Last October was one of the greatest “moments” in Philadelphia sports. I’m not sure calling it a moment is fair. It was a celebration of baseball that carried on for five weeks. It was one of the greatest joy rides as a fan that I can ever remember. One thing I expected to receive when we didn’t get an early November parade was a quality hangover. That hasn’t happened. This Phillies team appears to be still drunk from the numerous champagne celebrations they had and sobriety doesn’t appear any closer to reality.
The last two years the Phillies were (25-29). Last season after falling 8 games below .500 the Phillies reached the even mark at (29-29). This team doesn’t seem to have comparable resilience to previous models. In 2022 they had Wheeler and Nola both pitching well. The fact that this team hasn’t completely fallen out of contention is somewhat of a miracle. Whether it means they are going to be in the wildcard race in August is yet to be seen. Paint me less than optimistic. The 2022 Braves won the division and didn’t reach .500 until they were (27-27). In 2021 the Braves were World Champions and were (44-45) at the All Star Break! Overreacting to the Phillies record on June 1st should be a cautionary tale, but something just doesn’t feel right. If Alec Bohm is truly injured one of their most productive bats going missing could be a death blow.
I spoke on the air on Tuesday that I’m willing to give this team until the 4th of July to get things figured out. If I’m not feeling it then I’m going to be convinced that last Fall was nothing but a mirage. The 2022 Phillies wouldn’t even have made the postseason unless there was a collection of good fortune that fell into their laps. First of all, MLB had added a 3rd wildcard team that allowed a berth that hadn’t previously existed. Then the Milwaukee Brewers proceeded to lose their hold on the 3rd wildcard spot by losing 10 of their last 14 games. The Phillies went an unbelievably mediocre (4-8) just to back into the spot. Unlikely would be an understatement.
Being shut out in Game 1 at St. Louis until the crazy 9th-inning comeback rally was just the start of the fun. The Phillies caught fire and went on an October run that saw them knock off three teams as an underdog. They were unbeatable at home and the momentum for the franchise appeared real. At the very least, this year’s squad doesn’t seem to have learned anything from it.
Rob Thomson pushed all the right buttons in October but this year appears to be fumbling with the remote. They are a 4th place club playing without confidence or a high baseball IQ. They run the bases poorly, rarely have a shutdown inning after taking a lead and fail to mount comeback rallies often. It’s got to change soon.
Everyone wants to believe. The fans have been showing up in droves. The response from the roster has been tepid. If things don’t turn quickly it will be easy to assume that last year was nothing but a mirage. One of the greatest unlikely joy rides ever in Philadelphia sports ensued. Sadly, I’m not feeling it this time around.
More Philly Sports:
7 Philadelphia Athletes Who Have Proven Themselves, And 7 Who Haven't
Joel Embiid- Not Proven
There is a lot good to say about Joel Embiid. In terms of talent, you could argue he is one of the most talented guys to every play in Philly period, let alone just the Sixers. 3 straight seasons as an MVP finalist, and he won it this year. And before the Celtics series, many would have said he was the Philly athlete they trusted the most. But there is no ignoring what happened this season. When the lights shined the brightest, he could not live up to the lofty expectations.
15 points in an elimination game. The biggest dropoff in scoring in the playoffs by an MVP ever. He let his team drop 2 straight games after they led 3-2. It was unacceptable. Enough with the excuses. Joel Embiid needs to step up and get the job done the next time he gets the chance. Until then it will be hard to forget how badly he played when it mattered most.
(Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Carter Hart- Unproven
Carter Hart was supposed to be the next great Flyers goalie. And so far, he has kind of lived up to it. Hart has played well, considering everything else around him. The defense in front of him in his young career has been putrid. Hell, the whole team has been. This is not a, he has not done well enough thing. But more of he has never had a chance to live up to the hype. He looked decent in his one taste of the playoffs. Had a save percentage of .926 in 14 games.
Hopefully, soon enough he will get more of a chance. Ideally, Keith Jones and Danny Briere will finally build a good team around him, and give him a chance to grow into the guy promised as a generational goalie. We need to see it before we say he has proven anything though. We have seen goalies carry their teams in the playoffs. Can Hart do that? We don’t know yet.
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Zack Wheeler- Unproven
Going into the World Series last season, Wheeler felt like the sure thing. But now? It’s a bit questionable. He was not as bad as Nola in the World Series. It would be hard to be worse. But his 5.23 ERA was still bad. His first start was a blowup. The 2nd start was better, but he couldn’t get through 5 innings. Not good enough from an Ace. To make it worse, he has been a bit shaky this season, even if he has turned things around recently.
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Darius Slay- Unproven
We all love Slay. Him coming back, is a good thing. Between him and James Bradberry, they were one of the best, if not the best, cornerback tandem in the league. But the defense is a big reason why they lost the Super Bowl. In fact, it is the reason they lost. And Slay was getting picked on a little bit. You could say the same about James Bradberry, but Slay is the one who is the team leader and the most recognizable face on the defense. The defense needs to be better next time. Starting with him.
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Tyrese Maxey- Unproven
Maxey is still young, so he deserves a bit of a break. We have seen him show star potential in the playoffs in the past. But we have also seen him disappear in games too often. Maxey looked great in games 5 and 6. But was a non factor in games 2, 3, and 4. Embiid and Harden rightfully took most of the heat for the Playoff collapse.
Going forward, Maxey needs to be more reliable. It doesn’t need to be a 30pt night like in game 5. But can he average 20 pts a game in the playoffs like he does in the regular season? They are going to need him to. The excuses that he is young and inexperienced won’t fly past this season. With a larger role likely coming for him, he needs to step into it if the Sixers are going to fix this.
(Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Trea Turner- Unproven
Trea Turner is certainly a star. He has been the best SS in the MLB at times. But he has yet to really prove he can be the guy when it counts here, or elsewhere. His first season here has been a disaster so far. it looked like things were turning around in June. But in July he went right back to swinging at every pitch out of the zone. To make it worse he is even hurting them in the field. They need him to be a star. So far, he hasn’t even been good.
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
