The Philadelphia Phillies enter 2024 with one of the most familiar rosters in the game. The starting nine and the rotation both return intact from the team that won 90 games last season. There isn’t another team in baseball that can boast the same stability.
Phillies' best-case scenario for 2024
This is not only the identical lineup to the one that came within one game of going to the World Series in 2023. It is virtually identical to the Phillies team that did get there in 2022. How could things get better?
Well, Bryce Harper is fully recovered from the shoulder issues that cost him the first half of last season. Considering that Harper produced a .900 OPS when he finally did hit the field, his 3.7 WAR of 2023 easily could have been worth an extra couple of games if stretched over a full healthy season.
Is there potential for an uptick? Yes. Second baseman Bryson Stott, third baseman Alec Bohm and outfielder Brandon Marsh each established themselves as bona fide big leaguers last year, and all three enter 2024 in a player’s prime growth window, ages 26 to 27. Trust me, you would like to have their futures.
Not that it matters for 2024, but the Phils capped the offseason by extending their ace, Zack Wheeler, through 2027. That move was typical of a front office led by team president Dave Dombrowski and general manager Sam Fuld that ranks among the game’s savviest.
Just last season, the various moves made by Dombrowski and Fuld improved the Phillies’ productivity by 13.9 games as measured by Wins Above Average. This has been a quieter offseason, but if the playout itself requires adjustment, you can count on Dombrowski and Fuld to react.