BÉISBOL Y ALGO MÁS
Contrary to what most people think, wars are not won merely by bombing the enemy to the ground. You need more than strong artillery to achieve victory. That is why there is a saying stating: «They won the battle, but lost the war…» The 2022 Phillies start the season with some of the most potent hitting in their history. Its attack will not be as versatile or as powerful as the hitting of those clubs that won the World Series in 1980 and 2008 but the 2022 version will do a lot of damage. The addition of Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos strengthens the Phillies’ attack.
NL MVP Bryce Harper now has Schwarber hitting in front of him and Castellanos hitting behind him. Last season, Schwarber finished tied for first in the majors in leadoff HRs (8) with Cedric Mullins of the Baltimore Orioles. In 2021, Castellanos won his first Silver Slugger Award (34 HR, .939 OPS).
JT Realmuto, Jean Segura, Didi Gregorius, and Rhys Hoskins also benefit from the addition of Schwarber and Castellanos. The new sluggers spread the work across more hands, making the Phillies’ attack more consistent. The challenge for the Phillies this season is not going to be scoring runs. They have two Achilles heels: defense and pitching. In the opening series of the season, playing at home, the Phillies made three errors. Two of their errors occurred in the inaugural game of the season. Philadelphia won two of the three games of the series; however, those victories were against the Oakland A’s.
As for their pitching, the Phillies’ starters looked good against the A’s. Aaron Nola, Kyle Gibson, and Zach Eflin combined to allow only 4 runs in 17 innings (2.18 ERA). The trio struck out 20 batters and did not allow a run in 15 of its 17 innings of work. A great performance, but it was against a weak club.
The Phillies bolstered their bullpen this winter with the addition of closer Corey Knebel but by himself, he cannot clear the team of its curse of having the reputation of being the worst relief corps in the Big Leagues.
Another challenge for the team is its weak farm system. Health is always a factor in the marathon that is the 162 game MLB season. Not having farmhands to help rescue the team from injuries could be a factor that limits the club’s overall performance.
Notwithstanding their challenges, the 2022 version of the Philadelphia Phillies will make baseball interesting in the City of Brotherly Love. You really know who your friends are as you go through a year in school, jail, or war.
