4 players Phillies fans are losing patience with
Which Phillies players need to step up their game soon before frustration boils over?
The 2024 MLB season has been quite the revelation for the Philadelphia Phillies so far. Almost everything appears to be firing on all cylinders for the Phillies, whether it be the offense, the defense, the pitching or the coaching. You name it.
They have posted a 34-14 record and sit atop the entire major leagues. They also lead the NL East division by 5.0 games over the arch-rival Atlanta Braves.
Amidst all of the great things that have been happening for the Phillies to date, it's easy to forget that some of their players still have some struggles and things to work out. Johan Rojas and Nick Castellanos both had horrendous starts, during which many called for reduced playing time. However, with patience, they both slowly turned things around and have begun to make contributions in recent weeks.
4 players Phillies fans are losing patience with
On the other hand, a few still have yet to turn the corner despite now being a quarter into the regular season. With some of their struggles intensifying by the day, it has drawn the ire of some of the Phillies’ fanbase.
Let's take a look at four Phillies players who need to pick up their game soon before the fans lose patience with them.
Whit Merrifield
After being one of the team’s biggest offseason signings, veteran utilityman Whit Merrifield has certainly disappointed in a Phillies uniform thus far in 2024. He gave the club high hopes during spring training, heading into the season with a .405 batting average and a 1.143 OPS, with seven runs scored, six doubles, two home runs and seven RBI in 16 games. The ability to play both the infield and outfield provided the Phillies with multiple options for deploying Merrifield.
In the regular season, the 35-year-old has been a far cry from what was expected (subscription required). In 25 games, Merrifield has hit a measly .188 with a .552 OPS, 10 runs scored, three doubles, two home runs, four RBI and four stolen bases. To put things into perspective, that would mean 13 home runs and 26 RBI of offensive production over the course of a 162-game schedule, which is just not good enough.
One of the most clutch hitters for the Toronto Blue Jays last season, Merrifield has been anything but that in 2024. In 2023, he batted .296 with a .763 OPS with runners in scoring position (RISP). This season, he has been absolutely dreadful in such situations, hitting just .130 with a .405 OPS with just two RBI in 23 at-bats.
To add insult to injury, Merrifield falls to a .067 batting average and .243 OPS over 15 at-bats when hitting with RISP with two outs. At this rate, it may become difficult for the Phillies to include him in the regular lineup, but at the same time, he can’t get any better just riding the bench. As a result, they will need to find a solution soon and quickly before their biggest addition in the offseason becomes a total bust.
Seranthony Domínguez
Seranthony Domínguez is quite perplexing. Just two years ago, he and José Alvarado formed a dynamic duo at the back end of the bullpen to help lock down many Phillies wins. In particular, they were instrumental in the Phillies' run to the World Series in 2022. Both players threw hard and for strikes, limited hard contact, and maintained a solid ERA. But where Alvarado has continued his success, Domínguez has regressed significantly, especially this year.
Despite putting up solid numbers this spring, posting a 3.38 ERA and 0.88 WHIP with eight strikeouts in eight innings pitched over eight appearances, his 2024 regular season has been a complete disaster thus far.
Domínguez has yielded runs in seven of his 18 games, leading to a bloated 6.75 ERA and 1.56 WHIP, which are his worst marks ever. He has had trouble avoiding contact, giving up three home runs in 16 innings of work and averaging more than a hit per inning for the first time in his career.
Looking at his advanced metrics, his velocity is still top-notch and among the best in the league. However, his barrel rate and ground ball rate have dropped to an alarming 16th and 8th percentile in the league, respectively, which could largely explain some of his struggles.
Domínguez will need to turn things around soon to regain the trust of not only his manager but also his teammates and the Phillies fanbase. Otherwise, emerging dominant arms such as Jeff Hoffman and Orion Kerkering may soon pass him on the depth chart if they haven't done so already, and they will more than likely be handling the higher leverage situations going forward.
Gregory Soto
It may either be the case of bad luck or perhaps the National League just isn’t meant to be for reliever Gregory Soto. Whatever it may be, things haven’t been going smoothly for him since his arrival two years ago.
When the Phillies first acquired Soto from the Detroit Tigers back during the 2022-23 offseason, they believed that they were getting a reliable, hard-throwing bullpen arm who was more than capable of being a strong setup man, as well as a lockdown closer if needed. After all, he had excelled in the closer’s role for two seasons with Detroit, where he maintained an ERA below 3.40 and was an All-Star both years.
However, Soto struggled in his first year with the Phillies last season, compiling a 4.62 ERA while registering 14 holds, three blown saves and four losses. Perhaps he needed some time to acclimatize to the new league after spending his entire career in the American League.
Things started to look up for Soto as he began 2024 on a strong note. He reeled off five consecutive relief appearances without giving up a run to start the year and appeared well on his way to having a breakout season with the Phillies.
However, that was when the wheels began to fall off for Soto. He posted an ugly 7.84 ERA and 2.23 WHIP in his following 13 games but miraculously suffered only one loss. On the season, he's 1-1 with a 5.79ERA and 1.86 WHIP, giving up 17 hits, nine walks and recording 15 strikeouts in 14 innings.
It may be tough to admit, but the Soto experiment does not appear to be panning out well for the Phillies. As one of the two weakest bullpen links currently, along with Domínguez, the Phillies may be forced to use him in lower-leverage situations for the time being until he can get his act back together.
At least with how well the team has been doing, they can allow Soto to work things out with less fanfare. However, if the underwhelming performances persist, Soto’s time with the Phillies may hang by a thread.
Garrett Stubbs
Garrett Stubbs, supposedly a fan favorite, has unexpectedly been a recent target for fans who have apparently lost their patience with him. What primarily added fuel to the fire was comments made during a recent television broadcast that had a thing or two to say about Stubbs' struggles.
Usually the highly-trusted backup to J.T. Realmuto, Stubbs was never expected to be an offensive juggernaut to lead the team to glory. However, this season, it's hard not to see that his funk at the plate has reached another level.
After hitting a solid .264 in 2022, then falling to .204 last year, he has been toiling with a dreadful .103 batting average in 2024, registering only four hits in 43 plate appearances. In terms of offensive output, he has managed to only score two runs and drive in one over 14 games.
As a result, fans across social media have jumped all over Stubbs. Not only that, it has even gotten to the point that some believe his receiving and calling behind the plate was also affecting the success of the pitching staff. But just take a look at his performance here, as it clearly shows there's no correlation between Stubbs' catching and poor pitching performances.
Phillies pitchers certainly don’t think there's a problem, led by Aaron Nola's support after his complete game shutout and Zack Wheeler taking the blame for his dismal four-inning performance against the Marlins.
You have to remember what the expectations and duties are for a backup catcher. As long as they provide solid defense and adequate pitch calling despite sporadic playing time, that should be deemed sufficient enough. If Stubbs manages to provide some surprising offensive output, that's just an added bonus.
As rough of a start as Stubbs has had at the plate, he should be given some slack. After all, he only plays once in a blue moon, with Realmuto starting almost every day. On top of that, there’s lots of season left for him to turn things around. Hopefully, he gets back on track soon before the entire Phillies faithful lose their patience.
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