Philadelphia Phillies: 5 bold predictions for the 2022 MLB season

Bold Philadelphia Phillies prediction: The playoff drought ends.

Let’s end on a positive note. The Phillies are going to the playoffs! Sneaking in with a wild card berth, the Phillies are going to the postseason for the first time since 2011.

When they get there, reality will set in.

The Phillies don’t quite have the ammunition to compete with some of the better teams in the National League. Their pitching isn’t quite as deep as others. They can win a short series. However, they will have some trouble mowing past other teams with more elite starters. Given how Nola seems to collapse late in the season, it might be tough to count on him in October.

After finishing second in the National League East behind only the Atlanta Braves mostly because the New York Mets pitching injuries became too much for them to handle, the Phillies have a fifth or sixth seed and end up with an opponent we can only hope isn’t the San Francisco Giants and Gabe Kapler. Losing to any other team is tolerable. Losing to him hurts badly.

The Phillies might get into the next round but I just don’t see it. Maybe this is all a repeat of the golden years when the team finally made the 2007 playoffs, lost quickly, and then returned the following year to win it all. If that’s the case, we can accept a postseason cameo in 2022 if it means a starring role in 2023.

Check back in another year to see if that’s where the team is headed.