Well, game 81 has come and gone for the Phillies. That means we have officially reached the halfway point in the 2024 season. The team sits at 53-28 as they now look towards the All-Star break.
With 162 games in a season, nothing is easily predictable. This year the Phillies have had several surprises, mostly good.
Before the season, not many could’ve guessed that Alec Bohm could be an All-Star this season. Now, he might start the All-Star Game. His 3,175,134 votes trailed only Bryce Harper for most in the NL voting.
He’s hitting .301 and leads the National League in RBI with 65. He leads all of baseball with 28 doubles. We knew the potential was there but no one expected such a large leap forward from Bohm.
If I told you before the season that Ranger Suárez would be the favorite to win the NL Cy Young, I probably would’ve been laughed at, and deservedly so.
Ranger has shown glimpses of brilliance in the past. His 2021 season was his coming out party. In 33.1 postseason innings, he has a 1.62 ERA and a .900 WHIP. No one could’ve predicted him cutting his 2023 ERA in half. From 4.18 to leading all of baseball at 2.01, his rise needs to be studied. He has 10 wins already and a shutout to boot. Mr. Rager has surprised us all.
Speaking of unpredictable rises in the starting rotation, Cristopher Sánchez might be more of a surprise than Ranger. It’s almost July and Sánchez still has a 2.67 ERA.
He’s added 2.3 MPH on his sinker while keeping the control he worked at last season. His changeup continues to be one of the best pitches in baseball as opponents have only his .182 with a .207 slugging percentage.
He’s been so good that he got a midseason extension. Whoever told you they saw this coming is a liar.
Matt Strahm was a solid swingman for the Phillies in 2023. He really helped the Phillies rotation when Ranger had a slow start to the season.
A 3.29 season ERA with an 11.1 K/9 is a great season. Currently, Strahm has a 1.42 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP. He had a rough game 81, as his ERA before was 0.86. At one point, he appeared in 27 straight games without allowing an earned run. He’s yet another pitch that has cut his ERA in half. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him selected to the All-Star Game.
Even with how the Phillies’ season has gone, there have been unpleasant surprises as well. Bryson Stott might be the top one.
Stott has not been dreadful at the plate. He has a .700 OPS and is hitting .242. The surprise is a lot of people thought Stott was going to take a leap forward after 2023. Many thought he could be a player who challenges for a hitting title.
Instead, it seems like his slump to end his 2023 season is more notable. Tiring might still have a lot to do with it but it’s at least concerning. He does have 20 stolen bases at the halfway point. At least that is encouraging.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Derik Hamilton
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