After reaching the postseason in 2011, the Phillies didn’t even post another winning record until their modest 82-80 effort in 2021. Between the dismantling of their 2008 championship core, a rebuild, and then a few stalled attempts at returning to contention, it has often been a frustrating (phrustrating?) decade for Philadelphia baseball fans…until, suddenly, it wasn’t. The Phillies went 87-75 this season to claim the final NL wild card berth, and then upset the Cardinals, Braves, and Padres in a magical playoff run that has resulted in the franchise’s eighth National League pennant.
Given this recent history, the Phillies’ emergence can be seen as both unexpected and overdue. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski (who has taken his fourth different organization to the World Series) deserves a great deal of credit for putting the Phillies over the top, though the roots of Philadelphia’s roster also extend back to former general managers Matt Klentak and Ruben Amaro Jr.
While the 2022 team received contributions from several players who have since been traded, released, sent to the minors, or simply not selected for the postseason rosters, let’s take a look at the collection of players who have fueled this run back to the World Series…
Homegrown, international signings: Seranthony Dominguez (2011), Ranger Suarez (2012)
For casual fans who may be only getting to know Dominguez and Suarez this postseason, it may be surprising to learn that they are longtime organizational mainstays. Both were signed at age 16 for a modest $25K bonus, and their development into key arms is yet another example of why MLB teams continue to scout and invest in the international market.
Dominguez made his MLB debut in 2018, but after pitching well out of the bullpen in his first two seasons, he missed almost all of the 2020-21 campaigns due to Tommy John surgery. Returning to action this year, Dominguez didn’t miss a beat in posting a 3.00 ERA over 51 innings, emerging as the team’s top choice for high-leverage situations in both the regular season and playoffs.
Suarez also debuted in 2018, and his early promise as a swingman also hit a health-related roadblock when he missed most of the 2020 season recovering from COVID-19. The Phillies continued to use Suarez both out of the rotation and in the pen in 2021 before converting him into full-time rotation work this year, with solid results. The southpaw posted a 3.65 ERA over 155 1/3 innings and 29 starts, and he has continued to thrive in the postseason with a 2.16 ERA over 8 1/3 frames.
Homegrown, amateur draft: Aaron Nola (2014 draft, first round, seventh overall pick), Rhys Hoskins (2014, 5-142), Bailey Falter (2015, 5-144), Dalton Guthrie (2017, 6-173), Nick Maton (2017, 7-203), Connor Brogdon (2017, 10-293), Alec Bohm (2018, 1-3), Matt Vierling (2018, 5-137), Bryson Stott (2019, 1-14)
The lack of a consistent minor league pipeline has been a sore spot for the Phillies over the last decade, as while Nola and Hoskins were standouts, several other highly-touted prospects either didn’t have success in the majors or didn’t even make the big leagues whatsoever. Homegrown prospects don’t necessarily need to be stars, but it certainly helps when a team can fill roster holes from within, which is why the contributions of Brogdon, Vierling, Falter, Guthrie, and Maton have all raise the roster’s talent floor. Falter and Brogdon in particular became regulars in the rotation and bullpen, while Vierling received a lot of playing time before the Phillies finally acquired Brandon Marsh to address their center field need.
Nola and Hoskins continue to be productive, while Bohm and Stott have now broken out as first-round picks making an impact. Bohm bounced back from a rough 2021 to become the Phillies’ regular at third base, and Stott also looks to be an infielder of the future after becoming the everyday shortstop. While it remains to be seen if either player will remain at those positions down the road, that isn’t an issue for the 2022 squad.
Free agent signings: Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Brad Hand, Andrew Bellatti, Corey Knebel (injured)
John Middleton became the managing partner of the Phillies’ ownership group in 2015, and after waiting out a few rebuilding years, Middleton was ready to “maybe even be a little bit stupid about” increasing the payroll. The heavier spending really started with the signings of Jake Arrieta and Carlos Santana during the 2017-18 offseason, but things really kicked into high gear when Harper was inked to a 13-year, $330MM free agent deal in February 2019. Essentially from the moment the contract was signed, there was speculation whether or not Harper was really worth such a massive investment, and yet it’s safe to say that those doubts have been silenced. Harper’s first four seasons in Philly have included a .282/.394/.546 slash line, 101 homers, the 2021 NL MVP Award, and a scorching run through the postseason (including NLCS MVP honors).
Klentak oversaw the Harper signing, as well as Wheeler’s addition on a five-year, $118MM contract the next offseason. Dombrowski has been no stranger to big contracts over his front office career, and when he took over in the front office following the 2020 season, the Phils continued to hand out the dollars — this past winter, it was $100MM over five years for Castellanos, and $79MM over four years for Schwarber.
It isn’t always a strategy that works, and the Phillies themselves have enough high-profile free agent misses to act as evidence that a team can’t simply buy their way to success. And yet with an ownership group willing to exceed the luxury tax, this spending has worked out because Harper, Wheeler, and Schwarber have more than held up their ends of the deal. Even Castellanos has contributed some key hits in the playoffs, after struggling during much of the regular season. Beyond these big-ticket contracts, the Phils also scored on smaller deals with relief pitchers, as Hand, Bellatti (signed to a minor league deal), and Knebel were all effective. Knebel unfortunately hasn’t been a part of Philadelphia’s October run, as a torn shoulder capsule ended his season in August.
Trades: J.T. Realmuto, Jean Segura, Brandon Marsh, Noah Syndergaard, Kyle Gibson, David Robertson, Zach Eflin, Edmundo Sosa, Garrett Stubbs, Jose Alvarado, Nick Nelson
The Phillies’ aggressiveness also manifested itself on the trade market, headlined by the blockbuster deal with the Marlins that brought Realmuto to Philadelphia in 2019. With Realmuto re-signing with the Phils in free agency on a five-year, $115.5MM deal, he is now locked up through the 2025 season, turning the trade even into more of a win for the Phillies.
Since Segura was acquired back in December 2018, fans may have forgotten just what a fascinating deal it was that brought him from the Mariners. Segura filled a hole for a team that was ready to win immediately, and as it turned out, Seattle also picked up a cornerstone infielder in J.P. Crawford (as well as Santana’s contract). Segura is entering the last year of his contract and it remains to be seen if he’ll return in 2023, yet his contributions in Philadelphia will always be appreciated. Segura provided above-average offense while acting as an everyday shortstop and second baseman in his four seasons, plus a little time at third base.
With the Phillies battling for a wild card berth for much of the season, the trade deadline was a key moment for adding reinforcements for the stretch run. In landing Marsh and Syndergaard (in separate trades) from the Angels, Sosa from the Cardinals, and Robertson from the Cubs, Dombrowski went 4-for-4 in upgrades, as the quartet each provided important contributions. Marsh may be the biggest acquisition of the lot, as the former top-100 prospect now looks like the answer to the Phillies’ longstanding hole in center field.
Gibson was the big get at the 2021 deadline, as Gibson, Ian Kennedy, and prospect Hans Crouse were acquired from the Rangers for a three-player package. Unfortunately, this swap didn’t really work out, as Gibson has delivered only a 5.06 ERA over 236 2/3 innings in a Phillies uniform over the last two seasons. Still, Gibson has at least eaten some innings, and is now available on the postseason roster as a long relief option.
Eflin was part of two major trades within a two-day span back in December 2014, first dealt from the Padres to the Dodgers as part of the five-player swap that sent Matt Kemp to San Diego and Yasmani Grandal to Los Angeles. The Dodgers then flipped Eflin (and lefty Tom Windle) to the Phillies for Philadelphia icon Jimmy Rollins, putting some extra pressure on Eflin before he ever stepped onto a mound in the City of Brotherly Love. Eflin has been a mostly consistent and even underrated back-of-the-rotation arm over his seven seasons with the Phils. Due to another bout of knee problems that led to a 60-day IL stint during the season, Eflin has been used as a reliever rather than as a starter during the playoffs, pitching in six of the Phils’ 11 games.
It’s easy to be overlooked as Realmuto’s backup catcher, but after Stubbs was acquired from the Astros last November, he won that backup role and ended up appearing in 46 games in the regular season. Already known as a solid defensive catcher, Stubbs showed some offensive ability for the first time in his four MLB seasons, hitting an impressive .264/.350/.462 over 121 plate appearances.
Several relievers have already been mentioned in this post, and the Phillies’ bullpen was still something of a question mark even this season, though the relief corps has done its job in getting the team to the brink of a championship. Alvardo was acquired from the Rays in December 2020 following two injury-plagued seasons, and the southpaw’s 3.71 ERA over 106 2/3 IP has been a tightrope walk, defined by a lot of strikeouts (32K%) and a lot of free passes (15.3% walk rate). Nelson has also been shaky, posting a 4.85 ERA and an NL-leading 13 wild pitches in 68 2/3 frames since being acquired from the Yankees in a four-player trade last November.
A team that was banged up, mismanaged and underperforming before finally putting it together when it mattered most. What a ride. Even if they lose the WS, it’s been a special season. DD builds nothing but winners.
Congratulations, Von, you guys have to be stoked. Especially considering this didn’t even seem like a possibility a couple short months ago. Good for Philly – Uber-fanatical sports city and an impressive underdog.
Congrats Von!
I’m sorry folks, but after a 162 game season, when the third place team ends up in the world series, the playoffs are questionable to me. The Mets & Braves put up an epic battle for first place, & to see a team 14 games out of first go to the WS seems wrong to me. Why play 162 games? Oh, I’m sure Manfred will try to lower the season games to around 150 games. He’s hinted at it before. This will throw off all the old records for hits, hrs, etc. Manfred is not good for BB. Period…
Sorry, I should have said 14 games out of second place.
My posts were not meant to diss Phil. just the system. Watch & wait, they’ll keep changing & diluting baseball to include less season games & more ridiculous playoffs. More chances for lesser teams & more ways to make more $$$
The Braves were given a significant advantage and got rocked. Also the Braves 88 games last year and eliminated far superior teams. It’s the nature of baseball amd the short series. Houston crushed their opposition no problem. Braves and Dodgers did not. And I’m sorry and 87 win team who had the one of the best winning % since June deserves to be there. The rules were set before the season started.
Braves were in second place, not third. BB is becoming like a scotch & soda with large ice cubes, after an hour, watered down…
Best winning record 2nd half of 2022
Braves 45-23
Phils 38-32
Don’t worry, in the near future 3,4 & 5 place teams will have their shot at the WS – less season games, more playoffs, it’s coming
Until there is a cap in place for team spending I have no issue with playoff expansion. I’m glad that the Phillies made it, and it is about which team is clicking on all cylinders at the right time. Some of the more talented teams weren’t clicking at the right time and that is why they aren’t going to the show. It really is that simple. One of the cool things about baseball is that you can buy the right players and increase yours odds of getting to the show (look at Vegas odds in 2023 and see the correlation) but if you arent clicking when it counts you aren’t likely going to win it all. Dodgers are a prime example this year. All of that money spent surely helped them to win the games that they won which is why I don’t agree that wins during the season should guarantee a ride to the world series.
Spending doesn’t equal winning so that’s a dumb argument for playoff expansion.
I agree, but alot of money spent correctly certainly increases your odds of winning. I think that you missed the point.
Congrats. I can remember quite a few times this season seeing you in these threads after the bullpen blew up. Hope they win the WS for you.
This is by far DDs luckiest team and when they miss the playoffs next year nobody better be surprised.
What a year indeed. You patiently and diplomatically dealt with all us Met and Brave fans all year raving and raging about our teams. Yet who gets the last laugh? Congrats to you and the Phils Von. One question: Did you see any of this coming?
cryin tears of joy rn
MLB allowed this by adding the extra WC.. they didn’t build anything.. they got in with the extra spot and got hot at right time.. Astros gonna whoop that a$$
Blah blah blah blah blah
Translation: I know you’re right and making factual arguments, but I’m such a fanboy I can’t admit it so I resort to blah blah blah
This is fun. I like the new format, especially the best of 3 wild card series.
The people that like the new format are the people who are always complaining their team isn’t good enough to win in the playoffs not realizing it’s a total crapshoot. Regular season is nearly meaningless, when the stars hardly play 100 games just remember you liked the new playoff format, simpletons.
Perhaps the most ridiculous take of the day. Congrats
Just wait til they add more teams in a few years. You’ll have a 4th place team with a sub 500 record in world series.
I agree. I’m happy for the Phillies but they didn’t build a championship team. They built a mediocre team that only had to get hot for a few weeks to get where they are. I don’t like expanded playoffs at all.
Cosmo – If you’re going to de-legitimize the success of 3rd WC teams, then you should have done the same for 2nd WC teams when they were added.
I’m a purist, I would rather have 4 playoff teams for each league.
I wouldn’t go so far as to “de-legitimize” but I agree with you, I prefer he old way. But the more teams that are added the bigger of an issue I have.
…and the rich get richer
The Phillies have been a top 5 team since firing Joe Girardi. I agree that they aren’t the best team in the NL, but you cannot judge them based on their total record. They were a completely different team since June and near the best in terms of Winning %. Still below the Dodgers and Braves of course, but on par with teams like the Mets. It dipped a bit again in September due to pathetic play, but if you take the second half of the season, Phils were definitely a contender. The season and it’s always been a playoff league. I would never say the Phillies are better than the Dodgers, Braves and Mets, but they were in that tier right below that, and got hot when it mattered.
Yep. Phillies went 65-46 under Thomson. That’s a 95-ish win pace for a full season. They were a good, deserving team. (Mets were 67-44 over that duration).
Mediocre is a bit harsh. They are a really good team that took time to get healthy, gel as a team after making the FA acquisitions, deadline trades, and letting go of a couple of underperforming former star players.
If the Phillies win the World Series, then they built a championship team. You know who didn’t? The Mets…
You’re talking as if “championship” isn’t completely subjective. It is. Add a few more teams to the playoffs and an 87 loss team could potentially win it all. Then that’s a “championship” team. You see how it all gets devalued? And what’s with the unnecessary dig at the Mets? I’m trying to have a mature conversation here. Replay this playoffs a hundred times and each team would probably win once, Phillie doesn’t win the NL crown every time; they’re not inherently better than the Mets, they just played better when it counts. There’s an element of luck to all of this. So, from that perspective they’re all potentially champions. You’re ignoring the arbitrary nature of things.
Champions play better when it counts, that’s the point.
Champions don’t play better when it counts. That’s a myth with no theoretical basis. What would the causation be? When a team gets hot is random. There is no scientific basis to think otherwise.
The playoffs are not played a 100 times and never have been. The Mets failed to win when it mattered most both for the division and in the playoffs. It’s also kind of ironic a Mets fan complaining about Wild Card teams…
It’s true just look at the Mets. You me5e fans at spring training said ur going to the WS. But you forgot to hit?
Long list of Wild Card teams that have made the World Series.
Many of them have won it too!
They are Champions.
Sour grapes will never take away their Championships!
What’s ironic is, I think this new format will make it much tougher for the Wild Card teams. The Phillies road was pretty difficult.
You must not watch a lot of sports. From high school to college and pro, it usually IS the team that gets hot at the right time
You look at that as somehow being a negative while many if not most fans of a given sport view it as exciting, that a team can come from almost nowhere or that an underdog can win it all
Maybe Premier League soccer would be more to your liking, where there is no playoff format to end the season
Why even bother with a regular season at all? I’m sure there has to be some kind of convoluted lengthy playoff that could take 3-4 months.
But really it’s my fault for wanting a sport I love appreciate excellence over a longer term than 2 weeks.
That excellence is appreciated via division titles….
Dusty
Justin Verlander & the Stros should have lost GM 1 except Servais brought in Ray. How’s that fact grab you. Verlander had one of his worst starts of 2022, how does that fact grab you. Verlander hadn’t pitched for about 10 days and looked ‘off’, how does that fact grab you. ‘LOL’ ‘Get real’, indeed.
“got hot”
Is said / written by losers that are envious of a teams success, and do not know enough about baseball to comprehend why a team did what they did.
You keep talking about “losers”. Do you know what momentum is?
The Phillies and Tampa Bay got lottery tickets, they should not have had a ticket to the post season, nothing more, nothing less. 2nd and 3rd wildcards should not exist, it is as soft as soft can be, but for the teams that win their division they can come up against teams that just shouldn’t be there, and any team is a chance in a 2 horse contest, even the teams that had losing records would be a chance in the post season.
You just don’t understand the nature of a 162 game season, why play 162 if it’s going to be cheapened at the end by giving out tickets to the post season to teams that shouldn’t be there, and it is the whole reason and purpose you gut it out to win the most games you can over 162 and strive to win your division, you don’t have to anymore. It is an impossibility that you played sport at any level to ‘think’ that it is satisfactory that you let 40% of teams in all of baseball have some say in what happens at the end. It is ‘cheap’.
Disagreeing with this format is for people that understand just how hard it is to win each and every game over 162 against other pro baseballers and pro teams. Explain why, according to you, teams should be issued with 2nd and 3rd wildcards, they shouldn’t. Unfortunately it is not about making things tougher to win these days, Manfred and whoever else was involved want to give out ‘participation’ certificates. The Padres finished 22 games behind the Dodgers, they have no business being in the post season, the Phillies finished 14 games behind the Braves/Mets, they have no business being in the post season, and as one contributor said above, you’re going to see this more and more, because Manfred and owners have cheapened the entrance to the post season. Your chance to get in the post season and win a World Series is done by winning your division and 1 wildcard from AL/NL, not by lowering the bar and giving out 2nd and 3rd wildcards. Furthermore, the play-off format favours the teams that didn’t sit on their bums for 5 days. Anyone that has a clue about baseball knows that you don’t get hot by sitting around, you get hot by playing games and facing pitching from other teams, not by hitting in a cage, taking bp, or live bp sessions. These are facts that are not debatable.
Lol none of that is fact.
Why didn’t the Astros get disadvantaged with 5 days off? Does that not fit your narrative?
“These are facts and not debatable” LOL get real
Can’t begrudge teams that win in the current format. Of course last year, the Phillies and Rays don’t make the playoffs, but it’s not 2021.. I’m an LA fan, but not upset because the Padres outplayed us in the NLDS. Doesn’t matter than LA finished 22 games above them or beat them 22 out of 27 dating back to last year. During the NLDS it was 0-0 and any team can beat anyone. Dodgers won 111 games this year and lost 5/6 to Pittsburgh and got swept by the Nationals this year. That’s baseball, and the more they expand the postseason the less the regular season will mean
Pre 1969, 2 of 20 teams made it as World Series participants. Then they added the LCS when they expanded to 24 teams, and kept it when they went to 26 teams. They went to 8/28 then 8/30 in the 1990s with further expansion when they added a third division to each league and a WC. Then it became 10 playoff teams and now 12, They actually wanted 14 teams, which is almost half the league and kind of a joke.
4 playoff teams in each league with balanced schedules is the best and most fair way to do it, but they’ll never go back to that because it’s less money.
I will hold the umbrella get under his tears are huge
Believe that if you want but I don’t think the Phils will just roll over like the Yankees. They will give the Astros a fight. Yankee stadium sounds like a morgue tonight compared to CBP.
Teams do “get hot”
Doesn’t mean they didn’t do things right. The dodgers consistently do things right but it doesn’t wind up In constant championships.
I know, just like they did in 1980…….
I’ve never liked going beyond one wild card spot bc I don’t enjoy a team that was “lesser” most of the year getting hot at the right time and being rewarded for it. But even as a met fan, I like this phillie team – always loved wheeler, but they have a fun vibe. Plus I have lots of friends in that area I’m happy for.
Some strange comments though about pressure and performing well under it. This is not some random concept – there are players who can manage their mind more effectively and perform better under higher stress. That’s not some fluky random luck notion. Damn, even Bassitt essentially admitted the pressure got to him.
Same w leadership and team culture – that all impacts performance and has been proven over time in all industries – sports are no different.
Looks like Sliderswithcheese has a “dummy” account
Lots of sad and angry little baseball fans here. That’s a shame.
Exactly god awful playoff format allowed a non deserving team
My apologies because I know you mean well, but can someone please interpret? My comprehension suffers when there’s no sentence structure, punctuation, etc.
Astros fans shoook
Oldhalo brings up a great point above. Until MLB institutes some sort of ‘hard cap’, keep the playoff expansion in place. It lessens the odds of the richer teams being able to buy a championship. With that said, I’m sure both Houston & Philly are in the Top 8 of total team spending this year. Tampa & Cleveland certainly were not however.
I posted this message once. No idea why it showed up about 10 times; hopefully it will correct itself. If not, sorry about the repeat posts, I really only posted this message once.
Dave Dombrowski strikes again.
Incredibly underrated by many people. Can’t separate DD from his successes though. It’ll be interesting to see if he gets a Nashville team, how quickly he can make them relevant.
Clip – Dombrowski is a sure-fire future HOF’er. Only the haters would disagree.
He didn’t just get players…..
He completely built an organization in 2 years. Amazing. Inherited a terrible defense, a worse bullpen, and questionable starting pitching except for 2 guys. A lot of parallels to what Pat Gillick did with the Phillies when he came over.
I wrote going into the 2022 season that Dombrowski had gotten players, now it was up to the coaches to work with them. That part was right. But the moves he made during the season were remarkable. Firing Girardi and promoting Thompson before “it got away” from them. Utilizing players from AAA and AA, as well as sending guys down to AAA to clean up their games. One of the most memorable seasons I’ve ever watched. I hope there was a reporter that was on the inside and will write a book about this Phillies season.
Signing Realmuto has no bearing on that trade! He would have signed with the Phillies if they hadn’t traded for him!
That’s very debatable, but I guess we’ll never know.
Who offered him more $ than the Phillies?
We don’t know. Maybe Phillies don’t even make an offer if they don’t trade for him in the first place. Maybe Marlins make an offer. Maybe Mets don’t overpay McCann thinking they can land Realmuto instead.
@VonPurpleHayes Nothing you just said has any bearing on the Phillies’ (or any of those other teams’) actual ABILITIES to sign Realmuto. Ergo, none of it is relevant.
I agree that JT should be listed as a free agent. That was his status for at least a couple of months.
Half the teams in baseball were after him had he become a FA.
I’ll give the Phillies credit for getting hot at the right time like my Braves did last year. But this team was put together from mostly free agency and trades and you see the recent moves have paid off. And the new playoff format has also paid off so hopefully this will lead to more teams “going for it” during the off-season and we will see teams who are on the brink to pull the trigger and make the big trades or sign the big name free agent.
You’re not wrong, but I will say the homegrown talent is finally showing up as well. Nola, Hoskins, Stott, Dominguez…they all have been huge. The Phillies have signed impactful FAs. Their problem has always been sub-par homegrown players. Everyone is contributing now.
I will forever maintain that Edmundo Sosa tipped the scales. Great season Von! More than one way to build a winner. Put it on the Astros!
Nola has always been consistent and deserves a longterm extension
Agree.
So does his brother Aaron.
Dombrowski and LaRussa were both fired by Hawk Harrelson in 1986 when he was GM of the White Sox for one year. DD will be joining Tony in the HOF.
Hawk is honored by the HOF as a broadcaster, Ddadgummit! So, maybe he can do the introduction when DD is inducted.
Realmuto was a FA signing, not a trade. As a Mets fan, their success really bothers me, particular since two of their starters were on our team. Who’d have think that Wheeler and Thor would be going to the WS with a division rival. At least I can root for Houston. Worst case scenario would be Phillies vs. Yankees (and hopefully I don’t jinx things by posting that).
Go ahead and blast me now.
PS I was wrong about Realmuto but cannot edit my post since I posted from the app :(.
The MLBTR app is your version of Mr. Sluggo!
Not quite. Realmuto was a trade. We traded Sixto Sanchez for him. Yes, the Phillies then resigned Realmuto in FA, but really the trade is what brought him here.
He was a free agent signing. Full stop. Received and rejected a QO and everything. That trade had no bearing on the matter. All it did for Philly was mean signing JT didn’t cost them a draft pick.
We discussed this above. You’re not wrong about him being a FA signing, but the trade changed the entire landscape of the NLE. If they don’t trade for him in the first place, the Marlins and Mets may have made offers. We don’t know.
Nope. Trading for JTR was not accompanied by magical Harry Potter spells that forced the Phillies to outbid everyone for him or that forbid the Mets and Marlins from doing the same. They all placed an intrinsic value on JT, the Phillies’ was highest and that is why he signed there.
Trading for Realmuto forced those teams to make moves earlier is my point. By the time Realmuto hit FA with the Phils, the Marlins moved in another direction, and the Mets overpaid McCann thinking JT wasn’t leaving.
No. The Phillies trading for JT didn’t “force” those teams to do anything. They CHOSE not to sign him. There’s a difference. There was nothing stopping either of those teams from just matching the Phillies’ offer.
What was stopping them was they had another catcher…in the Marlins case at least. I understand your point though. I’m not arguing it.
Dombrowski is elite. I wanted Rogers to fire Shapiro and hire DD as soon as the tigers let him go.
Felt the same 100%
It’s not about who the best team is. It’s about who gets hot in October. The phillys have done just that.
Brewers fan, but I’ll be cheering for Philly. Can’t stand the cheaters (a few are still left) or the evil empire. Keep the title in the NL!
I still think of the Brewers as an AL team. Hard to get used to even though it’s been forever since they were in the AL.
1998….I feel same way. Grew up with them in the AL.
The team that wins the World Series is the best team for that season. People will debate but talk does not make the best team. Winning the World Series is the definition of the best team for that season.
Baseball Mind, You are right. There is zero shame in 2nd place but the only true glory for any team is the title.
Jumbo – I second that.
Any team that plays the best when it counts the most (postseason), is the best team.
Being the best regular season team has never mattered in any sport.
Fever, yeah, I mean it’s a sad fact of life. Nature is cruel. But The World Series is what teams play for. I’ve said before, the other 29 teams are not all LOSERS, but only 1 team hogs the glory..
Depends what your definition of best team is. With expanded playoffs I’d say the best team will quite often not be the WS winner. To me, no way you can say the Phillies are better than the Dodgers or Braves but the format is what it is.
The Braves won 88 games last year in the worst division in baseball. The Phillies won 87 games this year in a division where two teams won 101 games. Division strength is a bit arbitrary and I never liked that winning a weak division was rewarded just the same as winning a great division. To me, it’s not the expanded playoffs, but the short series that lead to so many upsets. That’s what makes baseball playoffs a different animal. No one would dare say the 2021 Braves were better than the Dodgers until they were.
Sorry not gonna convince me a 3rd place team should be anywhere near the postseason. Never liked the wild card.
With no WC the 101 Mets don’t even make the playoffs, which is insane. I also think they did a good job of making the WC path extremely difficult this year. All those road games and resources spent before the NLDS…not easy to do. I think people are up in arms because both the Pads and Phils upset 100+ winners, but these teams have superstar rosters that just clicked at the right time. With this new format, I actually think we’ll see less WC success in the years to come. It’s a very difficult path.
If there was no WC and the Mets didn’t make it, I wouldn’t complain. I’d actually prefer it that way.
I think the best teams should make it, and I think the WC ensures that the best teams make it as opposed to some weak division winner. Now the argument against the extra WC is down to personal preference, but I think people overvalue division winners as if we didn’t see some 83 win teams get in because their division sucks. This year for instance, I thought every NL and AL WC was better than the winners of the AL and NL central.
That’s a good point. I was pretty annoyed when the Cardinals won it all off of an 83 win year. And believe it or not, I was a Cardinals fan back then. I switched to the Mets for geographic reasons that immediately became moot unfortunately. (Stopped getting cable and MLBtv blacks out local games. Ugh.)
I love how people come up with the “worst division in baseball”, that’s just rubbish, that same division that had Scherzer, Soto, Trea Turner for most of the season, and a few others that I am not even going to bother with, but the fact is the Braves made the post season because they won their division, not because they were issued with a random lottery ticket/wildcard created & issued by Manfred & co.
It was the worst division in baseball in 2021. No question about it. Mets, Braves and Phils all underperformed. Put the Braves in another division and we may never see that fantastic run. Braves are an elite team, but we may never know it had they been in the NLW or something. My point is divisions don’t necessarily tell the story either. I think the WC ensures that the best teams make the playoffs.
Yea right stop it
“If there was no WC and the Mets didn’t make it,”
Yeah, that was my young childhood as a Yankees fan in the mid-to-late-80s….. several 90-97-win Yankees teams that couldn’t make the playoffs because they had the second best record in the division.
This is a new post season format with more teams added by the powers that be for money, therefore it is has cheapened the post season and MLB, because teams are there that should not be there.
“Should not be there” by your imaginary rules.
No, teams that should not be there based on merit, and teams that should not be there based on the past and making it difficult to get in the post season, which is the way it should be. The difference between you and I, is that you speak with your red and white Philly eyes, I don’t speak from bias, you do. There should be one wildcard each from NL/AL, not 2nd and 3rd wildcards. Winning the division is devalued. I won’t even start with your rubbish about the the NL East being the worst division in 2021, go and look at the run differentials right across every division. You want to look at the worst division, who’s playing the Rockies and the Diamondbacks 40+ times, the aforementioned teams improved marginally this year, but not much.
Harper is hitting like Trout. Good luck to him.
Harper has what Trout wishes he had.
Come on Darkside! That is not true! Did your account get hacked!? I’m trying to give Harper the highest props and you whack Trout over the dome?
He probably just means playoff ABs
Lol That was equally uncalled for Dusty!
In all seriousness, seeing Manny and Harper crushing it in the postseason was great for baseball.
Soto didn’t fare too bad either.
Yes and Schwarbs and Rhys. The stars really shined.
He could have had all this. The postseason run, the money, and he could have played close to home. I’m sure he’s happy in Anaheim, but could he have been moreso?
I’m glad those idiots in San Diego got sent home, but honestly, two 2nd place teams?
Phils are a 3rd place team.
Even better……
Two 2nd place teams and a 1st place team had a chance to end the philly’s season but weren’t able to
Expanded playoffs lessen the value of things. Period.
No that’s just your opinion. Period
My team lost early too, but I’m not bitter about it. This playoffs has been great, just enjoy it and stop the crocodile tears
Great advice !
Man up, eat your disappointment and enjoy the spectacle.
No u lost because you didn’t hit in the post season. Wipe up ur tears it’s over ur team was trash
Porkchop,
Telling the truth about allowing 2nd and 3rd wildcard teams into the post season cheapening it is a fact, not an opinion. Explain why they play 162 games for? Got any clues about that? Because some people do not agree with your assertions doesn’t equate to “crocodile tears”, but that’s your ‘spin’ on things. Why don’t MLB give out two more wildcards next year and increase it to 14/30 teams, nothing wrong with that, is there…Give more percentage of teams a chance and ‘keep it interesting’ for fans of other teams twiddling their thumbs in post season and make more money for TV and MLB. Participation certificates for the majority…
I should have said, lessen the value of the regular season (which is undeniable), not “things”.
I’m not bitter about the Mets losing. That has nothing whatsoever to do with my opinion. Expanded playoffs cheapens the regular season. Try to not be so small minded as to make this about one team, or to take irrelevant pot shots.
Good thing Arte chose Eppler over Klentak. No way surrounding Trout and Ohtani with all that drafted talent would’ve been better than drafting football players.
Klentak and the other kid made a mess of the Phillies “rebuild”.
It’s nice to draft players. But FO heads also have to develop them, and build a roster that a manger has multiple ways of winning games with.
What a long strange trip this has been….
Phillies are winning because of what Keith said.
How?
Because Dave Dombrowski is one of the only guys left in baseball who tries to build a champion instead of a farm system?
I think I could throw darts at a board and have just as good a chance at doing what Dombrowski did.
youtube.com/watch?v=jam_t-gj7HM
So many bitter Phillie haters…
I don’t hate Philly. I’m rooting for them now. I just hate expanded playoffs. A third place team gets in because it was arbitrarily decided to do it that way. It’s not inherent.
Fair, but also we knew this going into the season, and we’ve seen a number of rule changes over the last few years. Very few things in baseball are inherent.
Absolutely. I’m not really disagreeing with you, Von, and, as a Phillies fan you SHOULD be happy about this. I don’t wanna take anything away from that. My issue is with those around here who get their panties all bunched up and act as if someone just slapped their gramma whenever a criticism of expanded playoffs is put forth.
You mean u are bitter that the Mets could not win. That means ur team just don’t have it. And it hurts u Inside
You’re an idiot. I really care very little about the Mets losing. I like baseball. When my team loses, I move on. Try and have an actual adult conversation for once maybe. We’re talking about expanded playoffs here, not my team.
this guy again…
Dude is a baby Jesus. It’s not hard 2 understand. When u get in the playoffs idc how you do. That’s when we find out who the men our. And the Mets were boys
This. isn’t. about. the Mets. You human paraquat.
That is why NO OTHER MLB Executive (but Dave Dombrowski)
has lead 4 different teams
to 5 World Series?!
forwhomjoshbelltolled;
He’s also building a farm system.
Got 2 top-tier pitching prospects coming in the next few years – and that’s not all. It’s not just about drafting, it’s about readying them to play at the ML level.
Before Mr. Dombrowski was a GM, he ran the Expos farm system. At that time it was considered one of the best in MLB.
Dombrowski usually builds both the farm system and a championship team based on his long track record,
Regardless of what happens in the WS (I actually think they have a decent chance of beating the Astros), it’s been an incredible run that’s been fun to watch!
Matt Ragusa;
There are 30 teams in MLB.
The 2 that get to the WS each year are winners.
Let Stubbs hit!
Just gotta hope they beat those Trashstros. I think the Astros have a better shot but we will see
Stros are such a complete team. Hard to see them losing to anyone, but the Phils have some fight.
Dodgers were a complete team too…
I think it was easier to see the flaws in the Dodgers than it was in the Stros, but you have a point.
Will Boone get fired if yankees get swept?
Hard to see Boone go if Cashman doesn’t go. They both stay, or they both go. Depends entirely on Hal and if he has lost patience yet with Cashman’s approach.
The Phillies were built for the post-season. Extremely strong front of the rotation with two stud horses, and so much power from nearly every spot in the order. In the postseason, homeruns are king. And Dombrowski created nearly the perfect roster to succeed in the post-season.
That’s really not true at all. Teams that continually keep the line moving and put the ball in play do very well in the postseason too.
The Phil’s could go ice cold in the WS and get swept like NYY.
Astros strikeout the 2nd least in the MLB. Behind only the Guardians. Both teams did pretty damn good this year
I guess the reasoning behind that is in the post-season you are theoretically facing the best of the best pitching-wise, which can make stringing hits together more problematic. Therefore, go for the bombs. Obviously the Yankees were set up this way but it didn’t work out for them. I believe it did work out better for the Phillies.
The Phillies are the 4th different team Dombrowski has guided to the World Series which is a record in itself and could be his third to win a championship (Tigers lost both WS they played; 2006, 2012). Unlike his runs with the Marlins and Red Sox, which were more culminations of his time with each franchise the Phillies should be competitive for a while and thanks to John Middleton spending “stupid money” the farm system actually isn’t any worse for wear (an unfortunate Dombrowski trade mark: leaving the cupboards bare on the way out the door)
Wah, Wah, Wah!!!
Sick of this crying and misinformation from Whiny Red Sox fans blaming
Dombrowski for their ownership’s stupid business plans.
Red Sox Ownership has lost a lot of great Front Office Talent
by their pump, dump and tank business plan including: Theo Epstein, Dave Dombrowski and Ben Cherrington.
Don’t you get what your ownership is doing in Boston?!
John Henry is a Wall Street guy who made his money on shorting and futures contracts.
Henry does the same with his Red Sox.
Only his players are the commodities.
He is the classic win now guy, dump the more expensive players, tank and loan up on draft picks.
Rinse repeat multiple times for the last 10+ years.
Blaming Dombrowski for carrying out the business plan John Henry drew up for the Red Sox when he hired Dombrowski proves to me and others
that it is all “over your head” and you just have an axe to grind against Dombrowski.
Your criticism should be with Red Sox Ownership John Henry and Tom Werner., not Dombrowski for doing what ownership ordered him to do.
Check the Tigers farm system after he left too
Crawford and cornerstone infielder shouldn’t be in the same sentence.
What did Dombrowski even do lol? Shows up, signs two DHs to awful contracts and puts them in the OF, fails even to platoon Schwarber (lol), trades his top prospect for Brandon Marsh (lololll), and calls it a day. Rest of the team sans Gibson and a couple relievers were already there when he arrived.
Did sign Jose Alvarado though, I guess. Who was so bad he was demoted in June.
So again I ask…what did he even do?
Let me run a few facts by you!
Dombrowski was hired to build a Championship team in Philly.
“Mission accomplished”
Congratulations Philadelphia Phillies 2022 National League Champions!!!
When Dombrowski was hired, the Phillies had not had a winning season in what 9 years?! (.500 seasons are not winning seasons).
Dombrowski’s actions:
#1 Dombrowski met with key players like Bryce Harper and got them
to “buy into” his plans for the team
#2 Signed JT Realmuto to contract extension (Realmuto was considering becoming a free agent.) Realmuto is from Oklahoma. Dombrowski’s wife is from Oklahoma and was a News Anchor in OK. Dombrowski and his wife wined and dined Realmuto and his wife and convinced them to stay in Philadelphia and sign an extension., instead of going on the free agent market.
#3 Dombrowski revamped the Front Office, Scouting and Farm System.
Signed rising Front Office Rising Star Preston Mattingly as Director of Player Development (He is Don’s Mattingly’s son).
#4 Dombrowski signed Sam Fuld is the new GM.
#5 Signed Terry Ryan as Special Asst to Pres (yes that Terry Ryan who built World Series Championships for the Twins)
6) Jorge Velandia, who’s been with the Phillies for a decade in a variety of player development and advisory roles, is now an assistant GM.
7) Fired Manager Joe Girardi
8) Hired New Manager Rob Thomson(longtime coach/never managed in Big leagues).
9) Changed the culture of the team and clubhouse
10) Convinced Phillies Owner John Middleton to exceed the luxury tax for the first time if needed to build a Championship team.
11 ) Traded for young, cost controlled future All Star CF Brandon Marsh
12) Signed LF/DH NL Home run Champion 2022 Kyle Schwarber
13) Signed RF/DH Nick Castellanos(Harper plays RF when fully healthy next year).
14) Improved Defense dramatically @ CF and SS
15) Opened up SS for Rookie Bryson Stott
16) Released SS Didi Gregorius (convinced Middleton to eat the contract).
17) Got rid of CF Obdubel Herrara (and character issue player) (sp?)
18) Fortified the rotation with trades for Gibson & Noah Syndergaard .
19) Rebuilt the Phillies bullpen from near last and most blown saves and blown holds in MLB the year before he was hired s
to one of the top bullpens in the NL.
20) LH Relief pitcher Brad Hand signed
21) RH Relief pitcher Dave Robertson (trade)
22) Held on to the Phillies top prospects including 3 stud starters who will be in the rotation soon.
And many more moves and actions to build the
2022 National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies!
.
23) Jose Alvarado Relief pitcher acquired in trade
24) Seranthony Dominguez Relief pitcher acquired in trade
25) Also, adding shortstop Edmundo Sosa helped Phillies defense.
Maybe his best move. I think they got lucky with the bat, but the Phillies were desperate for some more defense. Kind of reminds me of Theo picking up OCab in 2004.
SportsFan00001 second ago
Let me run a few facts by you!
Dombrowski was hired to build a Championship team in Philly.
“Mission accomplished”
Congratulations Philadelphia Phillies 2022 National League Champions!!!
When Dombrowski was hired, the Phillies had not had a winning season in what 9 years?! (.500 seasons are not winning seasons).
Dombrowski’s actions:
#1 Dombrowski met with key players like Bryce Harper and got them
to “buy into” his plans for the team
#2 Signed JT Realmuto to contract extension (Realmuto was considering becoming a free agent.) Realmuto is from Oklahoma. Dombrowski’s wife is from Oklahoma and was a News Anchor in OK. Dombrowski and his wife wined and dined Realmuto and his wife and convinced them to stay in Philadelphia and sign an extension., instead of going on the free agent market.
#3 Dombrowski revamped the Front Office, Scouting and Farm System.
Signed rising Front Office Rising Star Preston Mattingly as Director of Player Development (He is Don’s Mattingly’s son).
#4 Dombrowski signed Sam Fuld is the new GM.
#5 Signed Terry Ryan as Special Asst to Pres (yes that Terry Ryan who built World Series Championships for the Twins)
6) Jorge Velandia, who’s been with the Phillies for a decade in a variety of player development and advisory roles, is now an assistant GM.
7) Fired Manager Joe Girardi
8) Hired New Manager Rob Thomson(longtime coach/never managed in Big leagues).
9) Changed the culture of the team and clubhouse
10) Convinced Phillies Owner John Middleton to exceed the luxury tax for the first time if needed to build a Championship team.
11 ) Traded for young, cost controlled future All Star CF Brandon Marsh
12) Signed LF/DH NL Home run Champion 2022 Kyle Schwarber
13) Signed RF/DH Nick Castellanos(Harper plays RF when fully healthy next year).
14) Improved Defense dramatically @ CF and SS
15) Opened up SS for Rookie Bryson Stott
16) Released SS Didi Gregorius (convinced Middleton to eat the contract).
17) Got rid of CF Obdubel Herrara (and character issue player) (sp?)
18) Fortified the rotation with trades for Gibson & Noah Syndergaard .
19) Rebuilt the Phillies bullpen from near last and most blown saves and blown holds in MLB the year before he was hired s
to one of the top bullpens in the NL.
20) LH Relief pitcher Brad Hand signed
21) RH Relief pitcher Dave Robertson (trade)
22) Held on to the Phillies top prospects including 3 stud starters who will be in the rotation soon.
And many more moves and actions to build the
2022 National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies!
.
23) Jose Alvarado Relief pitcher acquired in trade
24) Seranthony Dominguez Relief pitcher acquired in trade
25) Also, adding shortstop Edmundo Sosa helped Phillies defense.
K. So basically he traded his best prospect for a character out of Deliverance who can’t hit and signed 2 DHs to awful contracts.
Like I said
You a little boy
GMoney2850;
Do you write for ‘Saturday Night Live’? ‘The Daily Show’?
Are you a regular panelist on CNN or MSNBC?
Chaim Bloom says … never mind. Great to see an old Expos guru rolling into the Series – good luck Phillies.
Congrats to Von, BaseballHistory and the rest of the Philly fans.
DD did a great job at the trade deadline. He gave up a pretty fair amount. Enough to make you queezy, but not enough to make you hurl. But most importantly, imo, he did so without giving up Abel or Painter.
I didn’t feel queasy at all. Dombrowski did a great job of maximizing the value of what he had. The best prospect traded was O’Hoppe who, while likely becoming an excellent MLB catcher, was blocked for years by JTR. For him the Phillies obtained their likely long term solution to center field. Brown is a reasonably good starting pitcher but blocked by three better ones in the pipeline; Robertson solidified the bullpen and brought much needed playoff experience. The rest of his deals helped the team in important areas of need without compromising the future.
Dombrowski held onto the Phillies top 3 pitching prospects.
At least one of them could be in the Phillies rotation by July 2023.
The rest will follow.
Thanks and agreed Brady. Was thrilled we got a real CF without giving up any of the big pieces. I was annoyed we didn’t get a 4th starter, but we ended up getting Thor late. Important little addition.
Well they(DD) chose bats over D
Dombrowski choose both!
Harper will be healthy in 2023 and goes back to RF.
Castellanos and Schwarber split duties at DH and LF.
Marsh is a huge upgrade for he Phillies in CF.
Stott is an upgrade over Gregorious @ SS.
SS Edmundo Sosa also upgraded INF Defense.
Marsh can’t hit. Their D is still a wreck. Team ain’t that good
But they are in the world series. And have 2 stud starting prospects coming up ? Like I said when ur this young and have so much hate in ur blood it’s not good 4 ya. Kid said they are not that good but won the NL lol
Turner will be an upgrade over Sir Didi; Stott will return to excellence at second base. Otherwise I concur.
Cubs swept Phils at the end of the season.
But would they trade positions now?
And now the Cubs are golfing and I’m looking out my window watching CBP get ready to host a WS game
Phillies will win the WS. Yeah, I know they only had 87 wins, a scant five-win improvement over last year. However, we got to 87 wins without the services of Harper and Segura for two months. Wheeler and Seranthony were on the IL for about a month each. Centerfield was a defensive disaster until Marsh came along at the deadline.
So I ask, how many more wins should the Phillies have had? I’d say seven or eight more, easily.
Finally, the Phillies faced the toughest SP in any division. Thirty-eight games vs. the Mets and the Braves pitching is no easy task. Heck, even the Marlins threw top notch SP at you every night.
The Astros played in a weak division. The Angels, Rangers and tanking A’s were merely inconvenient fodder for them all season. Only the Mariners offered any serious competition, and we all saw what the Astros did to them in the playoffs: Three, and out!
Phillies win in six. Book it!
If 162 games can’t determine the best four teams then what makes you think a five game series can? Last year’s Braves. This year’s Phils. Cards team that won 83 games in 06…
It’s a joke. Putting marginal teams in the playoffs is just to make money, and not a true determinant of who the best team is. Momentum and luck over skill and talent will always prevail in a 5 game series.
How can u call them marginal? This is the post season my friend it’s when the boys go home and the men play. Records don’t matter. What matters is what u do today. And today I see the bank getting ready to host a WS game.
Dude they were the third wild card. The 6th seed. Last year’s format they don’t get in. What’s that say? The season means jack squat anymore. Maybe next year to make more money and create more interest we add 5 wild cards…what’ya say? Makes perfect sense.