May 16, 2018
The Phillies are a quarter of the way into the 2018 season, and first-year manager Gabe Kapler has to like what he's seen from his team. The same can be said for their fans.
The Phils are currently 24-16 and sit just a half game out of first place in the National League East following their 4-1 win over the Orioles on Wednesday. After a rocky start to the season, Kapler seems to have found a grove – and so have his players.
With an 8-4 record in May, the Phillies are among the hottest teams in baseball, and that has them rapidly climbing (almost) everyone's power rankings.
How high have they climbed? Well, let's take a look:
Ryan Fagan was already pretty high on the Phillies – he had them at No. 11 last week – but they're steading climbing up his rankings. So, with the highest ranking I could find, we'll start there...
8. Phillies
Why they’re here: Aaron Nola (1.99) is the best starting pitcher you haven’t taken the time to sit down and watch. Odubel Herrera (.360) is having an amazing season. Jake Arrieta (2.59 ERA) has been exactly what the Phillies needed, a reliable veteran in the rotation. They aren’t going anywhere. [sportingnews.com]
Short. Sweet. And to the point. Also, the Phillies climbed eight spots in Matt's rankings, which is quite a jump when you consider there are some folks out there who didn't even move them up one damn spot. Don't worry, we'll get to them.
9. Phillies
Aaron Nola: Ace. [cbssports.com]
9. Philadelphia Phillies
Record: 23-16
Week 5 ranking: 14Odubel Herrera cannot be stopped. He's leading the NL with a .360 batting average. It's early, but the last Phillie to win the batting title was Richie Ashburn in 1958; Ashburn (twice), Chuck Klein, Lefty O'Doul and Sherry Magee are the only Phillies players to win a batting title. Ashburn's most recent title came with a Phillies team that went 69-85. -- Langs [espn.com]
Another ranking, another big jump into the top third of MLB for the Phillies. After checking in at 15 last week, they're up to No. 10 over at Rotoworld.
10. Phillies
Philly went 15-10 in April and the club is now 7-4 in May. Those messy season-opening series against the Braves and Mets probably feel like a distant memory at this point for rookie manager Gabe Kapler, who was booed at the Phillies’ home opener on April 3. Kapler and the Phillies are 16-6 at Citizens Bank Park, which is the second-best home record in MLB, behind only the top-ranked Yankees. Odubel Herrera leads the National League in batting average with a .360 mark. Carlos Santana has five home runs and 16 RBI over his last nine games. [sports.yahoo.com]
There's no change in their ranking since last week, but they do give the Phillies a +4.22 adjusted power rating, which is nearly as close to the team in sixth (TB, +8.26) as it is to the team in 12th (CLE, +0.07).
10. Phillies [oddsshark.com]
Twelve seems a little low, but at least Alyson had them moving up a few spots – they were 15th a week ago.
12. Phillies [mlb.com]
The Phillies climbed six spots in the B/R rankings, but because they were so low a week ago, that wasn't good enough to get them into the Top 10 in MLB.
13. Phillies
A 14-7 start was followed by a 3-7 stretch of games, but they're back on the rise at 6-2 in their last eight.
Odubel Herrera (158 PA, .360/.430/.561) leads the NL in batting average, while Aaron Nola (9 GS, 6-1, 1.99 ERA, 0.99 WHIP) has continued his ascent as one of the game's best young pitchers. [bleacherreport.com]
The Phillies didn't even move up a single spot? Geez.
15. Philadelphia Phillies
Odubel Herrera has reached base safely in every game this season. [usatoday.com]
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