3-7 over its first 10 games coming out of the All-Star break. The squad put up one run or fewer in half of those, ending the 10-game stretch by blowing a two-run lead to Miami in the bottom of the ninth inning on Monday night, losing on a walk-off single from Griffin Conine.
The loss marked Philly’s first this season when entering the ninth inning with a lead, staining their perfect 49-0 record heading into the affair. The squad was also 45-19 when scoring first this season prior to Tuesday
Phillies' disastrous lineup has tanked their NL playoff odds
The lineup inconsistencies have clearly proven costly: The Phillies were 5.5 games back of the NL-East leading Braves entering Tuesday’s competition, while sitting second in a jam-packed Wild Card race. But with Pittsburgh, Arizona, Washington, St. Louis, San Diego and Miami all breathing down their necks, time is of the essence when it comes to stringing together wins and righting a ship that’s been sailing off-course the past few days.
Manager Don Mattingly is aware as anyone of their discombobulation, and trotted out a new-look iteration of hitters to face former Cy Young Winner Sandy Alcantara Tuesday. The skipper gave Kyle Schwarber the day off, while moving second baseman Bryson Stott up from the six-hole to bat second behind Turner.
Edmundo Sosa got the nod at third, while Mattingly shifted Alec Bohm to first and slotted Bryce Harper in at designated hitter. Bryan De La Cruz -- who became the first Phillie since Trea Turner to collect a hit in his first four games with the squad (he debuted on July 22) -- started over Gabriel Rincones Jr. Rincones had started three of the last four games in right. Meanwhile, Garrett Stubbs, recently activated from the injured list after dealing with inflammation in his left wrist, started behind the dish to spell JT Realmuto.
Save for the aforementioned Schwarber, along with Harper and Brandon Marsh, the Phils’ offensive wellspring has been routinely dry. They’re not in panic mode just yet, but with performances like the ones we’ve seen as a of late, they’re headed for a first-round exit, or worse, missing the Wild Card round altogether.
Something needs to change, and expeditiously, for the ballplayers in the City of Brotherly love. Perhaps Mattingly's lineup tweaks will yield dividends, but with the Trade Deadline less than a week ago, these numbers could also force Philly's hand at acquiring some additional bats to boost their potency.
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