Busting The Myth That The Phillies Struggle With RISP

The Phillies struggle with runners in scoring position. That is a take many Phillies fans will state as a fact. Convincing them otherwise feels futile because it is a core belief for them. They know it is true, they have seen it with their own eyes.

Here is the thing, it is made up. It is as fake as the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot. People might tell you they have seen it. There is tons of anecdotal evidence. But when you actually look at the facts, the entire argument falls apart.

Think about the every day hitters in this Phillies lineup. Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm, Nick Castellanos, JT Realmuto, Bryson Stott, Brandon Marsh, and Johan Rojas. Take a moment to guess how many of them you think hits over .260 with runners in scoring position. If you guess any number under 6, you are wrong.

Yes 6 guys, Schwarber, Turner, Harper, Bohm, Castellanos, and Rojas, all hit at least .260 with RISP. Rojas, harper, and Bohm all hit over .300 with RISP. Schwarber, Bohm, and Harper all have an OPS over .800 with RISP, with Harper's OPS with RISP sitting at an absurd 1.140.

Brandon marsh just missed the cut at .257. But that is still an improvement compared to his normal BA. Realmuto and Stott are the only guys who actually struggle with RISP based on the numbers. Austin Hays does not have enough of a sample size to determine one way or the other. Edmundo Sosa hits .257 like Marsh does.

As a team, they are 7th in the league with a .267 AVG with RISP. For all the talk of them striking out too much, they have the 11th lowest strikeout rate with RISP. They are 14th overall

There is no basis in reality for the argument that they struggle with RISP. There is no metric that suggest they struggle with RISP. There are a few teams better than them. You can certainly say the D Backs are better than them at hitting with RISP. But when someone says they suck with RISP, or that it is some major issue for this team, they are living in an alternate reality. One where their feelings matter more than the actual data.

Is this team flawless? Of course not. Like every team, they have some flaws. But of all 30 teams, they might have the fewest flaws. Their bullpen is elite. Their starting staff is elite. And their lineup top 5 in baseball.

The problem is fans tend to judge them in a vacuum. They don't look at other teams, they only look at their own team. But you could pick apart every team the way Phillies fans try to do with their own team. The Dodgers pitching staff is shallow, and their lineup after the 3 big names is questionable. The same goes for the Yankees.

There is no such thing as a perfect team. Last year some people thought the Braves were near perfect, the Phillies proved that was not the case.

This is a very good team. Are they are a lock to win? Of course not. There are several other very good teams in their way. If they do lose, it does not necessarily mean they choked or failed. That will depend on how they lose, and who they lose to. Only 1 team can win.

If they go on to lose, and there is a glaring flaw in how they played, pick them apart then. But don't make up stuff ahead of time to complain about. Stop spreading the myth that they struggle with RSIP, because it is a flat out lie. Other than your own imagination, there is nothing to back that statement up.

Citizens Bank Park hosted one of its most memorable series of the 2024 season. Phillies Alumni Weekend attracted fans of all ages to see former president and CEO David Montgomery posthumously join the Wall of Fame.

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The legends from different eras attended the weekend festivities during a series against the Washington Nationals. Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton highlighted the star-studded list of champions from the franchise’s first World Series in 1980.

Carlos Ruiz and Brad Lidge kicked off the celebrations on Friday night before most of their former teammates got to the ballpark for their appearances.

Ballpark regulars like Larry Bowa, Charlie Manuel, and John Kruk also got a rise out of the crowd, as always.

The 20th anniversary of Citizens Bank Park’s inaugural season provided the perfect opportunity to honor David Montgomery. Sunday’s pregame ceremony and the entire weekend flawlessly highlighted the legacy of a proud organization.

The weekend started with a bang. Carlos Ruiz received a special gift from the Phillies organization, home plate from Wrigley Field on the day in 2015 when he became the second catcher in MLB history to catch four no-hitters.

Ruiz reversed roles with 2008 World Series teammate Brad Lidge on the ceremonial first pitch on Friday night. Lidge joked about returning the favor to his former battery mate.

The Panamanian backstop played 1069 regular-season games in 11 seasons with the Phillies from 2006-2016. Señor Octubre also caught 46 playoff games for some of the best teams in franchise history.

97.5 The Fanatic Instagram: Carlos Ruiz Throws Ceremonial First Pitch To Brad Lidge

Former Phillies President and CEO David Montgomery joined the Phillies Wall of Fame posthumously on Saturday night.

Montgomery spent 48 years in various roles within the organization, rising into the executive ranks during the 1990s. He passed away in 2019 after a five-year battle with cancer.

His wife Lyn Montgomery and his daughter Susa McFall attended the festivities on David’s behalf.

The Phillies alumni in attendance lauded Montgomery for the family atmosphere he created within the organization. The Roxborough native built a reputation for his inclusion of all ballpark staff, from star outfielders to security guards and from starting pitchers to elevator attendants.

Mike Schmidt spoke about Montgomery after the Wall of Fame ceremony.

Phillies fans stepping through the gates at Citizens Bank Park enter David Montgomery’s living legacy. His vision to move the team from Veterans Stadium led to a new era in franchise history.

He’s credited with a unique ballpark dimension that now bears his name. The left-center field wall at Citizens Bank Park has produced some crazy bounces over the years.

None were more memorable than J.T. Realmuto’s inside-the-park home run in Game 4 of the NLDS in 2022.

Former Phillies center fielder and fellow Penn graduate Doug Glanville unveiled the new name.

The Phillies asked three alumni to change the bases after the third inning on Saturday as part of Wall of Fame Night. It felt fitting that Jim Thome took first and Juan Samuel took second.

Manny Trillo played along and took third base, where he shifted at some points during his career although he played second for the 1980 World Champions. Nice touch.

The Phillies treated fans with an up close and personal look at the existing Wall of Fame inductees.

The franchise legends processed through the left field gate at Citizens Bank Park just steps shy of Ashburn Alley in front of a screaming audience about two hours before Cristopher Sanchez threw the first pitch on Saturday.

Fans who arrived early saw legends of all different eras. Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, and Greg Luzinski were among the stars who lit up the eyes of the older generation who watched the World Series in 1980.

Jim Thome and Bobby Abreu provided a trip down memory lane to the earliest years of Citizens Bank Park.

Charlie Manuel and Pat Gillick brought the entire crowd back to the Golden Era of Phillies baseball from 2007-2011.

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The organization wrapped up the weekend festivities with a pregame ceremony on Sunday. All alumni in attendance marched out of the dugout on a memorable afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.

PhanaVision showed some of the career highlights of players who have made an impact on the long history of the Phillies, the longest single-name, single-city franchise in North American professional sports.

The Phillies didn’t forget there was a series to play. They had hit their low point of the 2024 season after a 5-0 embarrassment against the Miami Marlins on the first game of the homestand on Tuesday.

They’ve recovered nicely by salvaging the split against the Fish and pounding the inferior Nationals in a commanding weekend series win that made the franchise legends proud.

Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Cristopher Sanchez regained the form that helped the Phillies off to a hot start to gain control of the National League East. A loss on Sunday snapped a four-game winning streak, but they’ll hit the road now to face stronger opponents in the Atlanta Braves and the Kansas City Royals.  

Circa 1980: Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Greg Luzinski, Larry Bowa, Bob Boone, Bob Wine, Manny Trillo, Juan Samuel, Ron Reed, Dickie Noles, Gary Matthews, Garry Maddox, Steve Jeltz, Greg Gross

Circa 1993: John Kruk, Milt Thompson, Tommy Greene, Larry Andersen, Ruben Amaro Jr., Kevin Stocker, Jeff Manto

Circa 2004 Jim Thome, Bobby Abreu, Mike Lieberthal, Brandon Duckworth

Circa 2008: Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz, Charlie Manuel, Pat Gillick, Brad Lidge, Jamie Moyer, Joe Blanton, Ryan Madson, Aaron Rowand, Erik Kratz, Kevin Frandsen

Local Alumni: Mark Leiter Sr., Greg Legg, Art Mahaffey, Ramon Henderson, Terry Harmon, Gene Garber, Doug Clemens, John Briggs, Howie Bedell