Trio of Phillies could match milestone last reached 18 years ago
Three Phillies players have a chance of reaching 100 RBI this season. The club has not had three players reach that mark since 2005.
The Philadelphia Phillies offense has been somewhat inconsistent this season. Prior to June 1st, the offense was not producing much. They ranked 23rd in the league in home runs hit, 24th in runs scored, and had a team OPS of .724. After June 1st, however, the offense turned a corner.
As Major League Baseball's 2023 regular season winds to an end, the Phillies find themselves in a good place offensively. They now sit in 4th place in home runs hit, 5th place in runs scored, and have a team OPS of .788.
There are many reasons for the uptick in offensive production. One of the biggest impacts is that the club currently has two hitters in Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos over the century mark in RBI this season. Alec Bohm is not far from hitting 100 RBI as he sits at 95 prior to Thursday's series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It is arguable that Bryce Harper and Trea Turner could be near this mark if one began the season healthy and the other did not start in a months long slump.
The last time the Phillies had three players eclipse 100 RBI was back in 2005 when Bobby Abreu (102), Pat Burrell (117), and Chase Utley (105) all reached that mark. That particular Phillies club finished 88-74 finishing second in the NL East. That was one of the Phillies' better seasons in the early 2000s. Any offense featuring three 100+ home run players should have a successful season. The 2005 club, however, failed to make the playoffs.
Now the 2023 club is looking to embark on its second deep playoff run in as many years. The contributions from Schwarber, Castellanos, and Bohm cannot be overlooked— even if RBI is not a perfect stat to describe a player's production. Schwarber currently sits at 100 RBI and most of that total comes from his 45 home runs.
Castellanos has had an incredible bounce back year after struggling mightily in his first season with the Phillies. In 2022, the right fielder had just 62 RBI compared to 106 this season. He also raised his OPS from .694 to .793. There were plenty of times early on in the season that the offense was relying on Castellanos' fairly consistent bat to win ball games.
Bohm has shown that while he may not be a supreme power hitter, he can drive in runs in big spots. His 95 RBI to this point in the season far surpasses his previous career high from a year ago which was just 72. The primary third baseman also has a career high in home runs and OPS— excluding the shortened 2020 season— thus far in 2023.
The Phillies offense turned a corner in August and has not looked back. They are getting on base and hitting for much more power than they had been early in the season. Both of these factors contributed to their success late in the season. The club will look for continued production from not just the 100+ RBI trio (potentially), but from everyone in the lineup.