Opening Day is almost here.
St. Patrick’s Day usually is a benchmark day in spring training, the unofficial “OK, enough messing around, let’s get ourselves in gear and figure out who’s going to make this team” starting point. The Phillies have been playing some pretty good ball over the last 10 days, running up a 7-1 record with one tie over their last nine games, outscoring their opponents 78-35 over that stretch.
Now, these are spring games in which many of the players on the field will be spending the majority of the 2025 season in the minor leagues. That said, the offense has been on a tear of late, and the pitching staff is throwing bullets.
So with the season growing ever closer, the Hittin’ Season podcast crew of John Stolnis, Justin Klugh and Liz Roscher discussed 10 burning questions surrounding your soon-to-be World Series champion Phils.
1. Is it important for the Phillies to get off to a fast start in 2025?
In 2022 and ‘23, the team started slow but rallied late to make the playoffs. They performed better in October after getting hot in August and September. Last year, they raced out to a big lead and coasted, then got roasted by the Mets after a first-round bye. The lesson? There is none. Staying focused and consistent will be key, no matter how they start.
2. Which player can the team least afford to lose to injury?
Two of us said Zack Wheeler. One of us said Kyle Schwarber. Why no Bryce Harper? In short, Schwarber is the only one who can do what he does — hit for 40-plus home runs. That’s really hard to replace.
3. MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports the Phillies have lost 48 home runs at Citizens Bank Park due to increased wind. What the heck is going on, and was CBP better when it was a bandbox?
The Phillies have a new super rotation, so perhaps it’s better the park plays more neutral than it used to. Still, chicks dig the long ball, and so did the fans. I’ll admit. I kinda miss it. Also, how is it we don’t know what’s causing an increase in wind like this? Weird.
4. Which team in the NL East is the bigger threat to the Phils, the Braves or Mets?
In MLB.com’s latest power rankings, the Phillies-Braves-Mets are listed 2-3-4, just after the Dodgers. In other words, three of the four best teams in baseball all reside in the NL East. At least, on paper. We all agreed it was the Braves, but it’s a horse race.
5. Zack Wheeler is the Phillies’ Opening Day starter for the second year in a row. Is he finally going to win a Cy Young Award in 2025?
It was reasonable he lost to Chris Sale last year. Sale was probably a hair better. In 2021, he was robbed. If Wheeler has another typical Zack Wheeler season, he’ll be the sentimental favorite to finally win his long overdue first Cy Young.
6. Which Phillies outfielder will hit more home runs – Nick Castellanos or Max Kepler?
I was not a fan of the Kepler signing. Bringing an oft-injured, lefthanded-hitting outfielder to a team that already has a ton of lefties and needs real production out there, didn’t make sense. He hit just 8 bombs a year ago. But in 2023, he smoked 24 of them. Last year, Castellanos hit 23, and blasted 29 in 2023. We think it’ll be Castellanos, but Kepler’s new swing and spring power surge has us intrigued.
7. Bryce Harper says he’s willing to move back to the outfield if it means acquiring an impact first baseman at the trade deadline or next offseason. Will he ever actually play in the outfield again?
The whole reason Harper was moved to first base was to avoid him re-injuring his throwing arm. You know, the one he had Tommy John surgery on? So we don’t really understand how they could put him back out there. But if it meant acquiring Toronto superstar Vlad Guerrero, Jr. at the trade deadline, we’re willing to risk it. Still, we don’t see Harper going back out there, except in an emergency.
8. Who finishes with more saves – Jose Alvarado or Jordan Romano?
So far this spring, Alvarado has pitched six innings and faced 24 batters. He has struck out 15 of them and walked just three. He has not been scored on.
Romano has pitched 6⅔ innings and faced 27 batters. He has struck out eight of them and walked just one. He has not been scored on in seven appearances.
Romano had back-to-back 36-save seasons in 2022 and ‘23. Alvarado’s career high is 13. Romano will almost certainly start as the closer, so it’s likely he’ll finish that way too.
9. Who is our surprise team of the 2025 season?
There are three teams we discussed – the Cincinnati Reds, the Sacramento??? A’s, and the Seattle Mariners. Listen to the pod for detailed reasons on each!
10. There are three new major food items coming to CBP this year – which one will we be reaching into our wallet to pay for?
Here are the three items in detail. There’s a chicken cutlet sandwich named after Kyle Schwarber , a red velvet cookie thing with espresso, and a S’mores Quesadilla. Frankly, I wouldn’t be able to afford any of them anyway.
