The snow lingers.
Anyone in the Philadelphia area looks outside today and sees white, frozen nothingness that will permeate our thoughts these next few days as the continued frigidness lingers. It’s things like this that cause our minds to wander to Clearwater, to the impending sound of bats against balls, rawhide being hurled on leather, a color other than white that helps us realize dreams of warmth and sunshine.
Spring training is nearing and what better time to think about the Phillies than to take
a guess as to what they are going to look like once the curtain drops on the 2026 season. Here is the first guess.
Catcher – J.T. Realmuto, Rafael Marchan
Another season with this tandem behind the plate should lead to the pitching staff doing backflips. There are some serious questions that need to be answered by both of these catchers though:
- Can Realmuto improve both behind the plate and at the plate?
- Can Marchan hit enough to justify Rob Thomson giving him more playing time?
- Will Thomson actually give Marchan more playing time?
The answers to all three of these questions are probably obvious, but there is hope that the opposite answer can be given.
Infield – Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, Trea Turner, Alec Bohm, Edmundo Sosa, Otto Kemp
The starting four, obvious.
The bench, also kind of obvious.
What’s interesting is how much the team is talking up Kemp this winter. We hear platitudes heap upon Kemp by the manager and the POBO, something that is interesting considering his skillset. He’s a good bench piece, but there seems to be a sentiment behind their comments that they see something more.
I’d like to know why.
Outfield – Brandon Marsh, Justin Crawford, Adolis Garcia, Johan Rojas
The question with this outfield alignment is: how far is the gap between the worst case scenario and the best case. Where the arrow points more towards this season is going to determine a lot about their direction. If it’s more worst case scenario, not only are they having to trade more prospects for a band aid, they also have an answer to their question about the viability of Crawford as a major league piece, about Marsh and if he can be something closer to a regular, not needing a platoon and about Garcia and whether that one-year deal was a wise choice.
If it leans more towards the best case scenario, then the biggest weakness this team has is suddenly something better, perhaps even – dare I say it – a strength?!?
Personally I’d be happy with splitting the difference.
Designated hitter – Kyle Schwarber
There are about 150 millions reasons why this is a stone cold lock. The more interesting question about Schwarber is the other positions he might play. If we set the over/under at games played at first base and/or left field at 15, which are you taking?
Starting rotation – Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker, Andrew Painter
There is a capital A “Ace” here in Sanchez, a solid #2 in Luzardo…
…and a whole lot of question marks.
Getting back Aaron Nola to his pre-2025 form would be a boon for this rotation. Based on his history, betting on something closer to that form would be wise, but building in some buffer would also be wise. If Andrew Painter can take a step forward for this rotation, it would also be a large boost as he might be able to settle into something between a #3 and 4 were that to happen, something more being his ceiling. I’ve never really considered Taijuan Walker as anything more than a LAIM (League Average Innings Muncher), so if he can give the team five innings each start, that’s a win for the team.
It’s just that there are so many question marks for a team that leans into the rotation as its strength. Getting Zack Wheeler back and healthy makes this unit looks so much better, but that’s something can’t really be counted on until we actually see it in practice.
Relief pitching – Jhoan Duran, Jose Alvarado, Brad Keller, Tanner Banks, Orion Kerkering, Zach McCambley, Seth Johnson, Jonathan Bowlan
It’s probably been said before, but on paper, this might be the team’s best complete bullpen in a long, long time. There is depth, there is swing and miss stuff, there is upside, there are projects that can be worked with unlock something a little more. A lot of that is something the Phillies’ bullpen hasn’t had in quite some time.
For me, the biggest question is: where does Kerkering rank among all of these arms? Fifth? Sixth? Seventh?
Injured list – Zack Wheeler
As badly as he might want to be ready for the first series of the season, it’s likely that the team proceeds cautiously with Wheeler. There is little doubt he’ll be working his tail off to get ready, but with the team pumping the brakes a bit, a late April season debut is far more feasible than to be ready by Opening Day.
Though, I wouldn’t count him out just yet…
