Analysis / Nathan Ackerman

Phillies Nation • 13th February 2025

Why one player may open spring leading the complicated battle for the Phillies’ final bench spot

Realistically, the Phillies have two jobs up for grabs this spring training. One is backup catcher, which is relatively straightforward. Rafael Marchan is the favorite, in part because he’s out of options and Garrett Stubbs isn’t.

Phillies Nation • 8th January 2025

The Phillies’ rotation always provides volume. Can they count on it again?

You can argue either way as to whether the Phillies have the most talented starting rotation in baseball. The Dodgers are tough to overlook. As are the Mariners. And a few others.

Phillies Nation • 16th December 2024

The Phillies should try to trade for Seiya Suzuki. Here’s what they could offer for him.

When the Cubs traded for Kyle Tucker on Friday, it took another potential offseason splash off the board for the Phillies.

Phillies Nation • 8th November 2024

Could a reunion with this former Phillie make sense for the 2025 club?

It’s not going to be as flashy as the Juan Soto sweepstakes, but a position the Phillies really need to address, one way or another, this offseason is backup catcher.

Phillies Nation • 5th November 2024

Here’s what Monday’s qualifying offer decisions (could) mean to the Phillies

The official start of the MLB offseason doesn’t mean a flurry of signings and acquisitions like it does in the NBA, but it does help set the stage for the rest of the winter. Part of that is thanks to the qualifying offer.

Phillies Nation • 24th October 2024

Would the Phillies meet these predicted price tags for two free-agent relievers?

Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez did not end the season on a good note, but they’ll still be among the more coveted relievers on the free agent market this offseason — and the Phillies will certainly be in the running.

Phillies Nation • 17th October 2024

Dave Dombrowski says the Phillies don’t need another star. Is he right?

After the Phillies’ offense fell flat late in the 2023 postseason and the team essentially ran it back in 2024 only to meet the same fate a round earlier, it’s almost a given that there will be change this time. Don’t be surprised if that change happens on the margins of the roster — and not in the form of incoming stars.

Phillies Nation • 12th October 2024

With change on the horizon for Phillies, could Kevin Long be on his way out?

Whenever a team collapses the way the Phillies did in 2024 — with such high expectations and a season’s worth of anticipation crushed over a relatively uncompetitive four-game span by a superior division rival — and when it looked a lot like the collapse did last year, there is demand for change. Something needs to give. Kevin Long might find himself as the unfortunate starting point.

Phillies Nation • 4th October 2024

Watch for these matchups in the Phillies vs. Mets NLDS

If baseball is a game of inches, postseason baseball is a game of millimeters. Add an intradivisional matchup to that equation and it’s more like a hair’s width. Make it a rivalry as bitter as Phillies vs. Mets and you’d better pull out your microscope.

Phillies Nation • 17th May 2024

What stood out about Orion Kerkering’s three strikeouts Thursday

In and of itself, Orion Kerkering striking out three Mets hitters on Thursday night wasn’t anything terribly out of the ordinary. The noteworthy part was how.

Phillies Nation • 13th May 2024

Edmundo Sosa proving more than adequate in Trea Turner’s absence

Whether the Phillies can weather Trea Turner’s absence will depend largely on stars like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto slugging to make up the difference. But Edmundo Sosa being a productive stand-in at shortstop while Turner is out would certainly go a long way, too.

Phillies Nation • 22nd April 2024

Johan Rojas looking much better at the plate

The walls were not closing in on Johan Rojas, because eight games is too small a sample and there is no obvious backup plan, but the center-field situation as of April 7 was getting untenable. The 23-year-old was 1-for-22, with one hard-hit ball (above 95 mph) — and it was a groundout. The numbers weren’t good, and neither were the visuals.

Phillies Nation • 25th February 2024

Johan Rojas debuts new batting stance in spring opener

There’s not much drama this year at Phillies camp. The starting rotation is set. The bullpen is set, save a spot or two. The bench is set, except the last spot.

Phillies Nation • 20th January 2024

Will the Phillies regret not signing Josh Hader?

Josh Hader’s five-year, $95 million contract with the Houston Astros, reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Friday, should kickstart some movement in the free-agent reliever market. If Robert Stephenson’s subsequent agreement with the Los Angeles Angels, first reported by Jomboy Media, is any indication, that’s exactly what’s happening.

Phillies Nation • 1st January 2024

Four New Year’s resolutions for the 2024 Phils

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of four 2024 New Year’s resolutions that’ll help the club get back to Broad Street.

Phillies Nation • 11th October 2023

First inning is of utmost importance in Game 3

The Phillies woke up a 104-win sleeping giant late in Game 2 of the NLDS on Monday. There are two things that can put it back to sleep: Aaron Nola and a venue known colloquially as “The Bank.”

Phillies Nation • 7th October 2023

These matchups could swing the NLDS

I offered up one of these “matchups to monitor” guides ahead of the Wild Card Series, and I don’t mean to gloat — but actually, I do. I nailed it.

Phillies Nation • 3rd October 2023

Matchups to monitor in Phillies-Marlins Wild Card Series

This is the time of year where every decision is magnified tenfold. Pull a pitcher one batter too late? Watch the rest of the postseason from home. Pick the wrong lefty out of the bullpen? Pick the right hotel in Cancún.

Phillies Nation • 15th September 2023

Who wants the National League Wild Card spots?

You’d have thought a 2-5 stretch in the middle of a competitive September Wild Card chase, or a 5-9 stretch dating back to the last game of August, would have cost the Phillies more.

Phillies Nation • 4th August 2023

Just past season’s two-thirds mark, here’s how the Phillies’ schedule stacks up among Wild Card contenders

As the trade deadline fades into the rearview mirror and with August, the penultimate month of the regular season, under way, the Philadelphia Phillies are in a good spot. That might not necessarily be true a week from now, but as things stand, they’re in a good spot.