Phillies Daycare Are Looking Like Stars Early in The Season
Last season, a group of young Phillies players were affectionally given the name The Daycare. Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, Nick Maton, Matt Vierling, and later Brandon Marsh. Maton and Vierling are obviously no longer here anymore. But the most important names, namely the 3 guys who were actually starters and played significant roles in the post-season, still are. It may be early in the season, but it is looking like that Daycare is ready to play a starring role in this Phillies season.
All 3 played a major role in the Phillies taking 2 of 3 of the Reds over the weekend. Each of them came up big at the plate in Saturday’s walk-off win. Bohm hit a single to send Nick Castellanos to 3rd. Marsh followed that up with a single of his own, scoring Nick, and sending Bohm to 3rd. Sosa’s Sac Fly scored Bohm. Marsh stole 2nd to get into scoring position for Stott. And then it was Stott’s knock that brought Marsh home to give the Phillies the win.
But it was not just Saturday’s game where the 3 of them made an impact. Here is what each of them are doing so far in the young Phillies season.
Alec Bohm
Let’s start with Alec Bohm. The former 3rd overall pick seems primed to break out. In Sunday’s game vs the Reds he hit his 2nd home run of the young season. It was also his 4th extra-base hit. Bohm is slashing .313/.389/.563/.951 early in the season. He is tied for the team lead in RBIs, 5, and total bases, 18. Bohm has hits in 7 of the Phillies’ first 9 games and has gotten on base in every game to start the season. There was a lot of talk about him looking much better to start the Spring. And at least so far, that talk is proving true. All of that while bouncing back and forth from 3rd to 1st base.
Bohm has had his ups and downs with the Phillies. His rookie season was amazing. The follow-up season was not so great. And at the start of last season, he reached his lowest point where he made 3 errors in one game. Afterward, he had the now infamous moment where under his breath he said ” I bleeping hate it here.” But he bounced back to have a solid season, and the fans embraced him for owning his mistakes. If the rest of his season looks like this, we could be looking at the start of him turning into a star.
Bryson Stott
Only 9 players have started the season by getting a hit in every game. Stott is one of those 9 guys. He has 15 hits over the first 9 games. Good for the 6th most in the league. And every single guy ahead of him on that list have the advantage of playing an extra game. Only 3 of those hits have gone for extra bases, all doubles. But when you are hitting at the rate Stott is, you will take the singles. Stott has 6 multi-hit games to start the season. By the way, he is playing a pretty good 2nd base to start the season too.
Stott struggled early last season. But he looked much better late in the year. He had some big moments in the playoffs. But now Stott appears ready to really take the next step and turn into a dependable bat for the Phillies
Brandon Marsh
And finally, there is Brandon Marsh. He has had a couple of blunders in the field and on the bases to start the season. Though you can’t really blame him for being caught out on the bases in Sunday’s game. Dusty Wathan was waving his arms for him to run, just to change it to a stop sign as he is already coming into 3rd base. But even Marsh’s errors on the field and on the bases aside, he has looked very good at the plate to start the season. He is currently the only Phillies player with an OPS over 1.000. And not only is he the only Phillies player with an SLG% over .600 but the only one with an SLG% over .700. His slash line on the season is .333/.391/.762/1.153.
Marshy has two doubles, two triples, and a home run. All of those extra-base hits, despite only playing in 7 games. And in one of those games, he was a pinch hitter. So in 4 of his 6 starts, he has at least one extra-base hit. He came to the Phillies with his swing a little bit broken. But since arriving in Philadelphia, he is slashing .294/.356/.497/.843. It looks like the Phillies finally found their center fielder of the future. The years of Odubel Herrera, Scott Kingery, Matt Vierling, Aaron Altherr, and Roman Quinn are hopefully behind us.
Conclusion
9 games is a small sample size. But the Daycare is looking great to start the season. Stott, Marsh, and Bohm are arguably their 3 best players in the young season. Obviously, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and JT Realmuto will pick it up and be better by the end of the season. And Bryce Harper is looking good to return by June. But don’t leave out the Daycare. The 3-6 start is disappointing. But one great thing we can take away from it is that these 3 guys may be turning into stars before our eyes.
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