The Philadelphia Phillies Tied the Toronto Blue Jays yesterday during Grapefruit League play. They are playing split-squad games today against the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Will the upcoming 2024 NL campaign be special for Bryce Harper? Oddsmakers are apparently expecting big things from the Philadelphia Phillies hitter.
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Let’s keep a good thing going
Players in camp: José Alvarado, Andrew Bellatti, Austin Brice, Connor Brogdon, Max Castillo, Dylan Covey, Seranthony Dominguez, Jeff Hoffman, Orion Kerkering, Yunior Marte, Griff McGarry, Luis F. Ortiz, Ricardo Pinto, José Ruiz, Michael Rucker, Nick Snyder, Gregory Soto, Matt Strahm, Spencer Turnbull
Expected to make the roster: José Alvarado, Seranthony Dominguez, Jeff Hoffman, Orion Kerkering,...
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Expected? Maybe. Deserving? Sure is.
It’s been a bit of an expected move, one that felt more like an predetermined outcome, but on Sunday the Phillies made the decision official. Zack Wheeler will start for the team on Opening Day.
Rob Thomson says that Zack Wheeler will start on opening day.
— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) March 17, 2024Aaron Nola has started the past six Opening Day games for the Phillies, so some thought that the honor...
Dave Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
It’s been seven years since someone other than Aaron Nola started on Opening Day
Zack Wheeler is getting the ball on Opening Day, which ends the streak that Aaron Nola had going with the team. It’s something that will get sports radio all a’flutter, but this shouldn’t exactly be unexpected. Wheeler is the best pitcher on the team and deserves the honor of being the first starter the team sends to the hill.
On to the links.
Phillies news: Two of...Bryce Harper missed his third straight Grapefruit League game on Sunday with back stiffness and will miss his fourth consecutive game on Monday, according to Phillies manager Rob Thomson.
The Philadelphia Phillies have named Zack Wheeler as their Opening Day starting pitcher. Phillies manager Rob Thomson announced the decision on Sunday.
The Philadelphia Phillies Tied the Miami Marlins yesterday 3-3 in Grapefruit League play. The Phillies will play against the Toronto Blue Jays today during their St.
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Táimid chun gach rud a bhuachan
Top o’ the mornin’ to ya and happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Fun fact: the first professional baseball league in the world was formed on St. Patrick’s Day in 1871. It took place, appropriately, in a bar called Collier’s Café.
The influence of America’s Irish community on the development and history of baseball is significant and filled with colorful characters. Just look at Pud Galvin and Hugh...
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It’s not perfect, but it’s something
Publicly available research has been a boon for the baseball industry. Baseball sites such as Baseball Prospectus and Fangraphs and the work they have accomplished has led to a greater understanding of how the game functions on the part of the readers. It has forever shifted the way we consume the game, how we compare players not just across the current group, but also across generations. If you’re anything like...
National League Futures designated hitter Justin Crawford (13) of the Philadelphia Phillies hits an RBI-sacrifice fly against the American League Futures during the second inning of the All Star-Futures Game | Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Miller, Crawford, Abel highlight the first Spring Breakout
One of the most enjoyable aspects about following prospects is the unexpected. Do the players who seem destined for greatness burn out and fade away? Do the guys who seem unremarkable develop into...
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The Phillies rotation could be an absolute unit in 2024.
Even if the Phillies starting rotation doesn’t hit their absolute “best case scenario” in 2024, they should still be one of the best in Major League Baseball.
That’s a really nice way to enter the season, knowing you have three starters you can count on — Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez — all of whom are battle tested and with playoff experience. They...
Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
How will this go?
The Phillies starting pitching looks to be one of the strongest units in baseball.
Fangraphs has them ranked second, only behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in projected WAR. They’ve spent north of $370 million to put this group together.
They’ll likely pitch plenty of innings given how the Phillies like to use their rotation. Rob Thomson has become known as someone with a quick hook but his starters pitched 899 innings last season,...
Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
It’s a Breakout kind of weekend
The Phillies’ prospects will be playing the Tigers’ prospects this weekend in the Spring Breakout. While a lot of eyes will be on Mick Abel, the two guys I’m watching are Eduardo Tait and Aidan Miller. Tait has been the talk of the offseason as we’ve seen reports of a lot of team asking for him in trade talks with Philadelphia, so seeing what they see will be interesting. Miller is the team’s 2023 first round pick...
What, exactly, is MLB free-agent ace Michael Lorenzen waiting for?
The Chicago White Sox finally traded Dylan Cease. Now what?
The New York Yankees are going back to the drawing board after their failed pursuit of Dylan Cease.
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Happy Pi Day!
Well yesterday had some fun events happening! There was news to abound, so let’s get to the (late) edition of the links.
On to the links.
Phillies news: Griff McGarry is taking his time to “prove himself” after his move to the minors and the bullpen. Nick Castellanos feels like the team’s zen leader in the clubhouse. He also learned jiu-jitsu. That’s cool. MLB news: The Yankees received good and bad news on Gerrit Cole. Good in that...On Wednesday, Whit Merrifield told the "Foul Territory" podcast that he received a call from Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper, who said he wanted him to join the squad.
As he prepares for his 12th MLB season, Nick Castellanos is determined to have the best season of his career. "There's a lot of baseball players that are like…