3 Players Who Must Step Up for Philadelphia Phillies in NLDS

Here are three players on the Philadelphia Phillies who must step up in NLDS.

Sep 25, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) reacts after hitting a double against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia Phillies / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies will be getting set to kick off the National League Divisional Series against the New York Mets in a fun matchup between two rivals. 

Coming into the postseason, the Phillies will be trying to finish what they started last campaign, as they made it to the National League Championship Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks were able to defeat Philadelphia in seven games, but this Phillies team appears to be better on paper coming into the playoffs. 

While there were a lot of players who performed well in the playoffs last year for Philadelphia, there were also some that struggled, which held the team back. This postseason, the Phillies will need to be more consistent if they are going to win it all. 

As they get set to start the playoffs against the red-hot Mets, here are three players who must step up in the NLDS. 

Johan Rojas

If there is a question for Philadelphia going into the playoffs, it is in the outfield. Last postseason, the outfield was an issue for the Phillies, and they will be hoping that isn’t the case this year. In the playoffs last season, one of the main culprits for the struggles of Philadelphia was Johan Rojas. 

Rojas hit a dreadful .093 in over 40 at-bats in the playoffs, as he was pretty much an automatic out. While the Phillies don’t need him to be a star, they do need him to be more productive than he was last year.  

Christopher Sanchez

Philadelphia arguably has the best starting rotation of any team in baseball heading into the Divisional Round, led by Zack Wheeler. While Wheeler will be taking the mound in Game 1, the Phillies will surprisingly be going with Christopher Sanchez in Game 2. 

The lefty got a taste of the playoffs last year, as he started one game, but only went 2.1 innings, as he was used more as an opener. This campaign, Sanchez has emerged as a legitimate starter for the franchise, and has earned to be named the Game 2 starter. After a lot of success in the regular season, the time is now for the southpaw to prove he can do it in the big games as well. 

Nick Castellanos  

One player who took a lot of heat for his performance in the playoffs last season was outfielder Nick Castellanos. The right fielder totaled a .213 batting average with five home runs and seven RBIs in the postseason last year. While those aren’t awful numbers, he was nowhere to be found in the NLCS. 

Considering New York will likely be throwing multiple left-handed pitchers in the series against Philadelphia, Castellanos performing well will be key for the lineup.