March 25, 2025
Kim Klement Neitzel/Imagn Images
The Phillies return most of their 2024 lineup for 2025, but there have been a few new additions like Max Kepler.
The Phillies have already flown north for the regular season, having wrapped up their final spring training exhibition Monday afternoon. The games will count now.
On Thursday afternoon, things officially will get underway when the Phillies open up against the Nationals down in Washington. Almost all of the players returning are familiar to the front office and fans, but there are some new wrinkles for the newest version of the Phillies.
Here's a look at five things we learned from Philly's 30 spring training games in Florida over the last month and a half:
No baseball team accumulated more walks in either the Grapefruit or Cactus League than the Phillies. Their 153 BBs were more than 10% more than the next highest total from the Red Sox (139). Thanks to their eye for the baseball, the Phils also sported the second best on base rate of any team in spring training at .370.
One of the biggest reasons the Phils have faltered in the postseason is they have been a little swing happy. They chased more when under pressure both against the Diamondbacks in 2023 and the Mets in 2024. Having patience at the plate isn't the most exciting virtue in baseball but it's a winning one. If this carries over into the regular season it could set the table more for the abundance of power bats in the Phillies' lineup.
Max Kepler was an unexpected signing and it was even more unexpected when the Phillies made it clear they intended for the left-handed hitter to play every day in left field, despite suffering from some lefty-righty split issues. Kepler showed everything he possibly could have in spring training, slashing a ridiculous .375/.500/.675 in 40 at bats. He tied for the most RBI (11), home runs (3) and extra base hits (6) of any hitter in Clearwater.
Having someone reliable in the outfield is a luxury the team really hasn't had since Bryce Harper's elbow injury and subsequent position change. Nick Castellanos is a very streaky hitter and Johan Rojas and Brandon Marsh have thus far presented as platoon hitters.
The Phillies will enter the regular season with Taijuan Walker as their fifth starter. Who saw that coming?
With Ranger Suárez on the shelf — hopefully for just a start or two — the Phils have already had to reach into their reserves and are hoping that they see something different from Walker than what they saw last year, or this spring where the $18 million a year man struggled. Behind Walker is Joe Ross, who didn't impress much this spring and who is not stretched out to start yet, and an embarrassment of riches each of whom also struggled in Clearwater, ranging from Tyler Phillips to Mick Abel.
The real upgrade will come this summer, when Andrew Painter will hopefully be ready to contribute to the big league squad. Until then, all fans can do is pray for good health.
The 26-man roster will feature 13 offensive players. Six of them bat from the left side, with one switch hitter in Rafael Marchán. That seems like an even split, but when you break it down into the everyday players it becomes a little lefty heavy. Regulars Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Brandon Marsh, Bryson Stott and Max Kepler are all southpaws.
Why is this an issue? Well, it makes it easier for opposing managers to match up their lefty specialist relievers, and it puts a lot more pressure on the few Phillies right-handed pinch hitters (Marchán, Edmundo Sosa and Rojas). But the Phillies were not overly concerned with this when they decided lefty Kody Clemens would be their final bench bat. Expect to see left-handers get more opportunities to face like-handed pitchers at least early this season.
One of the most common debates among baseball fans of winning teams is about the batting order. It's really hard to know for sure whether Schwarber would have more home runs if he were hitting higher in the order, or if Trea Turner would have more patience and more walks if he were leading off. All signs from the spring sound as though the team intends to find out both answers.
It appears there will be two main batting orders for the regular season, if comments from manager Rob Thomson and his batting orders in spring training are to be believed. Here's what we expect those two to look like:
Against righty starters
Against lefty starters
Will this tactic work? In 2024 the Phillies most regularly stuck with the Schwarber leading off lineup and they won 95 games while Schwarber set a record for leadoff home runs. But perhaps some flexibility and different looks will give the offense some new opportunities, or one of those two lineups will emerge as superior.
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