One of the goals of the Phillies last offseason was to find a new starting outfielder. Ultimately, they settled on a reclamation project in Max Kepler, in hopes that he could rediscover his 20+ home run potential. Instead, Kepler struggled for most of the season, and by July, the Phillies’ outfield was one of the least productive in the majors.
Thanks to the trade for Harrison Bader and the use of a platoon system, the outfield has been much better over the past two months. The ironic thing is that
if the Phillies merely wanted a lefthanded side of an outfield platoon, they already had a good one on hand.
Kody Clemens was a solid bench piece for the Phillies in 2024, but thanks to the addition of Kepler and the presence of Brandon Marsh, it was an awkward fit having another lefthanded outfielder on the bench. He can also play second base, but he’s not a particularly good defender at the position, and Edmundo Sosa was ahead of him in the pecking order there.
By the end of April, Clemens had just six at bats, so the team traded him to the Twins for cash considerations. Clemens hasn’t proven himself to be an everyday player, as evidenced by his .487 OPS in 84 plate appearances against lefty pitchers. But he’s done just fine against righties, with a .788 OPS and 19 home runs.
Maybe it’s all worked out for the best, and the Bader-led outfield will propel the Phillies to postseason success. But it’s frustrating when the team spends $10 million on a free agent outfielder who gets outperformed by the cheap option they already had on hand.
X-Men character of the series
Maggott
Since we’ve come to the final series of the year, and the Phillies will be playing one of the worst teams in the majors, I’ve finally decided to break out Maggott. Whenever you see lists ranking the best and worst X-Men characters ever, Maggott will inevitably be at or near the bottom.
There have been some complaints over the years that there are no good new characters created. People say that any new character is simply a “legacy” character or a rip-off of an existing character. Well, back in 1997, writer Scott Lobdell created a truly original character.
A large, blue skinned mutant started making cameo appearances in X-Men comics. He was accompanied by two sluglike creatures and was looking for Magneto for unexplained reasons. Comic book logic eventually put him in conflict with the X-Men, and more comic book logic had him follow them home and join the team, even though they didn’t actually know who he was or why he was looking for Magneto.
It was eventually revealed that his mutant power was that the two slugs were his digestive system. They would leave his body, eat, and transfer energy to him, making him turn blue, grow in size, and become super strong. Magneto had helped him as a child, and he was looking for him to help further master his mutant power.
The next writers had no idea what to do with him and soon wrote him out of the book. He was later given a somewhat poignant death and later brought back via comic book magic.
Additional thought about the series
With the Brewers’ magic number for the top seed in the NL at one, these games are essentially meaningless for the Phillies. Because they have almost a week off after Sunday, they’ll likely play the regulars at least once – and Kyle Schwarber will probably play all three games so he can go after the team’s single season home run record. (And despite what an idiot radio show host suggests, this is not equivalent to giving Saquon Barkley a chance to set the single season rushing record.)
Aside from that, there’s not much to watch for during this series. Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, and Cristopher Sanchez will each get tune up starts, but I’d be surprised if any of them pitch too deep into the game. Trea Turner might make an appearance, but I don’t know if I’d want to risk him re-injuring the hamstring.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the series will be watching Mick Abel start on Saturday. The former Phillies prospect had two poor starts after being traded to the Twins but considering he was the centerpiece of the Jhoan Duran trade, they’ll likely give him every opportunity to earn a spot in their 2026 rotation.
And that will conclude my opposition research series for the year. I hope you’ve enjoyed them, and once the Phillies’ NLDS opponent is revealed, I’ll present you with a full preview of that series. Until then, go Phillies!
