Philadelphia Phillies Lineup Not Living up to Expectations of Their Price Tags

The Philadelphia Phillies got off to a very hot start in the 2025 MLB regular season, winning six out of their first seven games.

After alternating wins and losses in four contests, the team lost 10 out of 15 games. But, they have gotten back on track, riding a three-game winning streak heading into play on April 30.

With a 16-13 record, they have some work to do if they want to keep pace with the New York Mets -- who are an MLB-best 21-9 -- in the National League East.

They’ll also want to keep a close eye on the NL West division, where there could be four playoff teams with the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks all winning at least 15 games already.

The Phillies know they have the pitching to keep pace with any team in baseball.

Zack Wheeler remains a bona fide ace with Jesus Luzardo and Cristopher Sanchez both emerging as front end stars.

Taijuan Walker has been a major surprise with positive production, and the team has to hope veteran Aaron Nola turns things around. Even more help is on the way with Ranger Suarez and top prospect Andrew Painter.

What will ultimately determine Philadelphia's success is if their offense can start producing at a more consistent level.

Through the first month of the season, their starting lineup has produced some rather pedestrian numbers. There are a few players performing under expectations, which has led to Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report barely placing them in the top half of the MLB in his starting nine ranks.

The Phillies came in at No. 13, putting them in the same tier as an NL Central duo; the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds at Nos. 15 and 14, respectively.

A big reason Philadelphia finds themselves with a lower than anticipated ranking is because they have committed a ton of money to their positional players but have yet to see the kind of return on investment that is expected.

Utility man Edmundo Sosa, who has only 38 plate appearances on the season, has the highest OPS+ on the team with a 158. Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber is not too far behind with a 150.

The biggest disappointment to this point has to be third baseman Alec Bohm, who has yet to hit a home run. His drop off in the second half of the 2024 campaign has, unfortunately, carried over to 2025, which is a major cause for concern.

They also have a massive void in center field, where Brandon Marsh has struggled and Johan Rojas is tough to trust in an everyday role because of his struggles against right-handed pitching.

With six out of nine starters in their age-32 campaigns or older, could Father Time be catching up to the Phillies?

It will be something worth keeping an eye on as an infusion of youth could be needed to spark the club.

Recommended Articles