The problems ahead
Besides competing in an absolutely loaded division in which they finished with fewer than 90 wins last season, the Phillies’ most obvious problem is clearly that they will have to play the first half of their season without Bryce Harper. This is one among several reasons Trea Turner was signed.
Harper’s absence would also be counted as the second- and third-ranked problems, arguably.
Fourth, then, would be that the Phillies just resigned slugger Rhys Hoskins to a $12 million one-year deal, avoiding arbitration. Hoskins, a team mainstay and very positive clubhouse presence, has hit 148 home runs in the equivalent of four and a half full seasons. He endeared himself to fans last postseason with a pivotal homer and celebratory display.
However, he is only an average fielder at best, and he won’t have the backup of an extra fielder on his side of the field for shifts this season. This is a contract year for him, though. He is now a veteran, and now faces a performance challenge.
This “let’s see” reality of Hoskins’ position suggests the fifth problem, which seems to be a cluster of unknowns related to the team’s changes, including a couple from last year: Will Brandon Marsh continue to develop as well in center field and as a hitter as he initially did after coming over from the Angels last summer? Can Alec Bohm continue to act and play like a real MLB third baseman, or could he revert to his petulance of ’21?
Will Turner and Stott work well together as a double-play combination? Will Kimbrel and Soto actually contribute something? Can the pitching staff as a whole cohere, or even dominate, in that way that suggests they don’t need tinkering at mid-season or at the end of it? Will not designating a closer continue to work?
Finally, can the team come together and play the kind of baseball their lineup suggests they should, as they did at various points last season, albeit inconsistently until the playoffs?
The answer to some of these questions will undoubtedly be “no.” All this said, a whole lot of teams would gladly trade their anticipated problems for the issues Phillies fans should see coming.