4/24/25 : Did Ya Know ? 🥸

There always seems to be alot of fan consternation about who bats first in the order citing the vital importance of leading off an inning - did ya know (using baseball reference data) that in the 246 lead off plate appearances to date this season that the number one slot in the Phillies order has only done so 25 times (Bryson Stott - 10, Kyle Schwarber - 9, Trea Turner - 6). In actuality other slots have led off innings more - Max Kepler has led off the inning 33 times, Kyle Schwarber 31 times (22 times not as #1 in the order), Bryson Stott 24 times (14 times not as #1 in the order), Trea Turner 23 times (17 times not as #1 in the order) and Bryce Harper 22 times. From that perspective it really doesn’t matter who bats first in the order in regards to the opportunity to lead off. However as far as setting the tone is concerned to begin a game I’ll take the fella who might just make it 1-0 with one swing over the “working the count” philosophy. That’s just me and it’s worked for the past couple seasons, the Dodgers just won a World Series with that approach - just sayin.

Continuing the #1 slot in the order phenomenon did ya know that that slot is first in home runs and second in RBIs thus far for the Phillies? The #1 slot has the most home runs - 5 (4 by Schwarber) and the second most RBIs -17 (8 by Schwarber, 7 by Stott) to date- the 2 thru 5 slots have 3 home runs while the #5 hole has 18 RBIs (13 by Nick Castellanos).

Scoring clutch runs has been an issue - two lineup regulars are hitting below .200 with runners in scoring position. Kyle Schwarber is 5 for 27 (.185) with 10 RBIs (btw 8 of those came from the top slot in the order) while JT Realmuto is 3 for 18 (.167). So far the top batting average with runners in scoring position belongs to Johan Rojas (7 for 14 with 6 RBIs). Go figure.  Hitting with the bases loaded has been weak - in 31 PA’s (26 AB’s) they are hitting .154 with 16 RBIs - Nick Castellanos leads with 5 RBIs while Edmundo Sosa has 4.

With a 13-12 record after 25 games played and a four game losing streak (including the NY sweep) it’s now a lost season according to the bandwagon jumpers 🤔🤦‍♂️.  Guess there’s no reason to play the next 137 games. Seriously?  The fickle fan syndrome always amazes me - sometimes I even wonder if some folks are more in their element when things are going bad as opposed to winning ways. The last time I checked the championship trophy wasn’t presented in April - the Phillies longest losing streak in 2024 was six games but was offset by two seven game winning streaks and two six game winning streaks - other than that they went 69-61 in the other 130 games. I’m not discounting the current issues but am not ready to sell off the roster just yet - it’s a marathon, not a sprint but a few good stretches during the long season certainly can separate ya from the pack. Stay tuned - those who have already jumped off the wagon I’m sure will be welcomed back to purchase future tickets 😎.

Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️

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