Philadelphia Phillies Weekly Trends: 3 Up & 1 Down

The early swoons of the 2022 and 2023 seasons look like a thing of the past. The Philadelphia Phillies pounded some weak opponents with a +24 run differential to sweep a pair of three-game sets and improve to 14-8.

Trea Turner unsurprisingly led the way, but Johan Rojas more surprisingly showed off his potential as a hitter in his best week of the season.

Rojas became the hot topic at the end of an otherwise dull spring training. His slow start at the plate pushed his critics to downplay his excellent defense. Jayson Stark even revealed an alarming perception from some opposing pitchers about Johan Rojas as a hitter.

The quick center fielder has never left a doubt with his glove. His first step in the outfield helps him cover ground as well as a veteran Gold Glover.

However, his contributions finally spilled over to the plate with an excellent week. He took advantage of two weak opponents in five games against the Rockies and White Sox with a 7-16 (.438) stretch.

While Johan Rojas might naturally cool off as a hitter, he has found a way to utilize his speed offensively. He stole a base in four consecutive starts from April 17-21 and brought his season total to six. He’s only been caught once, and speed doesn't go into many slumps.

The underwhelming performance from Trea Turner in the first season of his 11-year contract left the Phillies expecting a full season of success in 2024. So far, so good.

Turner took his hot start one step further by going 12-26 (.462) the past week. He raised his season average from .302 to .348.

Five doubles and one home run also raised his season OPS to 1.251 (MLB Average in 2023: .734). The former batting champion’s short swing has helped him pull the ball for power consistently throughout the first month of the season.

Turner has shown good range from side to side in the field. Grounders hit directly at him have caused problems, but some plus plays in the field have helped offset three errors early in the season.

The Phillies have arguably the best starting staff in the majors. The rotation dominated weak hitting and jumped toward the top in most statistical categories.

The staff has comfortably moved up to second in the majors with a 2.25 ERA behind an otherworldly 1.73 ERA from Boston Red Sox starters.

Turnbull took a no-hitter into the seventh inning on Friday night. Wheeler outdid him by taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning on Saturday. Nola recovered from a rough first inning on Sunday to get through eight and close the sweep against the lowly White Sox.

Taijuan Walker made his final minor league rehab start on Sunday. Will he rejoin a rotation that’s rolling on all cylinders? The fifth starter controversy has become The Great Debate of 2024.

The eighth and final man in the bullpen is the only weak link to point out in the past two series. Pinto's stint with the Phillies began as an interesting story of a baseball journeyman, but his run in the majors might be over.

He entered in the ninth inning of Saturday night’s blowout with a 9-0 lead. Opposing pitchers had shut out the White Sox in seven of their first 19 games, and their team batting average was below .200.

Pinto couldn’t close the deal. He allowed five earned runs and loaded the bases before Rob Thomson went to Jose Alvarado to close the game.

Don’t expect to see Pinto with the Phillies much longer. He’s now allowed 10 earned runs in his last three appearances.

Walker will soon join the active roster and force some tinkering. Nick Nelson also looks like a better option at the bottom of the depth chart if the Phillies make a call-up down the road.

The crop of MLB players from the Philadelphia area has grown during the 21st century. Powerhouse local high school and AAU programs, especially in South Jersey and the Philadelphia Catholic League, send players to the highest levels with seeming regularity.

Older players include Negro Leagues star Roy Campanella and Phillies record holder Del Ennis. “Mr. October” even hailed from the Philadelphia area. His prime came long before baseball’s most prominent Eagles fan Mike Trout stole the attention as the best local baseball player. 

Go back further in baseball history to enjoy classic names like Sparrow Morton, Buster Hoover, Oyster Burns, Horace Helmbold, Lefty Hoerst, Heinie Kappel, and Patsy O’Rourke. Everyone enjoys a great old school baseball name.

Honorable mentions to the all-time local roster include local broadcasters Ben Davis and the late, great John Marzano.

The official MLB website and the legendary TedSilary.com helped provide the archives to choose the starting lineup. It includes a roster of the starting nine (including a designated hitter), a five-man starting rotation, a closer, and a memorable Little League middle-relief pitcher for good measure.

The city of Philadelphia has an unthinkable pick between two of the best managers in baseball history. How do you choose between Tommy Lasorda and Joe McCarthy?

97.5 The Fanatic has put together a comprehensive list of rosters of the best local players in major professional sports.

Wendle grew up in Chester County before attending West Chester University. He’s put together a solid major league career as a reliable infielder for four different teams. He finished fourth in voting for the AL Rookie of the Year and made an All-Star appearance in 2021. Wendle was born in Wilmington, DE.

Phillies fans have been calling for Mike Trout to return “home” since he broke out as the AL Rookie of the Year in 2012. The pride of Millville, NJ has won three AL MVP Awards with the Los Angeles Angels, and his statistical prime was as good as any major leaguer in the history of the game. He won three MVP awards in six seasons from 2014-2019.

Catch Mike Trout as a celebrity fan at Eagles home games.

Mr. October was one of the best playoff performers in MLB history. Jackson won five World Series and made 14 All-Star appearances in 21 major league seasons, most notably with the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees. He entered the Hall of Fame in 1993. Jackson was born in Abington, PA.

Goldschmidt established himself as one of the hardest-hitting sluggers of the 2010s. The first baseman spent eight years with the Arizona Diamondbacks before moving to the St. Louis Cardinals in his 30s.

He won his first National League MVP with the St. Louis Cardinals after previously finishing sixth or higher in voting five times. He was born in Wilmington, DE.

Mike Piazza grew up in Phoenixville, PA. The Los Angeles Dodgers found an all-time steal in the 62nd round of the 1988 MLB Draft.

He built the basis of his Hall of Fame resume in seven seasons with the Dodgers and eight with the New York Mets. He was the best offensive catcher in the league during the 1990s and early 2000s.

Roy Campanella spent eight seasons in the Negro Leagues before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and later 10 seasons in the majors. He won three MVP Awards and a World Series ring with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Before he played professional baseball, he attended Simon Gratz High School in North Philadelphia. Campanella's name consistently comes up as a pioneer for African-American baseball players.

Seemingly every time you see a graphic flash across the screen on a Phillies broadcast, you see the name Del Ennis. He sits in the top 10 in franchise history in home runs, hits, RBIs, games played, and many other major statistical categories.

Ennis played 11 of his 14 MLB seasons for the Phillies in the 1940s and 1950s. He grew up in the Olney section of Philadelphia.

The pool of third basemen isn’t very deep, so a Gold Glover at first base would need to make the transition. Christian Walker grew up in Norristown and attended the former Kennedy-Kenrick before his MLB career began.

Phillies fans remember his contributions to the NLCS upset in 2023. Walker was a key piece of the National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks.

The utility infielder isn’t the most accomplished baseball player in this hypothetical lineup. However, he earned a spot with a respectable career as a journeyman who recognized his role and mastered it.

Phil Gosselin became a high school star at local powerhouse Malvern Prep. He dropped one of the best feel-good lines in Philly sports history after a bases-clearing double early in his first season with the Phillies in 2019.

Every soul in South Jersey seems to have a connection to Zac Gallen or his family members. The Arizona Diamondbacks ace has flirted with an NL Cy Young Award in the prime years of his career.

His role with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023 sticks in the heads of Phillies fans. Gallen was the top starter for an Arizona team that stunned the Phillies in the NLCS.

The Phillies acquired Jamie Moyer in 2006 as a veteran deadline acquisition at age 43. He remarkably pitched in parts of five seasons into his late 40s and even pitched for the Colorado Rockies at age 49.

The Souderton, PA native and Saint Joseph’s University graduate became one of the feel-good stories of the 2008 World Series as the local kid who returned home to win the title. He famously dug up the mound at Citizens Bank Park after the Game 6 clincher.

Kennett Square native Herb Pennock broke into the majors with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1912. He played 22 seasons for the A’s, Yankees, and Red Sox. His 241-162 career record earned him the nod for the Hall of Fame.

He passed away in 1948 at the young age of 53.

Mark Gubicza spent the better part of the 1980s in the starting rotation for the Kansas City Royals. He won 132 games over a 14-year MLB career. He grew up in Philadelphia and attended Penn Charter.

Gubicza came to the Royals just after they faced the Phillies in the World Series in 1980.

Walters pitched in parts of five seasons with the Phillies to begin his MLB career. He moved on for his most successful years with the Cincinnati Reds. He won the NL MVP Award in 1939. Walters grew up in Abington and attended Germantown High School.

Philadelphia will always celebrate a graduate of Father Judge and Temple University. Joe Kerrigan spent only four seasons in major league bullpens.

Kerrigan returned to Philadelphia for a stint as the Phillies pitching coach in 2003 and 2004. He managed Larry Bowa's staff well during his short tenure.

She didn’t make it to the major leagues. We’re aware. However, Mo’ne Davis surprisingly took the sports world by storm during the 2014 Little League World Series. The memorable novelty of a Little League team playing just off South Street deserved acknowledgment in a look back at local baseball history.

McCarthy won seven World Series in 16 seasons from 1931-1946 as the skipper for the Bronx Bombers. The Yankees must’ve thought highly of him if they ignored interest from Babe Ruth to become their manager. The decision certainly paid off.

He grew up playing baseball in Germantown.