Saturday, October 25

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The Phillies had the second-oldest offense in the Major Leagues this year, which sounds like enough reason to change the roster before Spring Training.

Phils hitters averaged 30.3 years old, according to a metric calculated by Baseball Reference that is weighted by each player's playing time. It’s a group that featured J.T. Realmuto (34), Nick Castellanos (33), Bryce Harper (32), Kyle Schwarber (32), Trea Turner (32), Max Kepler (32) and Harrison Bader (31).

It’s interesting to note that the Dodgers had the oldest offense, averaging 30.7 years old (based on players’ ages as of June 30). L.A. has Freddie Freeman (35), Max Muncy (34), Enrique Hernández (33), Mookie Betts (32), Teoscar Hernández (32), Tommy Edman (30), Shohei Ohtani (30) and Will Smith (30) on its roster.

The Phillies expect Harper and Turner -- both signed to long-term contracts -- to be players again in 2026. They hope to re-sign Schwarber and Realmuto. They have expressed interest in bringing back Bader.

Castellanos is not expected to return. Neither is Kepler.

“We have some young players that we’re going to mesh into our club,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said last week. “I’m not going to declare that anybody has a job, but there will be some people that we’re really open minded to be on the big league club next year coming out of Spring Training -- Justin Crawford, Andrew Painter is another one.”

Let’s look at Crawford, Painter and Aidan Miller, because each ranks among MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects.

OF Justin Crawford (Phillies’ No. 3 prospect, No. 54 overall in MLB)

Crawford, 21, will enter camp as a heavy favorite to make the Opening Day roster.

“I’m not making any proclamations on anybody,” Dombrowski said. “Max Kepler, I think, did a solid job for us. Well, he’s not going to most likely be back, because he’s a free agent and you have Justin Crawford.”

Crawford came close to a promotion this summer, but once Brandon Marsh got hot and the Phillies acquired Bader from the Twins at the 2025 Trade Deadline, he remained with Triple-A Lehigh Valley to finish the season. He batted .334 with seven home runs, 47 RBIs, 46 stolen bases and an .863 OPS in 112 games with the IronPigs.

Crawford has nothing left to prove in the Minor Leagues.

“He needs to go to camp and just do what he’s basically been doing,” Dombrowski said. “I don’t expect him to carry our club at the very beginning of the season, but you also don’t want to put him in there where you think that it would be a bit too much for him. I don’t think that’s going to happen, but you still need to show it.”

Crawford can play left or center, but most agree that left is his best position.

RHP Andrew Painter (Phillies' No. 1, No. 16 overall)

The Phillies hoped Painter would join their rotation by midsummer, but he never hit his stride in his first season back from Tommy John surgery.

It was too much to expect, looking back on it.

“He still has quality stuff,” Dombrowski said. “He throws his fastball in the upper 90s. He touches 100 [mph]. He still has quality breaking stuff. … He needs a little bit better command than what he had. He used to have great command. It wasn’t quite as good this year. That’s when he primarily got hurt. It wasn’t because of his stuff. Normally, when you trace back to a lot of people who’ve had Tommy John surgery, that’s the last thing that comes back.

“We’re optimistic with a regular offseason training program and getting ready to come into the season that he’ll be able to regain that.”

Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola and Taijuan Walker are healthy and under contract next year. So is Zack Wheeler, but his recovery from thoracic outlet decompression surgery on Sept. 23 is expected to be six to eight months. He could open the season on the injured list.

If Ranger Suárez, who will be a free agent, isn’t back (and it seems unlikely that he will return), Painter could step in.

INF Aidan Miller (Phillies' No. 2, No. 32 overall)

Miller, 21, is the least likely of the three to make the Opening Day roster, because the Phillies have Turner at shortstop, Alec Bohm at third base and Bryson Stott at second base.

“We’re not going to bring him up and not play [him] the majority of the time,” Dombrowski said. “When I’ve talked to people in our organization, they feel that he can play shortstop. Of course, we have an All-Star shortstop at this point. … [Miller] could play other positions. I don’t have any questions about that.

“Now, how you do that, how you go about it, I’m not sure even yet that we have that answer, because a lot of times with a young player … he’s played some second, he’s played some third, but he’s primarily been a shortstop. So we’d have to make sure that we properly prepared him to do that. And that’s still a discussion that we’ll have to have.”

Maybe the Phillies will trade Bohm this offseason. They tried -- unsuccessfully -- last offseason.

Miller batted a combined .264 with 14 homers, 42 RBIs, 59 stolen bases and an .825 OPS over 116 games between Double-A Reading and Lehigh Valley. He struggled midseason, but he batted .356 with six homers, 19 RBIs, 22 stolen bases and a 1.088 OPS in 39 games from July 27 through the end of the year.

Which pitcher has thrown the most innings in Phillies postseason history?

A. Zack Wheeler

B. Aaron Nola

C. Cole Hamels

D. Steve Carlton

Curt Schilling pitched a complete-game five-hit shutout against the Blue Jays in Game 5 of the World Series on Oct. 21, 1993, at Veterans Stadium.

D. Carlton

Lefty threw 89 1/3 innings over 13 postseason starts. Hamels is second, tossing 81 2/3 innings in 13 starts.

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