We're more than halfway through May and the Philadelphia Phillies have only 3 losses during this month. All three losses were within 2 runs. One of them, the one from last night, was in extras. At last, a team that has continuously decided to strike gold midyear is embracing the strategy of starting the season as good as they end it.
A lot of Phillies fans I know have been frustrated with the few players who've shown visible flaws, such as Johan Rojas, Taijuan Walker and, for a while, Nick Castellanos...but it's really just them. And a few bullpen guys. The majority of this Phillies team is just excellent right now. It's not only the people you expect to be great, like Zack Wheeler, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto and Ranger Suarez, but so many others.
Like Alec Bohm, who's been one of our best players so far this season. The frustrating thing about Bohm to this point has been his inability to be 'all the way there'. Like there are some seasons where he's hit really well, and clutch too, but keeps fumbling around at third. Bohm I think knew how maligned he was as a defenseman, stepped it up and is now way better, in addition to hitting .330 with 35 RBIs. Bohm has figured out the contact game, and he's a ton more versatile than he was before. For a guy that the Phils have been waiting a while to come along, Bohm is definitely paying off, and having both him and Bryson Stott playing well right now is a great thing.
AND Edmundo Sosa. The guy who was supposed to be a 'break in case of accident' guy for the infield is covering for Trea Turner like a pro, and hitting .313 with 15 hits in 48 at-bats. I kinda figured Sosa would become a lovable fringe guy, and he's made a niche for himself as a really fun infield bat with a lot of versatility. The lovefest will probably dissolve a bit once Turner comes back but it's just good that he's doing well.
The entirety of the Phillies Top 12 WAR performers have a WAR of 1.0 or more. In May. And that's because this is the kind of team where anybody can be the hero, or the star. The starters take turns, it doesn't have to be 'wait til Ranger or Wheeler'. No, Aaron Nola can spin a complete game shutout the moment you think he's washed. Or Brandon Marsh could pound some insane contact hit away from people and break the game open. Or Bryce Harper could keep blasting doubles like it's his job. It's an extremely balanced, extremely satisfying Phillies team, and I'm glad it's going so well.
But...it's early. And the last thing I want for this team is for them to peak too early. They're one of the best teams in baseball right now, and it's early enough that I can't completely believe it yet. They need to keep at it, and keep responding to adversity, or else we're all gonna look silly when the Braves mop the floor with them. If all of this keeps going, and the Phillies keep building on this month, we'll be fine. It just seems like a lot to ask for.
Coming Tonight: Not many hitters register as truly terrifying, but I would honestly hate to be a pitcher facing this guy. No matter what he does, you're screwed.
No comments:
Post a Comment