3 Phillies players going into the MLB playoffs hot, 2 who are not

The Philadelphia Phillies' 2024 season has been incredible. They racked up 95 wins and handily took care of business in the NL East for their first division title since 2011. As successful as the regular season was, the real measuring stick of their season begins on Oct. 5 when they open the National League Division Series at Citizens Bank Park.

With 12 teams entering the fray of the 2024 MLB playoffs, it's not always the best team on paper that emerges victorious with the World Series trophy in November. While the Phillies are among the favorites and are considered one of the best all-around teams based on their full roster, they won't be able to coast through the postseason on name alone.

3 Phillies players going into the MLB playoffs hot, 2 who are not

Besides some luck and some breaks going their way, any successful team in October relies on the right players getting hot at the right time. The Phillies as a group didn't exactly have an inspiring second half, but some players turned it on down the stretch and are going into the playoffs as hot as possible. They also had some players who finished up the regular season on a cold streak and will have hopefully warmed up during their time off.

Here are three Phillies who are heading into the playoffs hot, and a couple who are not.

Zack Wheeler pitched like a Cy Young winner down the stretch

Zack Wheeler did what we expected him to do this season. His numbers have put him into serious contention for the NL Cy Young Award, as much as everyone seems to think Atlanta’s Chris Sale has it locked up. While his career-best 2.57 ERA and 0.96 WHIP are impressive enough, what he did down the stretch for the Phillies is almost jaw-dropping.

Wheeler was the consummate ace over the final two months of the season as the Phillies chased down the NL East title and their first-round bye. The 34-year-old ran a streak of 11 consecutive quality starts from Aug. 4 until his final start last weekend, going 6-2 with a 1.89 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. If you're trying to figure out the math, that's just 48 hits and 15 earned runs over 71 1/3 innings. He struck out 85 batters over that stretch.

As the obvious pick to be the Game 1 starter when the Phillies open the NLDS at The Bank on Saturday, Wheeler is as hot as possible at just the right time. Over his last five starts, he struck out opposing hitters at a 33.6 percent rate while registering a 15.7 percent swinging strike rate (the league average for starting pitchers this season was 10.7 percent) and held his overmatched opponents to a .174 batting average.

Nick Castellanos was the Phillies' best hitter late in the season

Nick Castellanos has more than made everyone forget all about his early-season slump that saw him hit .193 from Opening Day through the end of April and is heading into the playoffs as one of the Phillies’ hottest hitters. The right fielder, who played all 162 games this season, says his hitting approach is “see ball, hit ball.” Boy oh boy, has he been seeing and hitting a lot of balls recently.

From the beginning of September through the end of the regular season, Castellanos hit .292 with an .858 OPS, four home runs, four doubles and 13 RBI. In a smaller, more recent sample size, the 32-year-old ranked first on the team over the final two weeks of the season with a 202 wRC+, batting .383/.420/.681 with three home runs and three doubles.

With as hot as Castellanos was over the final stretch, there’s a good chance manager Rob Thomson pencils him in the cleanup spot when the Phillies release their first lineup for the NLDS. He hit fourth while Alec Bohm was on the IL and then again for three games at the end of the season, providing Bryce Harper with some extra protection while Bohm struggled to end the season.

Matt Strahm was untouchable

Matt Strahm dominated out of the Phillies bullpen for most of the season. The left-hander, who has seen his career revived in Philadelphia, has taken no prisoners this season, posting a 1.87 ERA and 0.75 WHIP with a 33.3 percent strikeout rate and a 4.6 percent walk rate in 62 2/3 innings.

After a bit of a bumpy patch from June 27 through July 30, during which time he posted a 7.45 ERA, Strahm got back on track over the final two months of the regular season and, most importantly, the last couple of weeks leading up to the MLB playoffs.

In August and September, the 32-year-old held opposing batters to a .164 average while recording an 0.83 ERA and 0.51 WHIP while registering 25 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings. Over the last three weeks of the season, Strahm was as close as a reliever can get to untouchable. He didn't give up a run over his last nine appearances, allowing just two hits while striking out 11 batters in nine innings.

As one of manager Rob Thomson’s top choices late in games and in sticky situations, Strahm has proven himself reliable time and time again this season. With bullpens coming into play more often in the postseason, the Phillies will lean on Strahm when the NLDS gets underway on Saturday.

Ranger Suárez was a shell of his former self to end the season

Starting pitcher Ranger Suárez went 10-2 with a 2.27 ERA over the season's first three months. Those numbers mean absolutely nothing once the postseason begins, especially after how he finished the regular season. It was obvious to anyone who watched in the second half that Suárez was not himself.

Despite ailing from lower back soreness that began around the All-Star break, Suárez didn't go on the IL until the end of July. He missed a month of action at that point, and when he returned, it didn't look like he had fully recovered — at least based on his late-season results. In seven starts from Aug. 24 through the end of the season, the left-hander went 2-3 with a 5.74 ERA and 1.72 WHIP while opposing batters hit .304 against him.

Suárez's final four starts were especially rough, with a 7.79 ERA and mind-boggling 2.19 WHIP. He gave up a season-high 12 hits on Sept. 10 against the Tampa Bay Rays. His next two games looked slightly better. He allowed three runs against the Milwaukee Brewers and two runs against the New York Mets but walked three batters over five innings in each outing.

The 29-year-old's final start of the season against the Washington Nationals was an unmitigated disaster. With the Phillies still in a position to chase down the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage through the playoffs, Suárez laid an egg. He faced 15 batters over two innings, giving up six runs on seven hits while walking a pair, all against a Nationals team packing up for the offseason.

With his struggles leading up to the playoffs, Thomson confirmed that Suárez will be his fourth starter. The Phillies hope they can count on him again this postseason, but recent events aren't confidence-inducing.

Alec Bohm lost his swing after coming off the IL

Third baseman Alec Bohm had a career season in his sights after a torrid start this year. Unfortunately, things didn’t finish going his way and he’s heading into the playoffs in an immense slump, searching for his swing.

Bohm began his fifth MLB season as one of the top hitters — not just on the team, but across the majors. The 28-year-old hit .295 with an .830 OPS with 33 doubles and 70 RBI through the first half and was one of the primary reasons the Phillies jumped out to a 62-34 record heading into the All-Star break. However, things weren't quite as peachy after the break. While not horrible numbers, Bohm‘s average slid to .278 while his OPS dropped to .739 in 37 games before helanded on the IL with a left hand strain.

The bad news for the Phillies is that after returning to the lineup on Sept. 15, Bohm struggled to get going again at the plate. He finished the season hitting .170 with a .502 OPS over his last 12 games. While his season-long strikeout rate was 14.2 percent, he struck out 20.4 percent over the final two weeks of the season. Among Phillies hitters who had a minimum of 40 plate appearances over this span, he ranked last on the team with a 37 wRC+ and -0.2 fWAR.

Assuming his hand is actually okay, the Phillies need Bohm to get back to his first-half form. Batting out of the fourth or fifth spot in the lineup, he’ll have plenty of opportunities to make an impact on the scoreboard in the NLDS.