The Phillies won a series this weekend against the Nationals, and there were some pretty good signs that things are starting to go right. However, there are also some worrisome trends from star players, and from the team as a whole after nine games in this very young season.
As we do every week, here's a look at whose stock is up, and whose is down ahead of a three-game set in St. Louis:
Stock up 📈
J.T. Realmuto, C
All Realmuto needed to be on our hot list was his big three-run homer in Washington this weekend, but he's been consistent in all three series with his nine hits tying for the most on the team. He's bene a very reliable clean-up hitter so far.
Bryce Harper, 1B
Harper blasted three homers against the Reds last week and has since flipped his 0-for-11 start into a .290 batting average with a team-best nine RBI.
Edmundo Sosa, UTIL
Though he's barely played, Sosa has been versatile defensively and provided a boost with his bat in limited innings of work. The utlityman is 3-for-4 so far in 2024 with a homer.
Aaron Nola, SP
Talk about a turnaround:
| Mar 30 | Apr 5 | |
| Runs | 7 | 0 |
| Hits | 11 | 2 |
| HR | 2 | 0 |
Nola did walk four on Friday, but he looked much more like himself throwing 5.2 shutout innings in a winning effort.
The Bullpen
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Nick Nelson allowed a run in the ninth against the Reds last week. Since then, the bullpen has steadied itself. They allowed just two hits in 10 total innings in Washington this weekend and no runs. In the two series prior, the Phils pen allowed 23 runs on 30 hits.
Stock down 📉
Johan Rojas, CF
Not much explanation is needed here. Rojas' bat was expected to be an issue and it has been. He has one hit in eight games (25 plate appearances). At what point does being an automatic out drown out his range in centerfield?
Nick Castellanos, RF
Castellanos has been better than Rojas, but not by much. The free-swinging outfielder has played in every game this season and has just four hits and a .133 average to show for it, though he does lead the team with six walks. He's also been noticeably uncomfortable in right field in front of the new outfield scoreboard at Citizens Bank Park.
Trea Turner, SS
The Phillies better hope Turner's second straight slow start in Philly doesn't last long enough to need another standing ovation. Turner leads the Phils with 12 strikeouts in nine games and is hitting just .222.
Phillies baserunners
Philadelphia has the fourth most stolen bases in the league so far – 11 of them — but at what cost? The team has been caught stealing six times already, the most in the majors. They've been ultra aggressive on the base paths, getting an extra base 52% of the time, the third most, but they've also gotten caught doing so more than any other team has.
Plate discipline
The Phillies faltered in the NLCS due in large part to their inability to avoid swinging at bad pitches against the Diamondbacks. The team was supposed to be working on their chase rate this spring, but it appears not to have done much. Only four MLB teams have swung more at the first pitch this season, and they have swung at 48.3% of pitches in total, the eighth most in baseball via baseball savant.
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