Phillies Rightfully See Rise in MLB Power Rankings Following Excellent Week

The Philadelphia Phillies rightfully moved up in the MLB Power Rankings this week.

May 3, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; The Philadelphia Phillies celebrate their win against the Miami Marlins following the game at loanDepot Park. | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

Even though it has been a terrible start to the season for the Philadelphia Phillies, the team might finally be heading in the right direction. 

Coming into the week, the Phillies elected to fire their manager, Rob Thomson, following a (9-19) start to the season. This move was likely the right one, and the timing was good with the schedule getting a bit easier. 

Philadelphia had struggled to get going against some of the better teams in the league, and their offense had really struggled. Getting rid of Thomson, who was able to have a lot of success with the team, was a good way for them to create a bit of a spark, and it has seemingly done the trick. 

Don Mattingly has now taken over, and he has a plethora of experience as a manager, and so far, the early results have been good. Even though it is a long way back to where they want to be, the team is finally starting to head in the right direction. 

Will Leitch of MLB recently wrote about his updated MLB Power Rankings. Following a bit of a free fall for the Phillies to start the season, they finally started to move in the right direction, from 25th to 21st. 

Move Up Was Warranted

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) and relief pitcher Orion Kerkering | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

Following a week in which they went (5-1), the move up four spots was certainly deserved. This was the type of week that the Phillies really needed following a bunch of losses. 

To start the week, the team was able to pick up the sweep against the San Francisco Giants in what will be a series to remember if they end up turning this thing around. Philadelphia was able to win the doubleheader to close things out with two walk-off wins. 

It’s hard to imagine that a couple of weeks ago, they would have been able to do that, but that very well could be the turning point for the team. Furthermore, following the sweep at home against the Giants, the Phillies then went on the road and won two out of three games against the Miami Marlins over the weekend. 

With it being a wrap-around series, they will have one more game on Monday against Miami, but they ended the week on a very positive note. As the team tries to continue to work their way back into contention, this past week was an excellent start for them following the change at manager.