Phillies Offseason Update: New Faces Should Bolster Playoff Hopes

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: the Phillies are coming off a disappointing season but may be poised for a postseason run this coming year.  After an offseason hyped up by All-Star acquisitions and postseason aspirations, the 2019 Phillies fell short in the NL East again, finishing at exactly .500 on the season. Bringing in Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, and Jean Segura improved the offense. Still, their indifference toward bringing in another arm to the pitching rotation and inadequate attention to the bullpen wound up being their downfall. The lack of success led to the firing of manager Gabe Kapler, a move that Philadelphia had been clamoring for all year. This year, the Phillies have started early on looking to improve their team, and have already made some significant additions that should bolster this city’s hopes for, at the very least, an NL East pennant in 2020.

Manager Joe Girardi

While fans were frustrated with Kapler’s style of managing the team, the city should be overjoyed at the hiring of former Yankees manager Joe Girardi. The Girardi-led Yankees have made playoff appearances in all but one year - and we don’t need to remind any of you about his history in the World Series. Girardi was known for building great relationships between his players and coaching staff, and based on early reviews from Matt Klentak, he has already made a positive impact on the clubhouse.

SS Didi Gregorius

Speaking of Girardi’s impact, his relationship-building with players was a critical factor in stealing one of the Yankees’ best players over to the Phils in shortstop Didi Gregorius. Playing on a one-year deal, Didi came back strong after missing the majority of 2019 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He brings defensive talent to the Phillies infield that they will need after letting Cesar Hernandez and Maikel Franco walk, and allows Jean Segura and Sean Kingery to play second and third base.

LHP Zack Wheeler

Perhaps the most important part of this offseason is the fact that the Phillies realized their pitching needed and upgrade, and were aggressive in bringing in one of the biggest names on the market. Zack Wheeler was outstanding for the Mets, especially in the second half of the season, and will be the sole lefty in the Phillies starting rotation as of now. His fastball will his biggest weapon, topping out at 96 mph, making him the perfect number 2 behind long-time ace Aaron Nola. Look for the Phillies to make plenty of other moves, including possibly bringing in some reinforcements to the bullpen, between now and Opening Day. Until then, we’ll just have to wait to see how the Phillies perform this time around. As the Phillies wait for March to start up again, Superior Seal Coating is doing the same. Chester County, PA’s reliable asphalt driveway sealers are getting ready for spring and continuously looking for ways to give you the best quality and service. When March rolls around, and you find yourself in need of an asphalt driveway sealer in the Montgomery County, PA area, give us a call at 484-348-4972. Thank you for making a 2019 a great year, and let’s go Phillies!