The Philadelphia Phillies clinched a trip to the NLDS thanks to earning the two seed and a bye. They didn't have to wait long to figure out who they'd be playing, as the Los Angeles Dodgers easily swept the Cincinnati Reds in the NL Wild Card round.
With the Phillies welcoming the Dodgers, baseball's top team from a year ago, to Philadelphia for the NLDS, there's bound to be plenty of concerns and anxiety before the game begins.
One of those concerns has to do with the lineup being close to identical to what it was in 2024 when the Phillies were dealt a crushing loss by the New York Mets. However, for Trea Turner, in a piece from Matt Gelb of The Athletic, those concerns are overblown, and something the NL batting champion dismissed heading into the NLDS.
Trea Turner dismisses lineup concerns before Phillies-Dodgers NLDS
"You hear people say, 'it's the same lineup. It's the same lineup.'" Turner said. "Our lineup was always good enough to win the World Series. It's always been good enough. We just haven't produced. You know what I mean?"
This Phillies lineup, while nearly identical to their 2024 lineup, is vastly different in character and vibe than a year ago. Turner is a great example, as he hit .304 on the year, the best average among all qualified National League hitters.
Kyle Schwarber is hitting the ball as well as he ever has, slugging 56 home runs this season. Even though Bryce Harper is having a down year, he's one of the best hitters in playoff history, so there's no real reason to be concerned about him.
The rest of the lineup is where a lot of the concern lies, but even then, this iteration is a huge step up from 2024. Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm, and Brandon Marsh all enter the playoffs on a good note, while in 2024, they were struggling so much that Bohm was benched.
J.T. Realmuto has had flashes of being an elite hitter this season, while Harrison Bader has locked down center field since the trade deadline. And in right field, Nick Castellanos and Max Kepler have formed a strong platoon, with both likely to start for the Phillies this postseason.
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Their bench options are also strong, with Otto Kemp, Weston Wilson, Edmundo Sosa, and Rafael Marchan being a step-up from the backups a year ago.
All in all, this postseason roster is a better group than last year's, and more importantly, they aren't cold heading into October like they were in 2024. This team entered October hot, and they're more than capable of beating any team in the playoffs.
There will always be some fans concerned about the Phillies' lineup. They had the tools to be a World Series champion in 2024, but couldn't put it together when it mattered most.
The 2024 lineup was good enough to be a World Series lineup. And this year, aside from the improvements in center field and right field, the individuals are all playing better than they were a year ago.
Phillies fans should be confident in the roster heading into the NLDS, as this team has shown the ability all year long, especially in the last month, to be one of the best teams in baseball.
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