Phillies 2023 Report Cards: Grading the infielders

The 2023 season had plenty of good moments, but it will be remembered as one with a disappointing finish for the Philadelphia Phillies. Following their unexpected run to the World Series in 2022, Philadelphia had great expectations this year. Anything but another appearance in the Fall Classic would be deemed a failure.

Ultimately, the team fell short of its goal of winning a championship. The Phillies group of infielders had a mix of good and average performances. 2023 featured the debut of the organization's top player, Bryce Harper, in the infield.

Here are the 2023 report cards for five of the Phillies' infielders.

Edmundo Sosa, UTIL INF

The Phillies have received contributions from the defensive versatility of Edmundo Sosa since they acquired him in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals in July 2022. Philadelphia has used him throughout its infield at every position besides first base and has occasionally deployed him in the outfield.

Sosa received most of his starts at third base, considering the Phillies' durability issues at first base. In 82 games playing at the corner, he had 11 errors and a .946 fielding percentage. He did not commit any errors during his playing time at shortstop or second base.

The utility infielder had a .251/.293/.427 line in 279 at-bats during the regular season. He appeared minimally in the postseason — twice during the National League Championship Series. He pitch-hit and played shortstop in place of Trea Turner during Philadelphia's dominant Game 2 win. Sosa appeared in Game 4 as a pinch-runner. His struggles at third base may have management considering other alternatives to him in 2024.

Grade: C

Bryce Harper, 1B

The Phillies' franchise player, Bryce Harper, was able to return to playing defense during the 2023 regular season. He had been the club's primary designated hitter since he injured his right arm in April 2022. He underwent Tommy John surgery last offseason and made a remarkable recovery to the lineup in May of this year.

Philadelphia was in need of more depth at first base following Rhys Hoskins' season-ending knee injury during Spring Training and Darick Hall's struggles and time missed due to his ailment. Harper took reps before debuting in a game at the position.

Harper split time with Alec Bohm and Jake Cave before becoming the primary player at the position by the end of the regular season. The 31-year-old will be the Phillies' full-time starter at first base, following president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski's recent announcement at the GM Meetings, pushing Hoskins out the door.

At the plate, Harper was his reliable self with a slash line of .293/.401/.499 in 126 games played. He showed why he is considered one of the best all-around players, hitting 21 home runs, 72 RBI, 84 runs, and 134 hits in 457 plate appearances. He had 29 doubles, 80 walks, and 11 stolen bases, demonstrating his well-roundedness as a hitter.

In 13 postseason contests, he had a slash line of .285/.455/.643. The Las Vegas, Nevada native had 12 hits, 14 runs, five home runs and eight RBI. He exhibited his ability to get on base with 13 walks as well.

Harper had a relatively smooth transition defensively from right field to first base for the Phillies. He had one error in 36 starts at the infield position, along with 20 assists and 258 putouts. He did not commit any errors in 13 starts at first during the playoffs. He is certainly capable of being Philadelphia's starting first baseman, considering his relentless work ethic.

Harper remains the heart and soul of the Phillies, even during his slumps in the batter's box. He's willing to do whatever it takes for Philadelphia to succeed. If the organization wins a World Series during his time with the team, he'll undoubtedly be in the running for World Series MVP.

Grade: A-

Alec Bohm, 1B/3B

Philadelphia received more encouraging development from infielder Alec Bohm in his fourth professional season.

His defensive errors decreased for the second consecutive year since he had 16 in 2021 (15 at his natural third base position) and committed 13 errors at third in 2022. Bohm had a stark improvement with only four errors at third base this year but looked uncomfortable at times playing first base, with five errors.

He played the most time at first base (80 appearances, 59 starts) than in any of the previous three seasons. Unless injuries strike the Phillies at first base again, the 27-year-old should see far less time at the position and more playing time at third base in 2024.

The 2018 third-overall selection by Philadelphia had a .274/.327/.437 line in 558 at-bats during the regular season. He set a career-high with 31 doubles, 20 home runs, 97 RBI, and 42 walks. However, like Stott, he had his least productive hitting month of the season during September, slashing .235/.278/.412 in 102 at-bats.

Bohm's offensive struggles continued during the playoffs. He had a .239/.340/.370 line but had a minimum of one hit in six of the seven contests in the NLCS. While many of the hitters struggled in Games 6 and 7 against the Diamondbacks, the third baseman had three hits, one walk, and two runs scored in eight plate appearances.

He may have his best season yet in 2024.

Grade: B

Trea Turner, SS

The Phillies front office made arguably the biggest signing in free agency last offseason with the addition of Trea Turner. His presence ranked as the organization's second biggest signing following the addition of Harper in February 2019. Fans and the team viewed the addition of the shortstop as the missing piece that would put Philadelphia over the top to win a World Series.

However, Turner endured his struggles in his first season with the Phillies. 2023 was his least productive year offensively as a starting shortstop. He had a .266/.320/.459 line with a career-high 150 strikeouts in 639 at-bats. The 30-year-old infielder had a tough year in the field with a new career-high in errors (23) in 153 games. His .960 fielding percentage was one of the lowest of his career.

Following a standing ovation from Phillies fans before his first at-bat during a contest in August, Turner managed to salvage his season to a degree. His .333/.376/.685 (August) and .299/.364/.567 (September) lines were the sort of production expected from him offensively.

Turner's .347/.400/.643 line in 13 postseason contests was solid, but the shortstop faded down the stretch as he went 0-for-12 in Games 5-7 of the NLCS. The Phillies missed his success offensively, particularly in Games 6 and 7 against the Diamondbacks. His four errors in 13 contests were the most he committed during his career in the postseason as well.

The shortstop will be motivated for a much improved second season offensively and defensively with the Phillies in 2024. Philadelphia signed him to a massive contract (11-year, $300 million) last offseason. Turner needs to have a much better season next year, or this deal could begin to look like a terrible decision by the front office.

Grade: C

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