The MLB postseason is right around the corner, and the Philadelphia Phillies are still battling for the top spot in the National League. It's worth the fight, as it guarantees a bye past the first round and home-field advantage through the playoffs.
The Phillies have taken an interesting road to get here. They ran amuck in the first half, having their way with the league en route to a league-best 62-34 first-half record. Then things got tough post-All-Star break. They collectively struggled to string wins together for the better part of a month. But they're back on track with just over a week to play in the regular season, having gone 23-12 since Aug. 14.
While they continue to joust with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers for the No. 1 seed in the NL, and likely all of Major League Baseball, thoughts start to turn toward the playoffs. It's hard to stay in the moment and not look ahead to what the Phillies' postseason roster might look like, hopefully when they open things up at Citizens Bank Park for the NLDS on Oct. 5.
3 Phillies players who shouldn't make the postseason roster
Manager Rob Thomson will already have filled in most of the 26-man postseason roster. He'll have very few hard decisions with such a star-studded cast at his disposal, but there are some question marks at the edges of the roster.
Whether due to inconsistent and poor performance, injury or roster construction based on opponent, it's still not obvious who will fill in the final postseason roster spots, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. It appears the Phillies are leaning toward carrying 14 position players instead of the usual 13-13 position player-pitcher split, according to Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Regardless of how the Phillies structure the postseason roster, some players can have a case made for not playing in October. While, ultimately, these players could easily find themselves playing in Red October, and it wouldn't be surprising if they do, here are some reasons why they shouldn't.