7 Positive Takeaways From An Awful Phillies Weekend
The Phillies’ opening weekend was pretty dreadful. it started with Nola giving up a 5-run lead. Continued with Wheeler and the Phillies bullpen giving up 16 runs in game 2. Then it finished with the lineup being shut down in a 2-1 loss on Sunday night. Meaning they got swept in the first series of the season. Hard for things to get worse. Especially for a team that has World Series aspirations. But it was not all bad. In fact, despite losing all 3 games, there are some positive takeaways from the series vs the Rangers.
For instance, they had 7 hitters end with weekend with an OPS of at least 1.000. The pitching may have mostly been a disaster, but the bats showed up. After 3 games the Phillies are top 10 in AVG, SLG, and OPS. There were star players who showed why they are stars. And there were young unproven players who showed us they could be in store for a good season.
It is easy, and fair, to look at the 0-3 record and go all negative. But in an attempt to lift our spirits a little bit, let’s focus on the good things. It is a long season, and there are going to be down stretches. We can’t be freaking out and saying the sky is falling 3 games in. Hopefully, this is just one of those stretches. Besides, there were at least 7 guys who gave us positive takeaways this weekend.
Here are 7 positive takeaways from an otherwise horrible weekend for the Phillies…
Alec Bohm
The most obvious positive takeaway from the brutal weekend was Alec Bohm. There was significant hype for Bohm coming into the season after we learned he had muscle over the off-season. And while his Spring Training numbers didn’t jump off the page, we saw enough to feel like he could be in for a big jump this season. So far so good for Bohm, for both parts of his game.
He started out his season with an HR off Jacob DeGrom. It was the first time he ever hit an HR off a 99mph pitch. But his good weekend didn’t stop there. Overall, he racked up 4 hits in 11 at-bats. Two of them were extra-base hits, with a double being the other one.
And in the field? Well, he flashed the glove a bit. There were none of the mental errors we have become accustomed to. Instead he made a Nolan Arenado esque diving play to rob the Rangers of a hit.
Alec Bohm homered on a 99.3 mph fastball from deGrom on Opening Day. Now he makes a ridiculous diving catch on a 98.3 mph scorcher from Marcus Semien. Great start for Bohm. pic.twitter.com/RmlTgw3f4P
— Paul Casella (@Paul_CasellaMLB) April 1, 2023
It is a long season. But Bohm got off on the right foot in it. If he keeps hitting and fielding like this, along with the rest of this lineup, wins shouldn’t be as rare for them as they were Opening Weeekend.
Trea Turner
We all already knew Turner was a star. But it sure was nice to see it in person. Trea Turner went 5 for 13 over the weekend. That included a double, and two triples. He hit it hard right at outfielders a couple of times too. Not to mention his speed at Shortstop helping make up for the lack of a shift. The Phillies didn’t win any games, but that is not because of a lack of production from their leadoff hitter. He had a slash line of .385/.429/.769/1.198. MVP like numbers in a short time span.
Brandon Marsh and Trea Turner just hit back to back triples 🔥🔥
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) March 30, 2023
Trea Turner’s first triple and RBI as a Phillie
Now 4-0 Phils
pic.twitter.com/4F50loeuEj
Bryson Stott
While Bohm gets the majority of attention as a young hitter on this team, Stott should not be overlooked. He entered last season as a highly prized prospect. Stott made the team out of camp but struggled early. He got sent down. But he started to look much better after being brought back up. And now with more experience, he gets a chance to improve on it more. He is off to a good start.
Against the Rangers, he slashed .455/.500/.545/1.054. He didn’t flash the power Turner or Bohm did. But he got on base literally half of the time. Like he did in the playoffs, he battled at the plate. Even when that resulted in an out, he made the pitcher work.
Plus, like both Turner and Bohm, he got to flash his glove a little bit too. On Sunday Nights game he had to range far to his right to rob the Rangers of a hit that would usually have been right into the shift. He made a sliding grab before throwing the runner out at first. His glove at 2nd has a chance to be a big positive for the Phillies given the new rules.
JT Realmuto
Yep, JT is still the best catcher in baseball. Not only did he slash .364/.416/.637/1.053, but in typical JT fashion, he was catching base runners trying to steal. With the larger bases and the new rules about pick-offs, over 80% of steal attempts were successful. There were 53 successful steals across the first 50 games of the season. The Rangers did not share in that success though. They attempted 2 steals and got caught once. With JT behind the plate, the Phillies may have a significant advantage with how much easier stealing bases is this season. He also got a stolen base of his own for what it is worth.
They're still running on him and we don't know why pic.twitter.com/2rAhi2CP1y
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 2, 2023
Brandon Marsh
The final of the trifecta of young guys in the Phillies lineup. Like Bohm and Stott, he showed up for the first few games, even if the full team did not. Marsh did not play last night. But in his first two games got a double and a triple. They haven’t let him face lefties yet, but that will change tonight with him in the lineup vs the lefty Nestor Cortes. Marsh was once a highly-rated prospect, and with a full offseason working with Kevin Long we will see if Marsh can get back to that level.
Nick Castellanos
No player had more question marks hanging over his head than Nick Castellanos coming into this season. He struggled badly last year after signing a large contract with the Phillies. He swung at pretty much everything last year and made contact with almost nothing.
Not only did he go 4 for 11 with 3 doubles, but he walked two times too. Patience was a big issue last season. A focus was on getting him to be selective at the plate. So far so good. If Castellanos finds even half of his form from his 2021 season with the Reds, it would be huge for the Phillies. Especially now that they lost the power bat of Rhys Hoskins. That starts with him having better at-bats overall. And he seems to be doing just that.
Two walks so far tonight for Nick Castellanos. He walked 11 times this spring.
— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) April 3, 2023
Bailey Falter
There were not many positive takeaways from the Phillies’ pitching staff. Nola and Wheeler were disasters in their first starts. The bullpen was not much better, with both Seranthony and Kimbrel getting blown up. But one surprising source gave the Phillies a pretty solid performance. No one is expecting Bailey Falter to be a star. At least they shouldn’t be. But if he gives them 5+ innings, and two earned runs every night, you will take that from the 5th best pitcher in your starting rotation.
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