Wednesday, April 02

Happy Opening Day.

The Phillies will begin their 143rd season on Thursday afternoon against the Nationals in Washington. It will be the first time they have opened in D.C. since April 5, 2010, when Roy Halladay made his highly anticipated debut in an 11-1 victory.

It was the beginning of a fun summer that ended in October disappointment, when the Giants upset the Phillies in six games in the NLCS.

The Phils hope for a better ending this year.

There are reasons to be optimistic. First, the Phillies have an objectively talented roster. They won 95 games last season, winning their first NL East title since 2011. Yes, they finished the season 51-51, including a NLDS loss in four games to the Mets, but most organizations would happily trade their 26-man roster for the Phillies’.

In fact, the only two teams projected to win more games than the Phillies this season are the Dodgers and Braves, according to FanGraphs.

Second, the Phillies had a handful of encouraging performances this spring. Oftentimes, spring performances should be taken with a grain of salt. Both Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber hit no better than .179 last spring, for example. But sometimes, there is something there.

Maybe it’s the case with these five Phillies:

Cristopher Sánchez

If you want to make a friendly wager with your friends, bet Sánchez finishes in the top five for NL Cy Young. He looked that good this spring. He struck out 19 and walked two in 16 2/3 innings. He allowed only three earned runs. His sinker averaged 96.3 mph, which is up from last season’s 94.5 mph and last spring’s 94.4 mph.

Sánchez thinks he can maintain the velocity deep into games, and deep into the season. If so, it will make his changeup, which is one of the best in baseball, even nastier. Sánchez thinks his slider has improved, too.

Max Kepler

He batted .375 (15-for-40) with three doubles, three home runs, 11 RBIs, 10 walks, nine strikeouts and a 1.175 OPS. Of the 189 players with 25 or more batted balls in play, Kepler’s average exit velocity (95.6 mph) ranked 12th. Kepler is healthy again after having abdominal repair surgery in October. He made a couple mechanical adjustments to his swing in January that seem to be paying off, too.

Kepler was considered a main cog in Minnesota, but with the Phillies he fills a complementary role. Maybe it creates a pressure-free mindset that allows him to take off.

Bryson Stott

He batted .268 with two homers, eight RBIs and an .859 OPS this spring, hitting the ball harder than he has in the past (89.3 mph average exit velocity, up from 87.7 mph career average). He also walked 13 times for a .444 on-base percentage.

Stott played with an injured right elbow for much of last season. He believes it got him into bad habits with his swing. If he recaptures his 2023 form, pitchers will have a tough time going through the Phillies’ lineup.

“I feel stronger and the ball is coming off my bat a lot better,” he said.

Brandon Marsh 

Marsh batted .256 with one double, one home run, five RBIs and an .822 OPS. He walked a team-high 15 times for a .463 OPS. But he also went 4-for-9 with a double, three walks, two strikeouts and a 1.139 OPS against lefties, which is encouraging because the Phillies want to see him play more against lefties.

Marsh wasn’t facing cupcakes, either. He doubled and walked against Yankees lefty Carlos Rodón on Feb. 27, struck out looking against Red Sox lefty Garrett Crochet on Feb. 28, walked against Rays lefty Shane McClanahan on March 6 and singled twice against reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal on March 15 at BayCare Ballpark.

“I feel like the work has transferred well into the spring,” Marsh said. “I’ve just got to transfer it into the 27th. And then from there on out.”

José Alvarado

He struck out 20 and walked three in nine innings. Nine! He threw 44 pitches at 100 mph or harder. 44! Only one pitcher this spring threw more: Arizona’s Justin Martinez (55).

Alvarado didn’t have a great year last year. He seems intent on rectifying that.

“That’s what happens when you’re working hard,” he said. “Every time I have the ball, I want to see that result.”

Which one of these outfielders did NOT start for the Phillies on Opening Day in the last 10 years?

A. Jake Cave

B. Peter Bourjos

C. Adam Haseley

D. Brad Miller

• Here is a look at the Phillies’ Opening Day roster.

• Dave Dombrowski discussed the roster before the team left Clearwater, Fla., on Monday. He not only covered Ranger Suárez’s back injury, Kody Clemens winning the final bench job and Carlos Hernández joining the bullpen, but the relative insignificance of the Phillies’ batting order. 

The Phillies traded outfielders Gary Matthews and Bob Dernier and right-hander Porfi Altamirano to the Cubs on March 27, 1984, for right-hander Bill Campbell and catcher Mike Diaz.

The Cubs won the trade. Matthews finished fifth for NL MVP in ‘84, helping the Cubs win the NL East. Dernier won a Gold Glove in ‘84. Altamirano made only five appearances for the Cubs that year. He never pitched again in the big leagues. Meanwhile, Campbell made 57 appearances in his only season for the Phillies, while Diaz never played for the team.

D. Brad Miller

Cave started in left field on Opening Day 2023, Haseley started in center in ‘21 and Bourjos started in right in ‘16.

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