When the 2022 MLB trade deadline came and went at 6:00 PM eastern time the Phillies to the credit of their President of baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski were able to pull off the trifecta of Offensive and Pitching upgrades. Couple that with the impending returns of Jean Segura and Bryce Harper the natural question is what should the Phillies’ Offensive and pitching approaches look like.
Let us look at what I think the Phillies lineup, starting rotation, and bullpen setup should look like as they make a push to end an 11-year postseason absence. With the addition of Brandon Marsh and the return of Jean Segura and Bryce Harper, the time is now to lock in the best possible look to bring home a World Series Championship. The Time Is Now.
The Lineup
- Brandon Marsh leading off and playing center field. It has been a solid minute since the Phillies have had a legit center fielder. With the arrival of the young Marsh who plays very aggressive defense and is a contact hitter who has not benefited from playing behind Mike Trout. Marsh is still an offensive work in progress but he also is a contact hitter. In 393 plate appearances this year Marsh has 11 extra-base hits, 37 RBIs, and 8 Home runs. Not very eye-popping right? What he also has is he averages less than half a strikeout per game. There is something to work with here. Simply put the Phillies desperately need a leadoff hitter so why not give the kid a shot?
- Jean Segura batting second and playing second base. Before Jean was injured, he was the most consistent bat in the Phillies lineup next to Alec Bohm. There is no telling what the injury has done to his timing. Bottom line is that in Segura’s time with the Phillies he has been the most successful in that two hole
- Bryce Harper batting third and at DH. The reigning MVP is itching to return and there is no other place in the lineup I put him.
- Rhys Hoskins batting fourth and playing first base. Not ideal for Hoskins to clean up I have never been a fan of a clean-up hitter as streaking as Hoskins, but I think this would be fine for him. I envision a lot of empty bases in front of him after Harper does what he does. This should give Rhys an opportunity to set the table for the middle of the order.
- JT Realmuto batting fifth and catching. JT is the key to this whole thing. If JT can be consistent like he has been recently all I need him to do here is move the runners and keep the inning alive. Not too much to ask here, I think.
- Kyle Schwarber is batting sixth and playing left field. This is long overdue Schwarber is just embarrassing as a leadoff man. Here he can focus on mashing the ball play and simple.
- Nick Castellanos batting seventh and playing right field. As Nicky bats figures himself out the seven-hole is the perfect low-risk high reward spot for that. Nick has lost the power that made him so attractive as a free agent. In the seven-hole, he will see better pitches to hit which will greatly benefit him.
- Alec Bohm batting eighth and playing third base. You may be thinking that burring your most consistent hitter in the eighth hole isn’t that smart, but may I remind you that it’s not 1990 anymore? Bohm is here to turn the lineup over with runners on or move runners into scoring position for the top of the lineup.
- Bryson Stott batting ninth and playing shortstop. Stott is very valuable with the glove. With the bat, he is still figuring himself out. Nine it is.
This lineup in my opinion provides maximum potential for the Phillies to blend small ball and long ball the secret to unlocking the Phillies’ offense. With players like Verling, Stubbs, Munoz, Sosa, and Hall on the bench. The Phillies are in a prime position to score. The Time Is Now.
The Rotation
Zach Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Noah Syndergaard, Kyle Gibson, and Ranger Suarez. This is a scary deep rotation if Syndergaard can deliver, and Gibson can be reliable. Factor in a return of Eflin and what you have is a potential of a six-man rotation. The Time Is Now.
Give me Brogdon, Falter, Bellatti, Hand, Robertson, Dominguez, Knebel, and Nelson and we can call it a day. This group was once called the blow pen, but those days are long gone. Falter, and Nelson in long relief, Bellatti, Brogdon, and Hand in middle relief, and Robertson, Knebel, and Dominguez in short relief will be fine for me. The Time Is Now.
October Here We Come
With the trade deadline come and gone it is time for the final push to October. This lineup, rotation, and bullpen put the Phillies in a prime position to end their 11-year postseason drought and also possibly end their 14-year World Championship drought. The Time Is Now.
Matt Bednarczyk is your host of Talking Philly Sports With Matty B. He is a proud retired US Army Sergeant First Class, he is also a combat veteran with over 80 months served in Afganistan, and Iraq . Huge Hockey Fan. Matt is a lifelong 4 for 4 Philly sports fan. Born and raised on the Mayfair and Tacony neighborhood lines of Northeast Philly. He brings over 40 years of Philadelphia Sports passion and provides a realistic look at our Major Sports Teams and the most passionate sports fans on the planet. Look for his show live on Edge of Philly Sports.
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