There is no doubt that the Philadelphia Phillies have had a very inconsistent season in terms of winning and production at the plate. There have been several games the Phillies won just by pitching, and the production at the plate must be addressed. Philadelphia did take accountability and traded for Luis Arraez to help, and he did just that; he has shown he can drive in runs and be a leader when it matters.
But there are also two other players in the lineup heating up; Bryson Stott and rookie center fielder Justin Crawford have both significantly raised their batting averages. The issues with the Phillies are that the star players, and Alec Bohm, have been ice cold this season, and their bullpen has had issues protecting the lead and keeping opposing teams grounded. With that being said, we dive into Bohm, Stott, and Crawford and address the Phillies bullpen concerns.Â
Philadelphia Phillies Overview
Bohm Having Rough Year, Bullpen Continues To Struggle
Bohm is currently having the worst offensive year of his career with a batting average of just .227. He’s been grounding into a lot of double plays and ruining opportunities for the Phillies to capitalize. Bohm is 30 years old, and his time with the Phillies could be coming to an end very soon despite not getting traded at the trade deadline. As for the bullpen, struggles are continuing as they have blown multiple late-game leads and dug themselves into a deeper hole.
The majority of the Phillies bullpen has an ERA of five or more, and Jhoan Duran has been the only consistent closer. With a little under two months left in the regular season, the bats will have to get hot, and the bullpen will absolutely need to step up and improve if the Phillies want any shot at competing for a long playoff run.Â
Stott and Crawford Leading a Struggling Phillies Lineup
For the longest time, Brandon Marsh has been leading the Phillies lineup with a .335 batting average and made the All-Star Game. Since then, Marsh has struggled tremendously and is now hitting just .274. Now Stott and Crawford are leading the way, as Stott is now hitting .263 but has yet to be moved up in the lineup by Phillies manager Don Mattingly.
Stott ended June with a batting average of .241 and July with .252. He’s come a long way, and at the end of May, he was hitting just .217. Sitting at .263 today, Stott is one of, if not the hottest, hitters in the Phillies lineup.
As for Crawford, the rookie is currently hitting .266 and has been very productive at the bottom of the lineup. He’s been more consistent than Stott before he got hot, but Crawford has also come a long way as well. Crawford entered the month of June with a batting average of just .234 and has been explosive from June to August. He’s not been sent down to the minor leagues at all this season and has proved that he is ready to be a full-time Major League Baseball player.
With less than two months left in the regular season, Stott and Crawford will have the opportunity to continue getting better, but for the Phillies to win, the bullpen and the other players in the lineup have to get hot offensively as well.
Do you think it is time for the Phillies to move Stott and Crawford up in the batting order, and can the Phillies change the narrative in the playoffs?
Main Image: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
