The second half of the season has begun, and the Phillies are in the midst of a more challenging part of their schedule. After dropping a series at home to the lowly Mets, they are now playing the Dodgers for three followed by the Yankees and then the Marlins, who despite a six-game losing streak are within striking distance of the Phillies in the standings.
Every game begins to matter more as we creep closer to the end of the season, but this stretch could prove pivotal for where the Phillies sit
as the trade deadline arrives on August 3rd. They will need their stars to show up and act like stars to offset the very real holes on the roster as they try to run down the Braves for the NL East lead or secure a Wild Card spot. Their lack of viable prospect capital and the perpetual status of the market as one that favors sellers in the third Wild Card era means that it will be incredibly difficult to find solutions for all of their problems without looking within.
There’s no shortage of important players on the Phillies who could carry the team almost by themselves. Their top two starters come to mind in Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler as perhaps the most vital aspects of this whole experiment. But Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper shouldn’t be far behind, as they are the two best hitters on a team that has struggled to score runs consistently, and therefore will continue to be forced to carry the onus of making up for their teammate’s shortcomings. Jhoan Duran looks even more important than he did already with the loss of Brad Keller for the season, making an already shaky bullpen look even weaker.
So, who is the most important player for the Phillies in the second half? Who can they least afford to have hit a cold spell or lose for any reason for any amount of time? Or is it someone who has struggled that could turn things around and provide a spark?
