It’s Opening Day, Another Fun Phillies Season Begins

Today Opening Day for the Phillies! The start of another exciting season at Citizens Bank Park. MLB Opening Day brings a lot with it. The hope of warmer weather, winning baseball, summer vacations. It's basically a gateway to everything we look forward to all year. Even if you know your team may be heading to a down year (which the Phils are not) you still get excited because as the saying goes, "hope springs eternal."

We're in another really good time in Phils baseball. Owner John Middleton is not afraid to spend money. He's one of us. He just wants to win, and will spend what is necessary. He knows, putting a winning team on that field will fill the ballpark.  At the beginning of spring training he ended his team meeting with "I want our f*cking trophy back. Go get it." I love that!

Heading into this season, the Phillies are probably looking up at a couple teams, the Dodgers are the best team in the National League. The Braves are probably a close second, followed by the Phillies. Now this is all on paper. Shohei Ohtani is amazing, but is he about to become this generation's Pete Rose? An investigation is underway surrounding his interpreter betting on games. Was Shohei part of it? Will it effect the Dodgers this year? Maybe. The Braves lineup and pitching staff are also very good, but just get them in the playoffs and they collapse.

This season Bryce Harper will be healthy from the start of the year. Trea Turner will be in his second season in red pinstripes. He struggled mightily for a lot of last season before Phillies fans came to his aid. He showed how good he is toward the end of the season. I look for a big bounce back season for Turner. Bryson Stott was great last year, and continues to grow into a great player. One of the best moment of last season was his grand slam in the wild card playoff round immediately after the entire stadium sang his walk up song. Zack Wheeler is here to stay as is Aaron Nola giving them a nice top two starters in the pitching rotation.

Enjoy these opening days with really good Phillies baseball. For a long time we didn't have that in this city. There will be seasons in the future where we're waiting for the next set of great Phils players, that's just the way sports is. We should all be looking forward to many fun nights at the ballpark in the summer of 2024, and hopefully deep into the fall too.

This is two seasons old now, but I still get chills watching Bryce Harper's go ahead home run in the 8th inning of the NLCS in 2022. Just amazing. A great call in this video from Fox Sports' Joe Davis followed by another legendary call from the radio play by play man Scott Franzke. Enjoy.

The Philadelphia Phillies will soon announce their final roster for 2024 after the end of Spring Training. The Atlanta Braves visit Citizens Bank Park for Opening Day on March 28.

The Phillies have advanced to the NLCS in consecutive seasons. Red October has taken baseball by storm in consecutive postseasons, but the World Series trophy hasn’t returned to Philadelphia. Rob Thomson earned himself the confidence of the fan base after a remarkable turnaround after taking his first job as an MLB manager in 2022.

The romanticization of the miracle ride to the World Series in 2022 is over, however. Thomson now faces the pressure of an intense fan base demanding success after a collapse in the NLCS in 2023. The intensity will heighten at Citizens Bank Park this summer.

The infielders and catchers include plenty of big names and potentially the two most impactful players on the team. Bryce Harper moves into the mix as a first baseman, and Trea Turner will look to rebound after an underwhelming first season in Philadelphia.

Nick Castellanos will play the outfield with less established starters, especially on offense, for the majority of the 2024 season. Harper and Kyle Schwarber likely won’t make many appearances in the outfield this season.

New lucrative contracts for Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola made headlines during the offseason, and the Phillies have plenty of depth behind them in the starting rotation.

The back end of the bullpen looks like a key strength for a World Series contender, as Phillies relievers Jose Alvarado, Seranthony Dominguez, and Gregory Soto will lead the way.

The star power dominates the infield at Citizens Bank Park. Harper’s position change drew some offseason headlines, and Trea Turner hopes to get off to a better start in 2024. The “Phillies Day Care” isn’t so young anymore. They’ll look to take the next step into stardom.

Find some insight on the defensive struggle in the field last season, room for improvement from younger players, and bold prediction about Bryce Harper.

The Phillies will look for better outfield defense in 2024. Kyle Schwarber won’t play many games in left field this season. The bubble roster spots will also depend on which players show versatility with the glove. The outfield contains some of the most intriguing Spring Training storylines.

Read some revealing defensive statistics and analysis on the center field position battle.

The Phillies enter 2024 with one of the strongest rotations in the majors. Dave Dombrowski spent big money to lock up Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola as the top duo. Playoff baseball often hinges on the performance of top-end starters. Rob Thomson hopes to lean on a pair of aces for a World Series run.

Read our analysis of the five projected starters, some potential depth pieces, and a top prospect looking to break into the majors.

MLB bullpens rotate plenty of pitchers throughout the season. Established veterans like Jose Alvarado and Seranthony Dominguez have their spots locked up. Who else could earn roles? Will Orion Kerkering be ready for Opening Day?

Read about Rob Thomson’s unusual strategy at closer and a realization that bullpen pitchers are some of the most unpredictable professional athletes.