The Philadelphia Phillies have some time on their hands as they wait to take on the winner of this week's NL Wild Card showdown between the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers. The NL East division champions have been staying busy since the final game of the regular season by participating in on field drills designed to keep the team fresh while navigating a six-day gap between games thanks in part to clinching a first round bye.
The Phillies have witnessed first hand what a long layoff can do to a team under the current playoff format, and they don't have to look too far back in time in order to find a recent example. The Phillies have twice defeated the Atlanta Braves in the postseason after Atlanta was forced to wait things out for nearly a week between games.
Braves manager Brian Snitker was a vocal critic of the time off, and it raised questions about whether or not it's actually worth it to win the division. With other factors such as clinching home-field advantage throughout the playoffs still a very desirable outcome, Snitker came across as misguided when discussing his team's failures to advance beyond the NLDS over the past two seasons.
But what lessons have Phillies manager Rob Thomson and his coaching staff learned over the course of the season? Beyond accounting for the aforementioned pause in the daily routine, will Thomson adhere to the numbers or manage by instinct?
Over the course of the regular season, Phillies fans watched in horror as Thomson continued to hand the ball to Taijuan Walker when it was obvious that the veteran starter had lost the ability to provide the team quality innings. Walker was extended a long leash — debatably too long. That's in addition to sending former closer José Alvarado into high-leverage situations when it was clear the hard-throwing lefty was incapable of shutting teams down when trusted to do so in late-game situations.
It's one thing to try and push players to perform better in the regular season. Its a recipe for disaster when that same logic is applied in crucial moments once you enter the playoffs.
Phillies should platoon Bryson Stott for the best chance in the MLB playoffs
While those previous examples showcase only a small fraction of the many decisions that Thomson made this season (most of them of the winning variety), a pattern of staying the course in these types of situations represents a minor cause for concern heading into the postseason. With the Phillies sure to face some difficult pitching and possibly a few left-handed starters over the next couple of weeks, will Thomson revisit his recent idea reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer's Scott Lauber about establishing a platoon between Bryson Stott and Edmundo Sosa?
With a lefty on the mound, #Phillies are going with Edmundo Sosa at 2B. Rob Thomson said he will consider a Bryson Stott-Sosa platoon moving forward. Timeshares likely in LF (Marsh/Hays or Wilson) & possible in CF (Rojas/Stevenson), too.
— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) September 20, 2024
Hey, three platoons worked in ‘93, right?
There's a solid argument to be made for platooning Stott and Sosa when the Phillies face left-handed pitchers in the postseason this month. A look at Stott's splits against southpaws over 112 at-bats paints a dismal picture. Using a rather large sample size as evidence, Stott could only manage a .225 batting average with one home run and 10 RBI in 2024 with only three extra-base hits and 26 strikeouts despite rarely taking a seat with a lefty on the mound.
Meanwhile, Sosa put together solid numbers and established himself as a reliable lefty masher when earning the occasional start this season. In 109 at-bats, Sosa handled left-handed pitchers to the tune of a .284 batting average, with three home runs and 14 RBI, contributing 16 extra-base hits along the way. There's a case to be made that Sosa should handle second base duties if and when opposing teams start a left-hander.
Now is the right time for Thomson to take a more conservative approach to winning baseball games. Armed with enough evidence that Sosa needs to play against southpaws, it would be disappointing to see Thomson abandon the numbers and roll the dice on Stott making a sudden breakthrough when little suggests that's anything close to a possibility.
Sure, Stott is a Gold Glove-caliber defender, but with right-handed hitting Austin Hays' health an obvious concern following a couple of recent stints on the IL, the Phillies will have little choice but to keep Brandon Marsh's left-handed bat in the lineup. Sitting Stott in favor of Sosa is a move backed up by the numbers. Will the numbers win?