Homegrown Talent: Phillies farm system served as the backbone in breaking decade-long playoff drought
The Philadelphia Phillies are going back to the playoffs for the first time since 2011 thanks to an Aaron Nola masterclass on Monday night against the Houston Astros.
Entering the 2022 season, the Phillies needed to spend money to fill several gaps in the roster. The team was in desperate need of a corner outfielder, more offense, and as always, pitching help.
Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies organization addressed the main issues by signing both Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos to solidify the offense and provide additional “pop” at the plate.
Still, mainly thanks to key injuries to both Bryce Harper and Jean Segura, the Phillies were forced to rely on homegrown talent for nearly two months to keep their hopes of breaking a decade-long playoff drought alive.
Homegrown Phillies
Aaron Nola
The ace of the Phillies, who is also the longest-tenured, Aaron Nola had a dominant 2022 season. Nola finished his year with a 3.25 ERA, going 11-13 on the year with 235 Ks, tied for 4th in the MLB. Nola walked just 29 batters all year while holding a 0.96 WHIP (7th in MLB).
Rhys Hoskins
The Big Fella had another hell of a season, slashing .247/.334/.464 over 155 games with 30 HRs, 78 RBIs, two triples, 72 walks, 33 doubles, and an OPS of .798 with a 2.9 WAR. Rhys Hoskins played the most games on the entire team this year (155) and racked up 145 hits and 81 runs scored.
Side Note: Rhys Hoskins and Aaron Nola remain the last two players from the 2016 Phillies, who finished 66-96 (5th in NL East).
Bryson Stott
The Phillies found a gem with the 14th pick of the 2019 MLB Draft when they selected Bryson Stott, their middle infielder of the future. After lighting up the minor-league’s along with the Arizona Fall League. in 2021, Bryson Stott had a great rookie season, slashing .237/.298/.363 with a 1.5 WAR, 10 HRs, 49 RBIs, and exactly 100 hits.
Alec Bohm
2022 didn’t start off too hot for Alec Bohm. He was rumored to be traded before the season even started and then was caught on a hot mic saying “I Fucking Hate This Place” while it seemed like the Phillies once-promising third baseman was never truly going to find his footing with the team.
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Bohm finished the regular season as the Phils’ leader in batting average (.281), totaling 13 HRs and 72 RBIs on the year, with a .716 OPS. Bohm had one of the best months ever in a Phillies jersey, slashing .434/.457/.632 in July with 3 HRs and 14 RBIs.
Matt Vierling
Matty V had a ton of clutch hits for the Phillies this season and was used as a utility piece throughout his 115 games played. Matt Vierling played ALL of these positions in 2022.
- LF
- CF
- RF
- 1B
- 2B
- 3B
- DH
Vierling finished his year with a .248 average, with 6 HRs and 32 RBIs. He had one of the biggest games and hits of the year, his walk-off single up the middle to cap off a 5-hit night against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Darick Hall
He wasn’t up here the whole season, but during his time at the Major League Level, Darick Hall was a crucial left-handed bat that the Phillies relied on with Bryce Harper on the IL. Hall slashed .277/.312/.588 vs. righties, tallying 9 HRs, 16 RBIs, five walks, and 33 total hits.
Nick Maton
Nick “The Next Chase Utley” Maton played 32 games for the Phillies in 2022 and was able to change his game to whatever the team needed. Maton got many innings in RF while Castellanos was out and slashed .258/.354/.545 with 5 HRs and 17 RBIs as a bench-bat.
Ranger Suarez
Ranger Suarez turned heads in 2021 and continued to dominate in 2022, going 10-6 on the year with a 3.37 ERA, 127 Ks, and a 1.30 WHIP. Suarez will most likely go for the Phillies in Game 3 of the WC series, as he’s 6-2 on the road this year with a 2.69 ERA and 75 Ks.
Bailey Falter
Arguably my most underrated player of the whole entire season, Bailey Falter, was crucial to this Phillies pitching staff once Zach Eflin hit the IL.
Falter finished his regular season 6-4 with a 3.90 ERA and 74 Ks with a 1.20 WHIP. Falter dominated on the road like Suarez and could be a great piggyback bullpen. armif needed in the playoffs.
Seranthony Dominguez
The Phillies waited a long time for a healthy Seranthony Dominguez, but man was it worth the wait.
Dominguez finished his season with nine saves and a 2.70 ERA while striking out 60 batters and holding a 1.08 WHIP. Seranthony dominated the middle of the season, holding a 0.79 ERA in May, a 1.13 in June, a 1.80 in July, and a 1.42 in August.
Connor Brogdon
Connor Brogdon pitched many valuable innings for the Phillies this year, even though he’s ran into some trouble over the last two months. Brogdon posted a total ERA of 3.38 this year, with a 2.04 on the road. He recorded two saves while holding a 1.23 ERA in May and a 1.08 ERA in June.
Up Next for the Phillies
The Fightins have two regular season games remaining, as Ranger Suarez faces off against AL Cy-Young favorite Justin Verlander tonight at 8:10 EST.
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