If the Phillies want to be better in 2025, they'll need a few breakout performances.
It's hard to improve on a 95-win season, but it'll take more than just Bryce Harper and Zack Wheeler playing like the best in the sport. It'll take some big contributions from the supporting cast as well. Last season, the team had a record eight All-Stars. That will probably not happen again, but there is more than enough talent for them to at least come close this July.
Beyond the big names, like Harper, Wheeler, Kyle Schwarber, Aaron Nola, J.T. Realmuto and so forth, we have identified five guys who are having solid spring performances, and who are building with them high expectations for the spring and summer. There's another level that some of these ballplayers can still unlock.
Here's a look at some guys just itching to break out in 2025:
Bryson Stott
After a very solid 2023, many expected Stott was headed for superstardom in 2024, but despite an uptick in stolen bases and in walks, his numbers cratered at the plate — his batting average, home run and RBI totals all went noticeably South.
A nerve injury in his elbow limited his ability with the bat and a fully healthy Stott is focused on making a leap back to where he was supposed to be last season. From our Nick Tricome:
Stott said he was healthy enough to keep playing with the injury last season, and with the realization that his ability at the plate was limited for the time being, he prioritized trying to make a bigger impact along the basepaths and with his glove.
But that only carried him and the Phillies so far.
Stott's goal now is to work back to his 2023 form, and with the lineup well-stocked on power already, for him to be someone who can regularly reach base so that when the rest of the Phils' stars do make their damage, it counts for that much more.
Trea Turner
The Phillies didn't do too much to change the look of their offense this offseason — but perhaps a change might come from a batting order shuffle. It seems extremely likely based on what we've heard from players and coaches, and the batting orders we've seen in Clearwater, that Kyle Schwarber's power bat might slide back to fourth in the lineup, with Harper in the 2-hole.
One of the players best suited to leadoff is Turner, who has not played like the MVP candidate he often was before coming to Philly. A shift to leadoff might unlock something. Here's a snippet from a February article from beat writer Todd Zolecki on that very possibility:
Turner has spent the majority of his two seasons with the Phillies hitting second (234 times), compared to leadoff (38). But Thomson has indicated he might hit Turner first, followed by Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm and Kyle Schwarber.
“I think it would be fun, it would be a little different,” Turner said. “I haven't done it for a few years now. Kinda get back to a little bit more speed.
[…]
I think when you're leading off, that label kind of puts a little bit of perspective on it, the way pitchers pitch you. Maybe slightly, I don't want to say always. But a couple things change here or there, or situations change here or there.”
Turner said it could make him more selective at the plate. He has chased more pitches since he joined the Phillies (34.7 percent regular season), compared to his first eight seasons (27.4 percent). [MLB.com]
A more selective Turner could be exactly what this team needs.
Cris Sánchez
You could say Sánchez already had a breakout year in 2024, when the Dominican starter earned an All-Star nod with a 11-9 record and 3.32 ERA. He also led the majors with two complete games. But early this spring, he showed there could be a bigger leap ahead.
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After topping out around 94 MPH for much of last season, Sánchez was hitting 97 MPH last Friday. As long as the increased stress on his arm doesn't wind up doing damage, Phillies manager Rob Thomson is pretty enthused about what he's seen so far. How much could the added velocity help him in 2025?
"Who knows? I mean, really, who knows?” Thomson said (via MLB.com). “Right now, it's just filthy."
Orion Kerkering
The Phillies have been searching for a reliable closer ever since Jonathan Papelbon left town in 2015. Here's a list of the relievers to lead the Phillies in saves in each of the last 10 years:
• 2016: Jeanmar Gomez
• 2017: Héctor Neris
• 2018: Seranthony Dominguez
• 2019: Héctor Neris
• 2020: Brandon Workman/Héctor Neris
• 2021: Héctor Neris/Ian Kennedy
• 2022: Corey Knebel
• 2023: Craig Kimbrel
• 2024: José Alvarado/Jeff Hoffman
Kerkering is a homegrown and young arm that can deal. He has playoff and closing experience. It's been a pretty long time since the Phillies had a light's out homegrown closer — Neris and Dominguez both qualify but neither closed for a winning team.
The 23-year-old could split closing duties with Jordan Romano to start the year but the role is his for the taking if he continues to be cool as a cucumber late in games. Fresh off a 2.29 ERA over 64 innings in 2024, there's no reason to think he can't do just that.
Brandon Marsh
Thomson did the work for us on Marsh, as he told reporters last week he sees a path for the left-handed outfielder to become a "superstar."
“He’s seeing a lot of left-handed pitching here in spring training, and he’s doing a pretty good job,” Thomson told WIP down in Clearwater. “I’d like to give him a pretty good run at playing every day if we can. But he’s such a great athlete.”
“I hope [Marsh] realizes how great of an athlete he is and how great of a player and potential superstar he could be," the manager continued. "If he thinks that way, he’s got a better chance of getting there.”
Marsh will be trying to reverse a troubling trend that saw him slash .269/.345/.441 against righties, and .216/.276/.306 against lefties over the first four years of his career. The sample size against lefties has been admittedly small, but he's been relegated to platoon status over the last few seasons in Philly. Handling both kinds of pitchers could unlock an everyday role for Marsh, who is already one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball.
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