The 5 most important players for the Phillies as we enter the stretch run
Let's take a look at the five most important players as we near the end of the season and the Phillies prepare for a long playoff run.
The stretch run is finally upon us as we near the end of the 2023 MLB season. As it stands today, with 36 games remaining, the Phillies are three games up on the final Wild-Card spot and 3.5 games up on the Cubs for the top Wild-Card spot which would earn the, ever important, home field advantage in the wild card games. The last month of the season is where the best and the worst of teams shine. With the spotlight on, players and teams can either tighten up and flounder or they can rise to the occasion and provide the necessary push into the Playoffs.
Let’s take a look at the most important players for the Phillies as we enter the stretch run.
1. Aaron Nola
The 2023 season for the 30-year-old right hander has been a bumpy one. Through 26 starts, Nola has a 4.48 era, 4.33 FIP, a 1.154 WHIP, and leads the league with 29 home runs surrendered. He has already surpassed his career high in earned runs and homers given up with more starts remaining. That being said, Nola has flashes of what has made him one of the top arms in the game. It’s not uncommon for him to have four or five shut down, great innings but then run into major trouble in one inning skewing his line in a negative way. Teams with World Series aspirations need their top end starters to perform as such and it’s no different for the Phillies. Nola is one of the major keys that will unlock the 2023 Phillies. It should come as no surprise that in the games that Nola has won he has a 2.99 era and .968 WHIP but in the games in which he lost his era jumps to 6.70 with the WHIP sitting at 1.468. If Nola can find a rhythm and perform the way he has in the past, the Phillies starting rotation can compete with any in the league and can be the guiding light for this team deep into the playoffs.
2. Trea Turner
The Phillies fans showed up big time for their new shortstop as they displayed their unwavering support for Turner in the midst of his nightmarish season. On August 4, the Phillies fan gave a standing ovation to Turner despite his public struggles and he has responded. In 107 games up until August 4th, Turner slashed .235/.290/.657. In the 16 games since the ovations, he has a slash line of .365/.403/1.054. The biggest “trade deadline acquisition” the Phillies got was getting their All-Star shortstop to play up to his standards. Rob Thomson moved Turner down in the lineup to try and relieve some pressure but has since moved him back to the two-hole. This spot in the lineup is extremely important as Schwarber has been drawing walks at a historic pace and Harper and Castellanos have continued to hit. Not having a black hole or double play machine in the two spot has done wonders for the Phillies offense. His power is starting to come around and he continues to be a menace on the base paths. If Turner can continue his resurgence into the remaining weeks of the season and playoffs, this offense can be extremely dangerous.
3. Bryce Harper
As Bryce Harper goes, this Phillies team goes. As the emotional leader of this team, an “Important Phillies” list just simply has to have Harper on it. Harper came back from Tommy John surgery in record time and took a little while to look like the baseball mashing left-hander that we have been accustomed to. Although he was hitting for average, the power numbers were not quite where he wanted them to be. But since August 1st, Harper has hit six home runs and has raised his OPS from .787 to .848. In that time, he reached the minimum plate appearances to qualify for the batting average leaders and his .297 average has him seventh in the NL. Even more impressive, he has played first base for the first time in his career and has done it admirably. Rarely has he seemed overmatched fielding the position and has even made Gold Glove like plays. Harper playing first base opens up the DH spot for Schwarber which enables the Phillies to put a plus defender in left field and add more dimensions to the lineup with the likes of Cave, Rojas or Pache when he returns from injury. Harper’s willingness to play a new position and his ability to do it well enough provides this team with the flexibility that it has been seeking for over a year. Harper is the heart beat of the Phillies and they will go as far as he takes them.
Jose Alvarado was the surprise of the season last year. After being sent down to AAA, he came back better than ever throwing a new-found cutter and sinker. He was a big reason why the Phillies made their 2022 run and he will be a big reason why they go deep this time around or fall short. His 2023 campaign has been riddled with injury but when he’s been on the mound he has been as solid as ever. He has only played in 27 games, but he has a 1.33 era and 41 strikeouts over 27 innings. In previous years his Achilles Heel has been how many walks he’s allowed but he’s been able to limit those this year and when runners do get on, he’s able to work out of trouble with his strikeout ability. The Phillies bullpen, anchored by All-Star Craig Kimbrel, has been one of the true strengths of this year’s team and adding Alvarado back from the IL will only make it stronger. Being able to turn to Seranthony Dominguez, Gregory Soto, Craig Kimbrel and now Jose Alvarado will allow Thomson to shut down games easier and keep deficients small and within reach.
As the Phillie fans like to call him, the BCIB (best catcher in baseball), hasn’t quite lived up to that standard this year. Since becoming a full-time catcher in 2015, he has had his worst year at the plate with career low batting average of .253, second worst on-base percentage at .314 and approaching a career high in strikeouts. His 26% strikeout rate is at an all-time high and his hard-hit percentage is the lowest since 2017. Thomson has consequentially lowered him in the lineup, batting him as low as seven, and it’s probably the best for the team. His defense, however, has remained among the best in the league but there seems to be a bit more pass balls or wild pitches than ever before. What hasn’t changed is his elite pitch calling as praised recently by newly acquired Michael Lorenzen after his no-hitter. As the offense has picked up recently, the 32-year-old has continued to struggle. He has grounded into nine double plays this year and has struck out 71 times in high or medium leverage spots. The Phillies need Realmuto to pick up his offense down the stretch to enable the team to reach it’s highest potential. Time and time again, Realmuto comes up with men on base and a chance to knock them in. In tight games, these opportunities will need to be capitalized on.
At the moment, the Phillies are in a favorable spot to secure their second playoff bid in the last two years, but this team has their sights on a much bigger prize. The team and the fans have World Series aspirations, and they are set up nicely to accomplish those goals. The Phillies need everyone to step up but these five guys coming alive and continuing to perform are most important for the stretch run and hopefully World Series bid.