The Philadelphia Phillies opened the regular season believing they had the right mix of players to contend for a World Series title in 2024. After failing to deliver in seven games versus the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS last October, the Phillies once again fell way short of expectations after dropping three games in the NLDS to the New York Mets in demoralizing fashion this week.
With the offseason beginning much earlier than anyone expected, identifying weak spots on the roster is crucial to making improvements ahead of the 2025 season. There was more than one facet of the game that caused the Phillies to be bounced from the postseason this year, with blame spread evenly between the flat offense and a bullpen that didn’t step up when big outs were needed most.
It wasn’t all negative this season. There were plenty of bright spots on a Phillies team that posted a record of 95-67, won the NL East Division, and finished with the second-best record in MLB.
For example, slugger Kyle Schwarber set a new MLB record after swatting 15 leadoff home runs while increasing his batting average 51 points from .197 in 2023 to .248 this year. Cristopher Sánchez set new career bests in wins, strikeouts and innings pitched while also being selected to his first All-Star team. Rookie Orion Kerkering showed he had the stuff and makeup to be a high-leverage MLB relief pitcher after posting a solid 2.29 ERA and striking out 74 hitters in 63 innings.
4 Phillies players who underachieved and let us down the most in 2024
That being said, a few players showed concerning signs of regression in 2024, and correcting those flaws will be necessary if the Phillies hope to make a deeper playoff run next season. With the Phillies front office ready to dig into player evaluations with the season now over, it’s certain that a handful of players currently under contract will enter the offseason with tailored programs designed to improve performance over the winter months.
Let’s take a look at four players who carried high expectations coming into the season and underachieved this season for the Phillies.
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