Phillies' Rookies Are Set to Shine on Baseball's Greatest Stage

The Philadelphia Phillies could have as many as seven rookies on their 26-man postseason roster.

Leo Morgenstern | Oct 27, 2022

Phillies' Rookies Are Set to Shine on Baseball's Greatest Stage /

In this story:

Philadelphia Phillies

Bryson Stott will be playing in the World Series in his very first big league season. It's hard to imagine Jean Segura and the rest of the veterans aren't a little jealous. Segura played ten big league seasons without reaching the playoffs. J.T. Realmuto played eight. Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler were both at seven, while Zach Eflin was at six and Rhys Hoskins at five.

Stott, on the other hand, doesn't even know how it feels to miss the postseason. His teammate Dalton Guthrie is the same way.

What's more, the Philadelphia Phillies have had eight different rookies on their postseason rosters this October. Some have had big league cups of coffee in previous seasons, but they remain rookie eligible. Those eight players are:

Bryson Stott
Matt Vierling
Garrett Stubbs
Nick Maton
Dalton Guthrie
Andrew Bellatti
Nick Nelson
Bailey Falter

There's been a whole lot of talk this October about the Phillies ending their postseason drought, and rightly so. But it's similarly exciting to watch so many players who never really knew the drought. These players represent a new era of Phillies history– one that isn't marred by season after season of losing baseball.

Stott, of course, has the most important role to play in the World Series. Matt Vierling should get a chance to make his mark too, at least when the Astros have southpaw Framber Valdez on the mound.

Either Nick Maton or Dalton Guthrie will make the roster, and although neither one would get many at-bats, whichever one makes the team could earn playing time as a defensive replacement. Perhaps one of Maton or Guthrie makes a big, late-inning catch that goes down in Phillies history.

Meanwhile, Garrett Stubbs will surely make the squad, but it's unlikely he ever gets the chance to play. Even so, he'll be providing his signature energy and good vibes from the dugout and the clubhouse. He is, after all, the team DJ.

On the pitching side of things, Andrew Bellatti, the 31-year-old rookie, will surely throw some important innings. The situation for the rest of the first-year relievers is a bit less clear, but at least one of them could feasibly pitch an inning or two in the Fall Classic.

Nick Nelson was left off the NLCS roster, and he's likely to be left off the World Series roster as well. Bailey Falter's roster spot is far from secure either. However, there have been rumblings the Phillies could add another rookie pitcher in his place, left-hander Cristopher Sánchez. The Astros have some powerful lefties in their lineup, so Sánchez could find himself facing off against Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker in the biggest moment of his career.

Cristopher Sánchez of the Philadelphia Phillies / © John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

When the World Series begins on Friday, it's going to be thrilling to watch Philadelphia's veteran core play the most meaningful games of their careers. But it will be just as exciting to watch the less experienced members of the team play on baseball's greatest stage too. The Phillies wouldn't be here without their rookies, and now they have a chance to shine.

More From SI's Inside The Phillies:

Make sure to follow Inside the Phillies on Substack and Twitter!

Published Oct 27, 2022

LEO MORGENSTERN

Leo Morgenstern is a writer and editor for Inside the Phillies. He also writes for FanGraphs and Just Baseball, and his work has appeared on Pitcher List and Baseball Prospectus. He previously covered the Phillies for SB Nation's The Good Phight. You can follow him on Twitter @morgensternmlb.