MLB Power Rankings Roundup: Where do the Phillies stand after Week 3?
It’s Monday afternoon and that can mean only one thing, the Phillies are dropping quickly down the list in the latest MLB power rankings roundup.
The Phillies are 6-10 and 3-7 in their last ten games. The only team worse than the Phillies over that stretch are the Cincinnati Reds, losers of 11 straight games.
This week will be remembered by fans for the Phillies dropping a deciding game in a series against a playoff caliber team in the Milwaukee Brewers in the most aggravating fashion. They were shutout on national television which is embarrassing in itself, but when a blind 60-year-old home-plate umpire named Angel Hernandez is trolling you in real time it really stings
A 2-4 week simply wont get it done in a division with talented teams such as the Mets and Braves. The Phillies already find themselves 5.5 GB of the 12-5 Mets, who have started the year looking dominant with a +32 run differential.
The Phillies already have a -11 run differential, the same number the team produced after 162 games last season.
One of the Phillies big off-season acquisitions, Nick Castellanos .317/.373/.550, has elevated the Phillies offense enough that they find themselves above average in the majority of offensive statistical categories. Yet, the most significant stat involves runs scored and the Phillies are actually ranked one spot lower, 13th, than where they finished in 2021.
Runs (14th), Avg (5th), OBP (9th), SLG (7th) wRC+ (10th)
Alec Bohm .355/.400/.516 and Johan Camargo .318/.348/.432 have been pleasant surprises and have helped pick up the slack for the other Phillies offseason signing Kyle Schwarber.
Schwarber has so far been a disappointment slashing only .169/.246/.407. When Schwarber is only reaching base 25% of the time, it limits his value enough that he has actually been a negative 0.1 WAR player for the team thus far.
What is really killing the Phillies early in the season is its pitching and defense. Sound familiar?
The Phillies starting pitching staff was supposed to be one of the strengths of the team, but early on Zack Wheeler, 8.53 ERA, Zach Eflin 5.27 ERA and Ranger Suarez 4.38 have all performed worse than in 2021.
The starting pitching must be better to offset the Phillies bullpen, which to nobody’s surprise is ranked 30th in the league in ERA.
MLB Power Rankings Roundup
18. Phillies
Last Power Ranking: 16
One of these years, the Phillies’ merry-go-round of center fielders will come to a stop. For a lineup that is just jam-packed with good hitters, their seeming inability to find one at that spot is perplexing.
Bryce Harper is playing hurt, which has forced Nick Castellanos to play more outfield than is ideal even for the “hit-until-you-field-better” roster-building philosophy for this club. Bryson Stott’s arrival has come with some hiccups. They’re hoping things trend upward for Alec Bohm, too.
The lineup shuffling has started, with Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and now Jean Segura taking their cracks at the leadoff spot. There’s urgency this season with the Phillies, as if the entire sport is waiting for the organization to finally get things together and contend. But for all the preseason hype, they’ve already dropped into the bottom half of our rankings.
18. Phillies
Last Power Ranking: 16
MLB.com and @mannyonmlb clearly don’t have the time to write a paragraph worth of words for the 5th biggest media market in the United States. I said this last week, but its honestly the perfect example of how inept baseball is at promoting their own game.
Do you think the NFL is releasing power rankings where they only discuss the top 5 teams? Im sure Manny is a good writer and a great guy, but as a writer for MLB he’s embarrassing the sport with the lack of effort.
Do better MLB!
19. Philadelphia Phillies
Last Power Ranking: 14
When given the chance, third baseman Alec Bohm (.393 BA in 28 AB) is producing.
21. Phillies
Not much to like right now, so we’ll sing the praises of Kyle Schwarber for his tirade in the direction of home-plate-umpire Angel Hernandez on Sunday night. Great job, Kyle.
21. Philadelphia Phillies
6-10, Luck: -1, wRC+110, SP-99, RP-115, RAA-1
Playoff Odds: 36.7%
15. Philadelphia Phillies (6-10): With two doubles so far, Jean Segura is up to 225 for his career.
Up Next
The Phillies will look to improve on these rankings when they open a four game set in Philadelphia on Monday night against the Colorado Rockies. First pitch scheduled for 6:40 pm.
