The Math on Bryce Harper Return might just mean everything for the Phillies!
By John Kincade
Last year the Phillies season benefitted from not only one, but two changes to the league rules. Without either of these changes, the amazing post season run of the 2022 season never culminates in the World Series. It truly was magical.
MLB ADDED THE 3rd WILDCARD
The third wildcard never existed before 2022 and the Phillies should be thrilled that it was. The Mets and the Padres had secured the normal wildcard spots. The Mets had the top wildcard with 101 wins and the Padres secured the second wildcard with 89 wins. The Phillies would normally have been sent home with just 87 wins but they made the most of their 3rd wildcard opportunity.
THE NL ADDED THE DESIGNATED HITTER TO THE NL
Until 2022, the NL fan bases had soundly rejected the premise of the designated hitter. If it hadn’t been introduced, Bryce Harper would have had to undergo surgery in the summer and his contributions to the October run never happen. That was quite fortunate as his rampage proved.
ONCE AGAIN A MLB RULE CHANGE BENEFITS THE PHILLIES AND BRYCE HARPER
Since the news broke that, at least for now, Bryce Harper isn’t going to go on the 60 day DL that could end up being a huge benefit for the teams 2023 chances. MLB made the decision to shift their scheduling. Every team will now face each other every season. One year the Phillies will travel to their AL opponent and the next year they will host them. It creates six fewer divisional games for each team. They will play just 13 games vs the Braves, Mets, Marlins and Nationals. You can look at that as a good or bad thing. You play twelve less games vs two of the best teams in the NL, but get twelve less games vs two losing teams. What is most important? The way the schedule falls.
The Phillies most critical 2023 games vs the Braves and Mets are potentially impacted by a quicker return of Bryce Harper. The two teams only meet four times a year, not six this time around. COULD Bryce Harper be ready by Memorial Day? That would be overly optimistic but potentially very ideal. The Week of May 25 – June 1st the Phils play 4 at the Braves and 3 at Mets. That’s the first critical stretch.
Barring a setback, Bryce SHOULD be back by June 20th, right? The Week of June 20 – June 25th the Phillies host the Braves for 3 games followed by the Mets for 3. Can you imagine the crowds and excitement if the return of Harper culminates that week? It might even be before!
The great news for The Phillies is that they will play 13 of their last 19 games against the Braves and the Mets starting on September 12th. The MLB schedulers set it up for drama. As long as they haven’t fallen out of the race by a large margin, the Phillies could play their best baseball down the stretch and grab the division crown.
The Phillies clearly had a horseshoe in their back pocket in 2022. It looks as if they might have found yet another four leaf clover to get them over the difficulty of missing Bryce Harper.
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