USATSI_18797343 — © Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies' Offense Still Needs Help

Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto have stepped up over the past month, but the Philadelphia Phillies offense is still reeling without Bryce Harper.

Author:
Leo Morgenstern
Aug 1, 2022 3:00 PM EDT

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Philadelphia Phillies

Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto have been on fire lately.

Since July 1, Realmuto has hit .358/.423/.642 with a 190 wRC+. Bohm is slashing .434/.457/.632 with a 201 wRC+. Between the two of them, they have driven in nearly a third of the team's runs.

Their production has helped the Philadelphia Phillies stay in the postseason hunt without Bryce Harper. They have gone 6-4 (.600) since the All-Star break, 15-10 (.600) in July, and 18-12 (.600) since the day of their superstar's injury.

When Harper went down with a broken thumb, the rest of the team needed to step up. Realmuto and Bohm, who had both been slumping to start the season, answered the call.

While those two have dominated and Philadelphia has played at a 97-win pace over the past month, that doesn't mean the team isn't struggling without their MVP.

The Phillies posted a 95 wRC+ during the month of July, which means their lineup was five percent worse than league average. By this metric, their offense ranked just 19th in baseball.

Similarly, they also rank 19th in the sport with 106 runs scored over the past month.

It represents a huge drop off from June, when Philadelphia posted a 115 wRC+ and scored 146 runs. In fact, July was their worst offensive month of the season by both wRC+ and runs per game. It was even worse than May, when the Phillies went 10-18 (.357) and fell behind the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates in the Wild Card race.

Things have been a little better lately—Philadelphia has scored 22 runs in their last four games—but it remains to be seen if they can keep that up against stronger opponents than Pittsburgh.

Right fielder Nick Castellanos has struggled at the plate all season.
© Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into the season, offense was supposed to be one of this team's biggest strengths. So far, that has not been the case.

Simply put, the offense is not going to be a strength until Harper comes back. Realmuto and Bohm have done everything they can in his stead, but it's pretty hard to replace the production of the reigning NL MVP.

Jean Segura will return from the injured list in the coming days, and that will help. Perhaps Dave Dombrowski will add another offensive role player at the trade deadline too.

But really, the Phillies are just biding their time until Harper comes back. When he does make his triumphant return, Philadelphia will finally have an above-average offense again. Pair that with a pitching staff that has kept them in the race over the past month, and this team is ready for a highly competitive stretch run.