Philadelphia Phillies One of MLB's Best Teams Over Last Five Seasons
![Aug 18, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Former Philadelphia Phillies president Dave Dombrowski during Phillies Alumni Weekend and the 20th anniversary of Citizens Bank Park before game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Aug 18, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Former Philadelphia Phillies president Dave Dombrowski during Phillies Alumni Weekend and the 20th anniversary of Citizens Bank Park before game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4074,h_2291,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/inside_the_phillies/01jj78t998bxbpzheezc.jpg)
The Philadelphia Phillies have been one of the most dominant teams in Major League Baseball for the better part of the last five years.
They have made the playoffs three times in as many tries, making the World Series in 2022, the National League Championship Series in 2023, and the National League Division Series in 2024.
Their roster includes many household names like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Zack Wheeler, and Aaron Nola to name a few, and their superstar core remains intact for the coming campaign.
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Zachary D. Rymer ranked all 30 MLB teams on their performance over the last five seasons, with the Phillies placing fifth.
"It is wild to think that as recently as 2021," writes Rymer, "the Phillies looked like a wannabe superpower that was never going to make good. They've since won more playoff games than any other team since 2022, all while their regular season records have trended up. And thanks to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and owner John Middleton, Bryce Harper isn't exactly a lonely star. Phillies fans can nonetheless be forgiven if they're feeling a little uneasy. Even Dombrowski is feeling the weight of diminishing returns in the playoffs, and those look even worse when juxtaposed with the advancing ages of Harper and the club's other core pieces."
For Harper, age has not proven to be an issue yet, and does not look to be one any time soon with his position change to first base.
In fact, 2024, Harper's age-31 campaign, was his third-best during his time with Philadelphia, seeing the superstar bat .285/.373/.525 with 30 home runs, 87 RBI, and a 149 OPS+ across 631 plate appearances in 145 games.
Wheeler is even older than Harper, with 2024 being his age-34 season, and he has also not shown any signs of slowing down.
The veteran ace pitched to a 2.57 ERA across 200 innings in 32 starts with 224 strikeouts and a 158 ERA+, missing out on the National League Cy Young due only to a Triple Crown performance from Chris Sale.
There is youth on the way, too, with Aidan Miller, Andrew Painter, and Justin Crawford all knocking on the door of the Major League club, so it is not as bleak as some would believe.
The Phillies are in a great spot now and for the foreseeable future, and while they may not win the division in 2025 with the Atlanta Braves being much more healthy, they will still be a playoff team and World Series contender.