Just days away from organized baseball games breaking out in Clearwater, the Phillies are running it back and carrying lofty expectations with them heading into 2025.
But with the Eagles winning a Super Bowl, and Nick Castellanos musing about a lack of pressure this season, the Phillies' inability to keep it together in October has fallen off the radar.
Baseball will ramp up for the next month or so leading to the Phillies opening their season in our nation's capitol in late March, and as it does, the pressure will start to build again, too.
Here's a look at the players for whom there is the most pressure on this spring:
Alec Bohm, 3B
Simply due to the incessant rumor mill from the fall and winter, Bohm will be someone kept under a watchful eye this season. Pundits expected he would be traded at several points during the offseason and yet the Phillies kept him in red pinstripes.
The 28-year-old is homegrown, and will be under team control for this coming season and one more before reaching free agency. He had a stellar first half in 2024 that carried him to the All-Star Game before injuries and his evaporating bat made him a liability in October.
With so many veterans around for the long haul, Bohm and third base seemed like a spot the front office could attempt to upgrade. They chose not to.
“There were points where I guess I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Bohm said last week (h/t MLB.com). “I didn’t really read into it too much. I didn’t really try to find the answer. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen. I never felt like I was going to be traded or anything like that.”
Bohm will feel the pressure to perform in Philly, and to make the Phillies feel validated in their vote of confidence to keep him.
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Taijuan Walker, SP/RP
Walker is going to make $18 million this season no matter what, and another $18 million in 2026.
The free agent signee from a few seasons ago has been a complete disaster. In 50 games as a Phillie, he has a 5.27 ERA and last year he went 3-7 with a 7.10 ERA.
He'll have an opportunity to pitch — his contract more or less guarantees that — but the team is already lining up Joe Ross as a "sixth starter," per The Philadelphia Inquirer, ready to assume the role if an injury to a member of the regular starting five requires it. Walker is eyeing the last spot in the bullpen and is probably the front-runner for the role even after his collapse in 2024. Money talks. But he'll still need to earn it, and every inning he pitches this spring will be critical to that end.
Garrett Stubbs, C
Everyone loves Stubbs, known for being the beating heart of the Phillies' oft-memorable clubhouse celebrations. But as J.T. Realmuto's backup catcher, he's been extremely unreliable. The Phillies could see a change at the backup spot with Rafael Marchán gunning for the spot. He is thought by many to be the favorite this spring.
In addition to having no minor league options (Stubbs has one remaining), Marchán has superior — albeit limited — numbers at the plate. A look at their numbers with the Phillies:
| Stubbs | Marchán | |
| Age | 31 | 25 |
| PA | 433 | 56 |
| Slash | .222/.305/.324 | .279/.333/.477 |
| HR, RBI | 7, 39 | 5, 13 |
Marchán is better across the board offensively, and has been credited with four errors over 268 innings catching in the majors. Stubbs has 10 errors in just under 1,000 innings caught for Philly. Marchán has one picked-off runner and Stubbs has none.
For what it's worth, Marchán has had 1,774 plate appearances in the minors with a .262 average.
Jesús Luzardo, SP
Luzardo, one of the Phillies' only two big offseason acquisitions (along with outfielder Max Kepler), is trying to do two very difficult things. He is looking for a bounce-back season after posting a 5.00 ERA in 12 starts in Miami last season, and do it with a new team.
The 27-year-old lefty has had only one fully healthy major league season, in 2023, and has never completely made good on a high level of talent. As the fifth starter in a loaded Phillies rotation, he'll have that opportunity but the leash will not be a long one.
If he (or any of the other starters) gets hurt or struggles, Ross is ready to go, Walker is a natural starting pitcher and top prospect Andrew Painter is expected to find a way to make it to the majors this summer. Luzardo will have to really impress and stay on the field to keep his job and it starts with a strong start to his spring season.
Aidan Miller, Justin Crawford, top prospects
There is almost no chance either Miller or Crawford, both members of MLB.com's top 100 prospect list, break camp with the MLB team this spring. But that doesn't mean they can't make a big impact during their time there.
There is a reason why the Phillies didn't trade any big-name prospects or move any veterans nearing expiring deals this fall. They wanted to leave room for Miller (middle infield) and Crawford (outfield) to find roles in the majors in the coming years.
Both will be able to make an initial impression and get to know their future teammates in Clearwater. And if a memorable stint for either results in fans clamoring for a call-up, it means there is excitement for the future. Both appear to be on the fast track to South Philly, and each could realistically be competing for a job this time next year.
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