Phillies' regular season MVP is a tight race but one name stands above the rest

It's good to be a fan of a team that when asked the question, "Which player did the best during the regular season?" you have a grand variety of options to choose from. In the 2024 regular season for the Philadelphia Phillies, there are a lot of players who came through in a big way.

Phillies' regular season MVP is a tight race but one name stands above the rest

Trea Turner, at one point of the season, led the league in batting average, coming a long way from his pre-standing ovation performance. Bryce Harper is, well, Bryce Harper, hitting personal milestones every couple weeks and making the most diving plays at first base in the league. Some bullpen pieces you can even consider, like Matt Strahm and Jeff Hoffman, both named All Stars this year and becoming two of the best relief pitchers in the league.

But when it comes down to it, there can only be one true winner for this accolade. Before we reveal the Phillies' regular season MVP, let's break down two of the honorable mentions, or finalists, for this award, as both of these players put on an amazing performance on the field.

Zack Wheeler deserves consideration for Phillies' MVP

Starting with Zach Wheeler, a Cy Young finalist again and, based on Chris Sale ending his season early, looking to be the award winner, he has continued to prove why he is the No. 1 in the rotation for the Phillies. Leading the National League in WHIP, pitching the most innings out of the Cy Young finalists, and tied for second in the league with Dylan Cease and one under Sale for most strikeouts.

Ever since acquiring him as a free agent, whenever he goes out onto the mound and does his signature wind-up, you feel at ease knowing a lot of the batters he faces are going to go down swinging, looking, or become outs in the field. And this season, it was a lot of the same. His ERA and WHIP were the lowest of his career. He also led over Sale in opponents batting average, on-base percentage and OPS.

A case can be made for Alec Bohm as the Phillies' MVP

What more can you ask for from a Phillies player? Look no further than third baseman and first-time All-Star Alec Bohm. For the majority of the season, the young infielder could not stop hitting, specifically doubles. Bohm ended with 44 doubles on the season, one under Bobby Witt Jr. and Ezequiel Tovar for third place. Bohm also had 97 RBI, tying his career high from last season, had two more hits than last year, and tied his career-high with a .280 batting average.

Seeing where he came from after his fielding blunders against the Mets and "hating this place," it's nothing short of inspiring to see where he is now. One of the things many fans wanted from Bohm was to lift the ball and increase his power, and while it may have just translated to more consistent hitting, Bohm made it to the semifinals of the Home Run Derby, losing to the eventual winner Teoscar Hernandez. But he is not the top player for the Phillies this season.

Nick Castellanos is the Phillies' regular season MVP

The Phillies' regular season MVP deserves it the most for proving to the fans, and himself, that he can be the player he was signed onto the team for. The right fielder who played all 162 games of the season for the Phillies: Nick Castellanos.

A lot of people will probably think this is wrong and should be someone else. But for this decision, everything is taken into account, and not just on the field. Starting with that, one of the most notable stats from Castellanos is he has had four walk-offs this year. That is not an easy stat to accomplish and for a hitter like Castellanos, who just swings at baseballs hard, to do that is monumental.

In all 162 games, Castellanos had 154 hits, 30 doubles, 23 home runs, 86 RBI, 41 walks, six stolen bases and a .254 batting average along with a .742 OPS. Despite his slow start to the season, once he turned it around, he was arguably the Phillies' most consistent hitter in the second half, Castellanos hit .287 with an .839 OPS and a 132 wRC+.

Castellanos is also probably one of the best postgame interviews you can get in the business. Very few people know the right questions to ask, and if you don't, like we all saw on SportsCenter, you will get caught by him. But if your phone goes off, don't worry, he'll let you take it.

When signed by the Phillies, Castellanos was also known for swinging at almost every pitch humanly possible, especially lower into the dirt. Compared to last season, he has had 46 fewer strikeouts and five more walks. The discipline, contrary to what he himself says about his playstyle, is shining through for the right fielder.

The jokes can be made about how he seems to either get a huge hit or home run every time a bad news event occurs, but the fact he is doing it alone is helping him look like the Nick Castellanos we saw in Cincinnati, and were so excited to have play in Philadelphia. And with the postseason still ahead of us and with memories of his back-to-back two home run games against Atlanta fresh in our minds, it is exciting to see what he can accomplish outside of the regular season.

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