As the 2023 year is winding down and holiday celebrations are in full swing, what better way to honor the festive time of year than by giving every Philadelphia Phillies player something to put on their wish list this holiday season?
As the team fell just short of making it back to the World Series for the second straight year, some players are looking to improve their personal performance, while others are actively hoping for just an opportunity to prove they belong on the 40-man roster indefinitely. Then a few are just here for the vibes.
Before we dive into the 38 active players on the Phillies roster, let's add a couple of extra wish list items for others in the organization.
John Middleton: The Phillies' managing partner will be hoping for yet another beer bath come the fall to ensure his deepening pockets aren't for naught.
Bryson Stott dousing John Middleton in beer pic.twitter.com/MD5pGUkI9O
— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) October 15, 2022
Dave Dombrowski: As president of baseball operations, Dombrowski took a different approach to the winter meetings this year but will be hoping to pull off one big move ahead of the regular season.
Rob Thomson: The manager of the ballclub will hope that this is finally the year his famous countdown of postseason wins goes from 13 (with the wild card) or 11 (with the divisional title) all the way to zero.
John Kruk: Phillies legend John Kruk is going to be wishing his fellow announcers and the fans forget about his promise of scaling the Gateway Arch in St. Louis when the team is in town from April 8-10 to pay off a debt from a game last September.
Phanatic: The beloved Phillies mascot will be hoping for an opportunity to have a calm, civil conversation with a rival mascot — Atlanta's very own Blooper — to clear the air after some beef during the playoffs.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 13, 2023