The countdown to Opening Day is on.
With the start of the season just days away, now is a great time to break out the crystal ball and predict how the 2024 Phillies season will unfold.
The Phillies enter the season with one of the best rosters in baseball, led by Bryce Harper and Zack Wheeler. The depth has improved considerably since Harper and Wheeler arrived in 2019 and 2020, but the stars are what will define this era of Phillies baseball.
Who are those stars in 2024? To answer that question, Phillies Nation has compiled a list of the top 10 Phillies.
The list was voted on by staff writers Tim Kelly, Destiny Lugardo and Ty Daubert.
10. OF Brandon Marsh
Confession: I love everything about Brandon Marsh. He knows his role, executes it and doesn’t try to be something he’s not. Marsh, despite being one of the younger players on the roster, also deserves as much credit as anyone for establishing the clubhouse culture that makes the Phillies special in the eyes of many around the league. He cares deeply about being a good teammate and that translates to his game. He predominantly hits eighth, so he focuses on getting on base and setting the table for the bigger bats as the lineup turns over. His walk rate doubled and his on-base percentage increased by nearly 100 points from 2022 to 2023. We’re not going to see that kind of growth again this year, but Marsh has a very good chance of being an above average regular for the Phillies in 2024, especially if he cuts down on the swing-and-miss and earns more playing time against lefties. — Destiny Lugardo
9. LHP Ranger Suárez
Ranger Suárez did not have as strong of a 2023 season as his previous two, missing time during two separate stints due to an elbow strain and a hamstring strain. The left-hander had a 4.18 ERA in 22 regular-season starts, but did follow that with his second strong playoff run in a row. Now, Suárez has had a healthy spring to prepare for the upcoming year. He’s proven that, when healthy, he is a remarkably reliable starting pitcher, calm enough to handle different situations thrown at him over the course of a season. And when it comes to the postseason, Suárez is a weapon, a Swiss Army knife capable of shutting other teams down in a variety of roles. He’s a great fit for that No. 3 slot in the rotation behind Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola and will be key in maintaining a strong pitching staff. — Ty Daubert
8. LHP José Alvarado
Two injured-list stints prevented José Alvarado from putting together a full season’s worth of numbers in 2023, but he was on pace for one of the most dominant seasons a Phillies reliever has ever had. In 42 appearances, Alvarado posted a 1.74 ERA, 2.41 FIP and 1.3 WAR, while finishing with 13.94 K/9. As long as he’s healthy, Alvarado will be the top high-leverage reliever for the Phillies in 2024, likely being utilized in the ninth inning and elsewhere. — Tim Kelly
7. 2B Bryson Stott
Bryson Stott is one of those players you have to watch on a daily basis to fully appreciate. He works counts, steals bases and is a Gold Glove-caliber defender at second base. The book on him is that he’s passive early in the count and the Phillies want him to go after pitches that would typically go by him for strike one. That could lead to better end-of-year numbers at the plate. The last thing Stott needs to do to prove himself is to end the season on a stronger note. He has a .552 OPS in 29 career postseason games. — Destiny Lugardo
6. DH Kyle Schwarber
Since signing with the Phillies in 2022, all Kyle Schwarber has done is hit more home runs than any other player in Major League Baseball, regular and postseason combined. He possesses a rare combination of power and elite discipline that makes him one of the game’s best hitters. A permanent move to DH in 2024 could lead to even more production at the plate. It’s time for the nerds to ignore the low WAR total and for the traditionalists to let go of the low batting average. — Destiny Lugardo
5. C J.T. Realmuto
A three-time All-Star, J.T. Realmuto had a bit of a down year in 2023, his .762 OPS being the lowest of his Phillies career. At 33, the first thought might be that the catcher could just be on the decline. But Realmuto isn’t like most backstops, largely avoiding the aging curve of most players at his position to this point. He still shoulders a heavy workload compared to most catchers, providing value with the sheer number of games he plays behind the plate (133 in each of the last two seasons). He may not be the best catcher in the game at this point, but there’s reason to believe Realmuto — the unique talent and athlete that he is — can bounce back for a stronger 2024 campaign. — Ty Daubert
4. SS Trea Turner
Trea Turner was unconscious in August and September, homering 17 times and driving in 42 runs, which made his full-season numbers look pretty respectable after a largely sluggish first campaign with the Phillies. Still, Turner finished the 2023 season with a .266 batting average and .778 OPS. In his second season in red pinstripes, Turner should be much closer to the offensive player that hit .316 with an .877 OPS between the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers from 2020-2022. The biggest question might be whether he can rebound defensively. Turner was never a Gold Glove-caliber defender, but the Phillies need more than they got from Turner in the field in 2023, when he posted -12 defensive runs saved and -4 outs above average at shortstop. — Tim Kelly
3. RHP Aaron Nola
Nola’s 2023 regular season was tough to watch, but if we are being honest, the Phillies would sign up for a repeat of it in 2024. He stayed healthy for a sixth straight year, reached 190 innings in the regular season and gave the team three really good postseason starts to salvage his value heading into his walk year. For some reason, Nola elevates his game in even years, so if you need a silly reason to believe in him, there’s that. — Destiny Lugardo
2. 1B Bryce Harper
Assuming some Spring Training back stiffness proves to be a short-term issue, 2024 should be Bryce Harper’s healthiest season since he won the NL MVP in 2021. Across his first two seasons with the Phillies (2019-20), Harper slashed .262/.385/.518 with a .903 OPS in 215 games. In the three seasons since (2021-23), Harper has been even better, slashing .297/.402/.546 with a .948 OPS. His biggest issue has been staying on the field. If Harper is healthy for a full campaign in 2024, this is as good of a year as any for him to compete for a third NL MVP. — Tim Kelly
1. RHP Zack Wheeler
Wheeler, Philadelphia’s ace and the newly minted $42 million-per-season man (starting in 2025), is the best and most valuable player on the Phillies right now. Sure, it’s a roster stacked with All-Star talent — with a potential Hall of Fame case or two to be made down the line — but this version of Wheeler is the club’s top producer. The right-hander has dominated since signing with the Phillies ahead of the 2020 season, posting a 3.06 ERA in 101 starts while missing only a limited amount of time due to injury and turning up his performance in the postseason. A certified No. 1 starter is not easy to find in the major leagues, and the Phillies have that guy in the 33-year-old Wheeler, one of the best current pitchers in baseball. — Ty Daubert
Other players to receive votes: OF Nick Castellanos and LHP Matt Strahm.
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Bawb Eff
March 21, 2024 at 8:23 am
“Just ignore the .190 average and 200+ strikeouts, you traditionalist nerds!” is not the flex you think it is. You have to be the biggest Phillies homer of all time or insane to think Schwarber has “elite discipline” and is one of the best hitters in baseball. He’s struck out the 2nd most times of any hitter in MLB since 2020. He’s a one-tool guy who somehow has parlayed that into a lucrative career. Props to him, but let’s not make him sound like Ty Cobb. Jeez this guy ain’t even Dave Kingman.