The Phillies Went From Rebuild to Win Now Almost Overnight
I still can’t believe IT happened. Bryce Harper. Bryce freakin Harper chose to spend the rest of his career right here in Philly.
I won’t lie to you, I spent the last five years hating Bryce, his rise to superstardom coincided with the Phillies utter collapse from relevance. 2012-2016 were as prosperous for Harper as they were disastrous for the Phillies. But none of that matters now as the addition of Harper is the crown jewel of the best offseason in franchise history.
The Phillies were already having a great offseason when they traded for Jean Segura and JT Realmuto, signed Andrew McCutchen and David Robertson, and locked up Aaron Nola with a contract extension. Make no mistake, the Phillies were already serious about making the playoffs, now they’re serious about winning the pennant.
The Phillies desperately needed a power hitting lefty and they signed arguably the best one the game has to offer in Bryce Harper. Now it becomes a matter of fitting all these new pieces into place and the lineup options are endless. As we saw from Gabe Kapler last season, the lineup is a fluid structure and players can hit just about anywhere. What we do know is the consistency that Segura, McCutchen and Realmuto bring to the lineup will allow them to hit anywhere in any order around the two power bats Hoskins and Harper. With the bottom of the order being composed of Maikel Franco (who hit .270 with 22 dingers in 2018), Odubel Herrera and Cesar Hernandez, suddenly the Phils have one of the deepest lineups in the National League. Hopefully moving Odubel and Cesar from the top to the bottom of the order helps them rebound after disappointing seasons last year.
The new additions are also upgrades defensively as well as offensively. Realmuto is widely considered the most complete catcher in baseball and Segura can play either spot of the middle infield with ease. Putting Rhys back to his natural spot at first base and McCutchen in left field bring stability to both positions. David Robertson headlines a deep bullpen that already includes Seranthony Dominguez, Pat Neshek and the currently injured Tommy Hunter. Could the Phillies still use one more arm in the bullpen or starting rotation? Absolutely, but what team couldn’t? I wouldn’t be surprised if the team still tries to bring in another starter, but for now the rotation should be fine between Nola, Arrieta, Eflin, Velasquez, and Pivetta.
The moves that the front office made this offseason before signing Bryce had the team primed for a shot at making the post season and now the expectations are going to be higher.
The National League East is not going to be a cake walk by any means although it’s nice to be in the thick of things. The Braves are set with their young talent, the Nationals are by no means giving up after losing Harper and the Mets are a wild card. I’m not sure if Miami still has a professional baseball team. This season will not be easy and winning the division would have to be earned but for the first time in years the Phillies are in a great spot to actually do it. The long rebuild appears to have finally turned the corner and it looks like 2019 will be the first season that the Philadelphia Phillies are playing meaningful baseball in October in years. The Phillies are ready to win right here and now. It’s refreshing.
By: Mike Chisdock