Phillies scapegoats: 1 to fire, 1 to put on the hot seat, 1 to be patient with
The Philadelphia Phillies have struggled to keep pace in the NL East. Who’s to blame?
Even the most pessimistic Philadelphia Phillies fan began the season brimming with optimism. A World Series appearance? Trea Turner? Everything was pointing up, until suddenly, it wasn’t.
The Phils are currently 25-31, which places them fourth in the NL East. Philadelphia was expected to rival Atlanta atop the standings; now they’re merely gazing at the stars while the Braves run roughshod over the division.
It’s difficult to perform under the burden of expectation in Philadelphia. It’s a blue-collar sports town with unforgiving fans. It’s even more difficult to perform when the team is struggling. The Phillies still have time to turn their season around, but the clock is tick, tick, ticking, and the magic of last season’s revival feels like a distant memory.
Here’s who deserves the most blame.
Phillies scapegoat to have patience with: Trea Turner
Philadelphia gave the 29-year-old Turner an 11-year, $300 million contract to lure him away from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Turner won the Silver Slugger award last season and finished 11th in National League MVP voting. The logic was simple: spend big, win big. The more MVP candidates you can pepper around Bryce Harper, the better.
So far the investment has faltered. Turner is batting .236, the lowest average of his career since he was a rookie in Washington all the way back in 2015. His .279 OBS is a career low and he has only managed 15 RBIs in a league-leading 233 at-bats. Yikes.
Turner looks completely outside himself right now. Whether it’s the unfamiliarity of a new team and a new ballpark, or simply an ill-timed cold spell, the Phillies need him to snap out of it. It’s hard to win ballgames when your most expensive player looks more like a minor leaguer than an All-Star.
That said, Philly fans should maintain patience with Turner. He has a long career of prolific hitting to back up his contract and his reputation. Positive regression to the mean feels inevitable. Plus, there’s not really another option — he’s under contract for the next decade. Might as well buckle in for the long haul.