5 things fans are expecting from the Phillies in 2024
After getting close to winning a World Series in 2022 and going deep into the postseason again last year, fans are expecting a lot from the 2024 Phillies.
As the Philadelphia Phillies embark on year three of a competitive window to win a World Series title, the fans have greater expectations heading into the 2024 season. This is a fan base after all that did their part by securing the Phillies the sixth-highest attendance (3,052,605 tickets sold) in all of MLB last year.
That being said, the Phillies have gotten so close to winning it all over the last two seasons. 2024 needs to be different.
All teams have room for improvement, and the Phillies need to improve in a few areas in 2024 if they want to become the team to beat in the National League East. Let's take a look at what the fans expect from the Phillies to make a third straight Red October a reality in 2024.
Fans expect the base running to improve in 2024
One of the more frustrating parts of the 2023 season was the Phillies running themselves into outs. This swashbuckling approach to trying to create runs was exciting at times, but as we saw at various points in the playoffs, the aggressiveness proved costly in big-game situations.
What an ending in Atlanta.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) October 10, 2023
Michael Harris II with an incredible catch at the wall. Bryce Harper, trying to score, gets doubled up after getting off too far.
Guess who was there to back up the throw? Game 2 hero Austin Riley.
🎥 @MLB pic.twitter.com/SExu2Q3fPF
Bryce Harper getting doubled off to end Game 2 against the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS was unacceptable. Alec Bohm getting tossed out at second base during Game 4 of the NLCS versus the Diamondbacks was deflating. Brandon Marsh not paying attention to third base coach Dusty Wathan's hold signal in an August game versus the Reds was symbolic of a general lack of attention.
If the Phillies want to win more ballgames in 2024 and have a chance at securing the top spot in the NL East, they need to have more discipline on the base paths. Base running was a weakness for the Phillies in 2023, and fans hope this team understands that they can't run themselves into outs next season.
Fans expect the Phillies to get off to a strong start in 2024
The National League East promises to be a difficult division again in 2024. The Atlanta Braves are still the team to beat heading into the season, and their recent trade for Chris Sale makes their starting rotation arguably the deepest in all of MLB. The Braves are a dynamic squad and unlikely to take a step back next season.
The New York Mets had a train wreck of a 2023, but it's hard to count out a team with vast financial resources and an owner dead set on competing with the New York Yankees for relevancy in the Big Apple. Any day now they could make a move to bring themselves back into the discussion as a team to beat in the highly competitive NL East.
The Miami Marlins are starting to build something after a long stretch of basement-dwelling within the division. No longer the laughing stock of the NL East ( that honor now belongs to the Washington Nationals), the Marlins have started to mix in a young core with some key veteran additions. The Phillies swept the Marlins in two games during the Wild Card round of the playoffs last year, but all indications are that Miami is a team entering a competitive window.
In such a tough division, getting off to a good start to begin the 2024 season is vitally important for the Phillies. In 2023, the Phillies had an April that saw the team go 15-13, and a dreadful May that resulted in a 10-16 record.
All signs point to the Phillies beginning the season healthier entering 2024, so there's no excuse for playing poor baseball in April and May. Falling behind in the division early could prove fatal this time around.
Fans expect the outfield defense to be better in 2024
If anything defined the 2023 Phillies, it was a period when the outfield defense was simply dreadful. With Bryce Harper recovering from offseason Tommy John surgery, and a knee injury in Spring Training that would find Rhys Hoskins lost for the entire season, the depth of the Phillies was challenged from opening day until the middle of summer.
Ever the selfless leader, Kyle Schwarber accepted the role as the everyday left fielder to help Bryce Harper get at-bats at DH when he first returned to the team in May and was still a few months away from being able to field a position. It became abundantly clear that Schwarber was not the right man for the job almost from the start.
Kyle Schwarber has never been fleet of foot, but his time in left field last season was a frustrating mess of poor routes to fly balls and an inability to make routine plays when the team needed it most in close games. Schwarber's time as the everyday left fielder came to a merciful end when Bryce Harper shifted to playing first base in the middle of July, and the team was able to call up defensively gifted outfield prospect Johan Rojas in a last-ditch effort to save runs.
According to FanGraphs, the Phillies ranked 26 out of 30 teams last season in overall outfield defense with -5 DRS and a -15 Ultimate Zone Rating. They saw improvement once Rojas was brought up, but questions regarding how his hitting will develop alongside his defense is a major topic of speculation this offseason.
If Rojas isn't going to be that guy in 2024, last season's defensive numbers prove that the Phillies need to sign or trade for an outfielder who can defend at an average to an above-average level.
Fans expect the Phillies to contend for the division in 2024
Sure the Phillies have made the playoffs via the Wild Card each of the last two seasons. Yes, they defeated the Braves in 2022 and 2023 and advanced to the NLCS. But what if the team didn't have to scratch and claw their way into the playoff picture all season?
In 2024, the Phillies need to finally finish in first place in the NL East.
The Phillies began their current run in 2022, and it can be argued that the team that made it all the way to the World Series that year was a season ahead of where most people thought their competitive window was. The same can't be said for the Phillies in 2023. They had already been close to a championship the season before, and with a payroll of $246 million dollars and the signing of Trea Turner to an 11-year, $300 million contract, expectations were understandably higher.
While the Atlanta Braves are still considered by many to be the best team in the division, the 2024 Phillies will have the advantage of entering the season with a healthy roster for the first time in two seasons, barring any injuries in Spring Training. Winning the division should be the number one goal for this team in 2024.
Fans expect the Phillies win the World Series in 2024
The Phillies got to the World Series in 2022 and lost to the Houston Astros. They got within a game of reaching a second World Series in 2023 but collapsed against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS. This year, the Phillies need to put it all together and win their first championship since 2008.
This is the season the Phillies need to win it all. Going into the 2024 season, they have health on their side and will have a full season of Bryce Harper. Fans expect Trea Turner to show more consistency in year two of his $300 million contract and not require a standing ovation to unlock his talents. Maybe Kyle Schwarber will contend for a batting title in 2024? Okay, maybe that's not realistic. But you know he'll contend for the home run title.
The Phillies are now entering year three of this competitive window, and anything short of another Red October would be the ultimate failure. Sure, other teams have gotten better this offseason, but the Phillies' core group of players have been together for a few years now, and they have a roster that combines a mixture of superstars with young guys who are starting to become solid everyday ball players.
Fans expect to see Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh, and Orion Kerkering take the next steps in their major league careers in 2024 and help the veteran stars push this team over the hump.
Will the Phillies win the World Series in 2024? That depends on how much Rob Thomson learns from the failures of the last two seasons. This is a team with many strengths, but prioritizing outfield defense, becoming more disciplined on the base paths, and finding the right roles for some of the key arms in the bullpen are all areas where the Phillies need to improve if they want to win it all this season.
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