Philadelphia Phillies: 5 fatal flaws that will come back to bite them
By Tim Boyle
The Philadelphia Phillies haven’t started off well. After winning their first two games of the season against a hopeless rebuilding Oakland Athletics squad, they’ve been in a little bit of disarray.
As early as it is, as much time as there is to turn things around, and as promising as the roster can look on paper, there’s no denying the fatal flaws of this team.
Unless they can turn things around, any of these five fatal flaws can come back to ruin the season.
The Philadelphia Phillies are depending too much on home runs.
Home runs are great! When it’s all you can do to score runs, it’s a poor strategy for winning. The best teams are rarely the ones that lead the league in home runs. They are well-rounded from the lineup to the pitching staff.
The Phillies bats have struggled early on. Without them hitting well, what is this club? They are nothing but a promising lineup of future Home Run Derby contestants.
To their credit, these hitters have done well in the past with more than just slugging home runs. Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos can hit .300. Rhys Hoskins has continually been an OBP machine even when his batting average flounders below .250.
There’s a lot to question about how the Phillies built this team. Too much trust that they’d hit home runs is one of them. We’re going to have to wait and see if they can pick things up once the weather warms. If by then they are still unable to outslug the opponent, it might be time to wave the white flag early.