Philadelphia Phillies Among Highest Graded Teams in MLB for 2024 Season

The Philadelphia Phillies have been one of the best teams in baseball this season and their season grade reflects that.

Apr 29, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first base Bryce Harper (3) is greeted at the dugout by manager Rob Thomson (59) after scoring a run in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies were expected to contend for a playoff spot in the National League coming into the 2024 season. But, they have exceeded even those expectations.

Not only are the Phillies a playoff team, they are one of the true contenders for the World Series. With the Atlanta Braves scuffling because of injuries, Philadelphia kicked down the door of opportunity with authority.

The road to the title could very well go through the City of Brotherly Love, as they are battling it out with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees for best record in the Majors.

Even if they are unable to lock down the No. 1 seed, at the very least they have secured a bye into the Divisional Round and will have home-field advantage for that. 

Given how well the team has performed at Citizens Bank Park this season, that is bad news for whoever advances to play against them.

They are in this position because of a truly dominant first half of the season. Heading into the All-Star break, the team was 62-34, running away with the NL East.

Alas, some hiccups in the second half saw their lead shrink, and that is why they are now in such a tight battle. Even if they are the No. 2 seed, this season has been a success for the team.

But, those bumps in the road play a part in why Bradford Doolittle of ESPN gave them an A- instead of a perfect A grade.

“Still, this is the most well-rounded of these recent Phillies teams, with a better rotation and a deeper bullpen thanks to trade acquisition Carlos Estevez giving them a legit closer behind a stellar group of setup guys. If Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber do what they've done in previous postseasons, this might be the year,” he wrote.

Take a look at this roster from top to bottom. The lack of production from the No. 5 starter, their Achilles heel down the stretch, will not be an issue in the postseason when the rotation is cut down to three or four.

Anchoring that group are Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Cristopher Sanchez. If Ranger Suarez can find his form again, they are even more dangerous.

Offensively, good luck navigating this lineup. All-Stars litter it from top to bottom as a breakout campaign from Alec Bohm has made them even deeper.

This is a team that has all the ingredients needed to make a championship run.