We’re only 5 days away from Opening Day, and Ricky Bottalico is FIRED UP about the new look offense. He shares his take on how Castellanos and Schwarber will take the load off of guys Harper, Hoskins, and Realmuto.
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- This weekend was a decent test for a Phillies lineup that has a chance to be one of the majors' best in 2022.
On Saturday, they faced tough Toronto right-hander Jose Berrios, a two-time All-Star with nasty stuff who faced more batters than any American League pitcher last season. It was Berrios' final start of the spring, so he was doing more than just tinkering with pitches and went five innings before the skies opened and the game was called.
The Phillies jumped on him quickly. Leadoff man Kyle Schwarber (he's led off in all nine games he's played this spring) walked and advanced to third on a Bryce Harper double. Nick Castellanos followed by stroking a two-run single to left field.
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SIGN UP HERE The lineup produced another big first inning Sunday afternoon against impressive young Tigers righty Casey Mize. Schwarber hit a mammoth home run on a full count to begin the bottom of the first, Harper hit an opposite-field shot two batters later, then Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto and Didi Gregorius followed with well-struck singles.
"I've faced those guys. Those guys are tough outs," ace Zack Wheeler said Saturday morning after he pitched in an intrasquad game. "Facing teams throughout my career with deep lineups is really hard, and that's what we have now, a deep lineup. I like our chances with that."
Defense will not be a strong suit for this team, as Toronto's announcers mentioned several times Saturday, but the Phillies are relying on their firepower to overcome the occasional botched routine play.
In his final 60 games and 250 plate appearances last season, Schwarber hit .312/.432/.688 with 22 home runs.
MLB
Over the last four years, no major leaguer has more extra-base hits than Castellanos' 262.
Harper, the 2021 NL MVP, led MLB last season in slugging percentage, OPS and dobules.
Rhys Hoskins, who batted seventh Sunday behind Gregorius, was doing tremendous damage when he went down for the season last August. In his final 90 at-bats, he hit .333 with 13 doubles, 10 homers and a 1.262 OPS. From a power perspective, last season was the best Hoskins has looked since the first month of his rookie season when he homered 11 times in 14 games and slugged .618 in 50 games overall.
Realmuto, an All-Star the last three times MLB has played a full season, should benefit from the presence of these other premium offensive pieces. Realmuto was the Phillies' cleanup hitter in 33 of his first 35 starts last season, batting third the other two games. In this lineup, he does not have to be a top run producer. He can be a more complementary offensive piece and that fits his well-rounded skill set better because Realmuto is more "all-around player" than "slugger."
The Phillies will need everybody. Jean Segura and Gregorius are X-factors because the Phils will need Segura to set the table when batting second and for Gregorius to be closer to the left-handed RBI threat he was in 2020.
Segura was a model of consistency last year, spending every day after April 10 with a batting average of .290 or better. He does that again this season, he's going to score more than the 76 runs he scored in 2021.
The bottom-third of the Phillies' order will likely include Gregorius, the third baseman (Bryson Stott or Alec Bohm) and Matt Vierling, who will begin the season as the center fielder with Odubel Herrera sidelined by an oblique strain.
"Someone is going to have to hit seventh, eighth or ninth," manager Joe Girardi said. "It doesn't mean you're a seventh, eighth or ninth hitter, but there's going to be production spots all through the lineup. You'll have chances to drive in runs. Don't get caught up where you hit. Be the hitter you are and it could be something special."
It's an offense that has pitchers throughout the Phillies' clubhouse smiling.
"Look at the guys we have in this clubhouse. This lineup is ridiculous," rehabbing reliever Sam Coonrod said Sunday. "I think we have a very good team."
It all starts for real in five days.
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