The Phillies cruised to their first NL East title in 13 seasons in 2024. For much of 2024, the Phillies looked like a top-two team in the National League. However, things crashed for the Phillies in October when Philadelphia lost in four to the Mets in the NLDS. Here’s our recap of what went right and wrong for the 2024 Phillies.
The Offense
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Scored | 784 | 5th |
| Home Runs | 198 | 7th |
| OPS | .750 | 5th |
| Whiff% | 25.9% | 19th |
| Hard Hit% | 40.2% | 9th |
The Pitching
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Starters’ ERA | 3.81 | 8th |
| Relievers’ ERA | 3.94 | 14th |
| Strikeouts | 1,480 | 8th |
| Whiff% | 25.2% | 17th |
| Chase% | 30.8% | 1st |
The Good
The Phillies, yet again, were an elite offensive team. Philadelphia finished in the top ten in runs scored for the third straight season, thanks to a powerhouse offense that saw eight players hit double-digits in home runs.
The offense, for much of 2024, was captained by Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber, the Phillies’ leadoff hitter, set the pace for their lineup. He led the National League in total walks (106), hit 38 home runs, and batted .248/.366/.485 (.851 OPS) for a Phillies team that won the NL East for the first time in 13 years.
Trea Turner missed 41 games but still hit 21 home runs and came just one stolen base shy of a 20-20 season. Bryce Harper hit 30 home runs despite what could be considered a down season for the star slugger. Harper hit .266/.333/.460 in the second half, and his .460 SLG sat 120 points lower than his first-half total.
Alec Bohm had an incredibly impressive first half for Philadelphia, as he hit .295/.348/.482 with 45 extra-base hits and 70 RBI. However, his numbers declined in the second half, which I’ll get to in a minute.
As for the Phillies’ pitching, it was also a strength. The 1-2 punch of Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola was effective yet again. Wheeler struck out 224 over 200 innings, keeping hitters off balance on the regular. The 34-year-old led the NL in WHIP (0.96) and H/9 (6/3), en route to finishing as a NL Cy Young Award finalist.
Nola, meanwhile, didn’t strike out 200 or more batters for the first time in a 162-game season since 2017. Still, Nola leveraged his curve and plus fastball — despite the lack of velocity — to a Chase% of 32.1%, well above the league average.
In the bullpen, the Phillies had a dominant trio of Jeff Hoffman, Orion Kerkering, and Matt Strahm, all of whom had ERAs below 2.20 and K/9 rates north of 10.0. It made life easy for manager Rob Thompson, especially after Philadelphia acquired former All-Star reliever Carlos Estevez in the summer.
Even though Estevez gave up a grand slam to Francisco Lindor in the NLDS that essentially ended the Phillies’ season, he notched six saves and pitched well in the regular season.
The Bad
For as good as the Phillies offense is when it comes to hitting the home run ball, their short run in October gave the baseball world a long look at their flaws at the plate.
Unfortunately for the Phillies’ offense, many of their hitters, like Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos, are prone to chasing. It’s less of a problem in the regular season but was highly exploited by the Mets in the 2024 NLDS. Phillies hitters chased 109 times in the playoffs, third-worst during October. Fifty-seven of those were whiffs, also third-worst in terms of percentage (9.5%).
It’s no shock why the Phillies batted .186/.295/.302 during their four-game series loss to the Mets.
With those numbers, one player wasn’t responsible for the Phillies’ issues in the playoffs. However, Alec Bohm was under the microscope. Bohm posted a .681 OPS in the second half after a strong first half, then went 1-13 in the NLDS. His lone hit was a single that Bohm tried to turn into a double but was thrown out.
Pitching-wise, the Phillies received exceptional results from Ranger Suarez in the first half. Suarez has been an effective strike-thrower for years but had himself a career run before the All-Star Game. He went 10-4 with a 2.76 ERA and 112 strikeouts over 114 innings. But in the second half, Suarez gave up 23 earned runs over 36.2 IP (5.65 ERA) and struggled more with command.
No pitcher in Philadelphia, though, received arguably the most amount of attention than Taijuan Walker. It was a nightmare-ish campaign for Walker, as he struck out 58 over 83.2 IP and owned a 7.10 ERA. Everything went awry, as his velocity dipped over a full MPH on his fastball and his command was off. Walker’s splitter saw more plate than it should, not a shock given the .380 opponent’s batting average.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Phillies do with Walker from here. He’s still owed $36MM over the next two seasons before his contract expires.
Early Projected Lineup for 2025
- C: J.T. Realmuto
- 1B: Bryce Harper
- 2B: Bryson Stott
- 3B: Alec Bohm
- SS: Trea Turner
- OF: Brandon Marsh/Austin Hays (LF), Johan Rojas (CF), Nick Castellanos (RF)
- DH: Kyle Schwarber
- SP: Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, Taijuan Walker
- RP: Orion Kerkering, Jose Alvarado, Matt Strahm, Jose Ruiz, Michael Mercado, Tanner Banks, (FA Addition)
The Phillies have the vast majority of their 2024 roster under contract for 2025. However, it’s likely changes are going to be made after Philadelphia’s exit in the 2024 NLDS.
The big name being floated in the rumor mill is Alec Bohm. While Bohm is under control for the next two years, MLB teams reportedly believe he’ll be moved before Opening Day. However, the one question should the Phillies move Bohm that the team would need to answer is who would replace him at third.
Prospect Aidan Miller could be considered the long-term option for the Phillies at third. However, he’s only played five games above A-ball.
As for the Phillies’ pitching staff, Philadelphia will need to add at least a starter and a late-inning reliever. Philadelphia could give the ninth-inning keys to Kerkering, who’s excelled in a setup role. However, would the Phillies be comfortable with Walker as their #5 starter?
He’s still under contract, so Walker will have a chance in the spring to earn that spot, assuming the Phillies don’t cut him. Philadelphia does have Andrew Painter and Mick Abel, the latter of whom struggled at Triple-A in 2024, waiting in the wings but a depth starter — much like Spencer Turnbull — would be a boost.