With the Philadelphia Phillies about a month away from the All Star break, being the halfway point of the MLB season, the Phillies are appearing to be not only the National League favorite to win the World Series but also the overall favorite to win it. It’s time to look into the numbers that define their outstanding performance on the diamond.
From standout performances to areas in need of improvement, although there might not be many areas of improvement considering that they are statistically the best team in the MLB.
Offensive Prowess:
– Batting Average (Team): The Phillies boast a solid team batting average of .255, placing them in the top six offensive teams in the league. This impressive mark is fueled by the likes of Bryce Harper (.268), who continues to be a force at the plate, and to many people’s surprise Alec Bohm who has had a remarkable start to the year, and currently leads the Phillies with a .291 batting average. Bohm also has the most Runs Batted In in the MLB with 50 and only ten away from the league leader.
– Home Runs: The long ball has been a key component of the Phillies’ offensive arsenal, with the team belting 71 homers, which is the 6th most of any MLB team this year. Harper leads the charge with 18 dingers, followed closely by Kyle Schwarber (11) and Nick Castellanos (9).
– Run Production: Scoring runs hasn’t been an issue for the Phillies, who have plated 320 runs so far, just three behind the Yankees. The run support has came from just about everyone in the Phillies lineup, but the majority has came from Kyle Schwarber with 44 runs
– Also with the addition of the new rules in the MLB stealing bases has never been easier and Bryson Stott has taken full advantage of them, who currently has the fifth most in the MLB.
Pitching Performance:
– Earned Run Average (ERA): The Phillies’ pitching staff has been spectacular posting an overall ERA of 2.97, proving that the entire staff has taken a massive jump from last year. Newly found Ace Ranger Suarez leads the Phillies with a remarkable 1.69 ERA which is league best and has 80 strikeouts on the year. Naturally Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler are having one of their best years statistically. Nola has a 2.77 ERA with only 76 strike outs. On the other hand Zack Wheeler has an unbelievable 2.23 ERA to pair with 91 strikeouts. The whole pitching staff has been superb and they have all taken a massive step in the right direction to potentially make and win the World Series.
Areas of Improvement:
There are not many areas that the Phillies can improve on, besides adding better pieces to their all bullpen. Their set up men (Gregory Soto and Seranthony Domínguez) and closers (Jeff Hoffman and Jose Alverado) as well as long reliever, Matt Strahm are all very reliable later on in the game. But the rest have been very shaky and have not proved they are ready for postseason baseball. If the Phillies can go out and trade for a long reliever to air up with Matt Strahm they should be solid.
Looking Ahead:
As the Phillies gear up for the second half of the season, they find themselves in a prime position to be The Team in the national league. The only teams that they should be worrying about are the Super team that the Dodgers have built, The Milwaukee Brewers, and from the American League, the Yankees. With a potent offense, and solid pitching staff, the Phillies have the pieces in place to contend for a playoff berth and make noise in October.
