It is the time of year for fun, way too early, predictions like this
1. Trea Turner Finishes Top 10 in MVP Voting
It is finally going to click. After a topsy-turvy 2023 and a 2024 that started great and was derailed by an injury, Turner will finally round back into the player that the Phillies paid a $300 million deal to in the winter of 2022. With a move up in the lineup, Turner will be a 4.5+ win player, easily make the All-Star game, and end up in the MVP voting. While the defense will never be elite, Turner will play his first legitimately great season in Philadelphia.
2. Moises Chace will be an untradable prospect/major league contributor by year’s end
It remains shocking the Orioles traded this man and Seth Johnson for Gregory Soto. Chace had a K/9 of 14 last year in the minors and as he continues to move through the pitching factory that is the Phillies, he’s going to be an immense asset. Whether it’s in the pen for now, or rotation later, look for Chace to burst onto the scene like Orion Kerkering did 2 years ago. This time even better though.
3. Christopher Sanchez ends the season as the Phillies 2nd best-starting pitcher
This isn’t a criticism of the rest of the rotation, just more so how high I project Sanchez. The way he rounded into form last year was a site to see. Sanchez has one of the best changeups in all of baseball. Last year, he solidified his standing as a legit pitcher, in 2025 he will solidify himself as one of the best in the National League.
4. Bryson Stott finishes Top 5 in On Base percentage
Bryson Stott seemed absolutely poised for a big breakout season last year, but for a multitude of reasons, including a season-long lingering elbow injury and the birth of his kid right before the season started, things just did not click last year. However, the skill is there. Elite strike zone knowledge and discipline at the plate are going to pay off and Stott will find himself becoming a star player. This will culminate in Stott being a high-end on-base guy and maybe even finding a role as their leadoff hitter if he can make that adjustment. Look for an OBP of .385 or higher.
5. Jose Alvarado Wins MLB Reliever of The Year
We are in the “best shape of our lives” season and maybe no one has embodied that more than Jose Alvarado who showed up to camp in incredible shape. Last year felt like an aberration for Alvarado and whatever was going on back home it appeared to impact his on-the-field play. While the K-rate went down, he still had the velocity and snap which is a good sign. Look out for the Jose Alvarado Revenge Tour as he makes his first All-Star team and maybe even becomes the full-time closer at some point.
6. LF and CF will continue to be a void on this team
I guess they cannot be all positive, right? The team did not do enough here and based on the team’s own decisions they don’t appear to even believe Max Kepler is the answer. With stories of Kyle Schwarber, Edmundo Sosa, and maybe even JT Realmuto getting reps in LF. The combination of Kepler, Marsh, Rojas, and Wilson is unfortunately going to look very similar to what it did last season. Maybe a spot that can be filled by a certain, Kyle Tucker next offseason. However, while the defense will be very solid, expect LF, and CF for that matter, to be two deep voids for this team at the plate and potentially carry an under .700 OPS.
7. Bryce Harper wins his 3rd MVP
Bryce is due for another big year. He tends to follow a trend where he goes three years in between 1.000+ OPS seasons. He debuted in 2012 and had his first in 2015. Then he had another in 2017 and 2018, but after that did not eclipse that threshold until 2021. It has since been three years and two out of the three times Bryce has eclipsed this threshold he has won MVP. The pressure is on for Bryce to deliver this season and he responds very well to that. Bryce was on pace for MVP last season when a midseason injury hamstrung him in the second half of the year. Look for him, if he stays healthy, to become only the 12th player in league history to win 3 or more MVPs.
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