Phillies Discussion (9/10/2026)

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Here’s a new Phillies Discussion. 

This should post automatically at 10:PM EST on September 10th.  Comments on the previous discussion should automatically close at the same time.

Important Dates

  • December 1, 2026 (11:59 p.m. ET): MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement expires.

Note: These dates will be used unless/until notified differently.  (Note that there are many more dates to add from Spring Training through the end of the 2026 season and calendar year.  I will add when I have accurate dates for them.)

 

52 thoughts on “Phillies Discussion (9/10/2026)”

  1. Reading won 11-10 last night and clinched a playoff spot. It should be good experience for them and their current lineup is hitting so maybe they can win a few games. Clearwater lost their first two playoff games and quickly exited the playoffs.

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    1. Carson DeMartini is a VERY interesting prospect. If he is a viable third base candidate (and the stats suggest that he is) and Aiden Miller is healthy, between those two guys and Rincon, I feel very good about the succession plan in the infield because the Phillies should absolutely not extend Bohm and should be circumspect about extending Stott.

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      1. Not sure what to make of Carson DeMartini. He’ll be 24 at the end of the year but he’s pretty much hit a little at every level for the most part. For some reason, Greg Dobbs comes to mind when I see him play. And Dobbs had a lifetime .803 OPS in the minors. I think DeMartini will eventually get a shot in the bigs, it will be up to him to show that he belongs.

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        1. DeMartini had a little bit of a transition time last year when he was promoted to AA, but has otherwise been very impressive. He was just hurt most of the year, but when he has played he apparently has shown an excellent glove, good hit tool, great plate discipline and enough power. Had he not been injured, he would already be in AAA, so I’m viewing him as a real prospect.

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  2. Keith Law saw Gage Wood for the third time (including Futures game). Some interesting comments

    He’s had him pegged as a reliever since being drafted due to not having a pitch for lefties

    his curveball gets hit by lefties to a .455 slugging percentage

    Used to throw a poor straight change

    Law – I have very good news: He’s added a splitter in lieu of the straight changeup, and it’s the answer to the lefty question. You might even call it a … gage-changer. The splitter is pretty new. He’d only thrown it a handful of times before Wednesday night, but he relied on it a little more against Erie. The pitch sat 87 mph to 88 mph with excellent arm speed and late, sharp bottom to it.

    Thinks he should stop throwing his curve to lefties

    Wood’s four-seamer was 94 mph to 96 mph all outing, with at least seven whiffs on the pitch, and his slider was above-average when he finished it

    Even if he goes with a four-seamer, splitter and slider mix, he’d be at least a fourth starter, with a higher ceiling depending on how the latter two pitches develop

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Law on Mavis Graves and Wen Hui Pan

    Left-hander Mavis Graves moved to the bullpen upon his promotion to Double A, and has a 37 percent strikeout rate in that role, working 92 mph to 94 mph with a slider at 79 mph to 82 mph that’s a 55 (on the 20-80 scouting scale) when he hits it, although he had a few back up on him on Wednesday. He hides the ball really well, and he’s enough of a lefty-killer that he should have a long run as a big-league reliever even if he doesn’t find something to keep righties in check.

    Right-hander Wen-Hui Pan missed the 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery and has been working all year as a one-inning reliever. On Wednesday, he was 95-97 with a decent splitter but poor command.

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  4. Like to see Phillies give Graves another shot at starting next spring…maybe a 12/15 game probation chance. If he does not cut it, back to the relief corps.

    His H/9 was good….but his BB/9, or control, really needs tightening up.

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  5. Someone please explain to me how Shugart and Raley jumped Mayza on the bullpen depth chart, because I must have missed something.

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  6. Mayza will be the opener Saturday because Luzardo’s start has been pushed back due to should stiffness.

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  7. Phillies BP is a mess. It is almost automatic the opponent will score when BP guys enter. I am pretty sure on this. Since final game in Zona BP has given up at least 1 run in every games since except the Luzardo complete game.

    Question I have now that division is over. Duran is brought in a 11 to 7 game. Then tie game. But when you have a lead in a game you must win, he is unavailable.

    Even if they manage to sneak in, they may easily be a 2 and done deal in playoffs. No offense consistently. Awful BP. Have reinvented stupid baserunning. Very good starting pitching and for the most part decent defense. But somewhere along the line the BP will be a factor. Maybe they can use the other starters for BP and hope for the best.

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    1. Comes down to Padres and DBacks…if both get in the Phillies are out. I do not see Counsel’s Cubs faltering at this point. And the DBacks and Padres play each other the last three games of the season in San Diego ….so we will see who gets in or not.

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  9. Phillies have by far the best starting rotation (if you use bWAR, they are 10 WAR ahead of second place). Every other part of the team is mediocre. We’ll see if that is enough

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    1. Starters have not been the issue….the bats and bullpen are too inconsistent. Then there is their less than reliable base-running and mediocre defense and you have a team that cannot seem to put it together at the right times.

      Both JTR and Trea Turner are batting under .215 with RISP…it would help if they could do a bit better

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      1. Omg you can’t say that, Realmuto was praised last week . Even though he is middle of pack for defense. Hitting 215. Obp under 300, but people defend him. Another mistake by DD. Who will get a new contract. This team is useless. Only have 5 starters rest of team is inconsistent. This was a terrible terrible job by DD.

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      2. Just the guy you want in the 2 hole, can’t hit with RISP, question whether he can hit ….. but one thing we are positively sure of …… HE CAN’T FIELD!!!!!

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  10. Sale and the 4 relievers that the Braves used last night all have ERAs under 2.97. Nola’s ERA is now at 4.69. If he can end the season with an ERA under 4.50, that would be good. I write that because a pitcher is awarded a quality start if he pitches 6 innings while giving up 3 ERs or less. That equates to a 4.50 ERA for that game.

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    1. Excellent! Phillies now have four Top 100 prospects:

      32- Gage Wood

      60- Aidan Miller

      80- Francisco Renteria

      100- Bryan Rincon

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      1. Not that there’s an equal distribution of prospects, but if there were that is about exactly what you’d expect from a team that consistently makes the playoffs. Maybe slightly higher or lower depending on whether you value more prospects or higher ranking in the Top 100.

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  12. Hey so if anyone was wondering why you don’t withhold your best relief pitchers in a winnable game so that they can pitch a bullpen game the next day… Mattingly is kindly giving a demonstration.

    But hey, at least Mayza gave us three innings.

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    1. BP game with the Phillies means “Batting Practice” game, but look all the “mommies” will be happy because we are getting all the kids in the game, just like LL.

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    1. isn’t it kind of funny…or sad….that McFarlane is one of the better arms in the bullpen…and he has not been in the big leagues for long.

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      1. From year to year with any particular relief pitcher….it is like Forrest Gump describing them, “……it is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get”. Next year McFarlane may not be able to throw strikes. The truly elite closers, seem to have consistency from year- to- year…..well for awhile anyways.

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  16. If Phillies score a 10th run today they’ll trigger the rule that they can’t score for the next 3 games

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    1. Buxton is so talented but he’s always hurt. If he was healthy, he’s an easy 4+ WAR player every year. It’s crazy that he only has 33.1 WAR in 12 years. He should be in the 50s and a borderline future HOFer.

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    1. there is a fair amount of chatter going on about the balls being juiced in the Minors. Let’s assume they are… with increased difficulty from better pitching and a non juiced ball & ballpark factor… where are you guys predicting his homerun power to be? 15-20 or do we think he has legit 25 hr+ hr power in the majors? Yes I’m assuming at this point, he can make the jump. Him & Miller will jump up the prospect charts next year .

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      1. I’m expecting both Rincon and Miller to be at ST (if there’s a season). But seeing Miller at 3B and Rincon at SS for Lehigh will be very interesting for 2027.

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        1. I would not assume at all that Rincon can jump to the majors next year and, in fact, I don’t think it’s likely in his or the team’s long-term best interests for him to jump from AA straight to the majors. That is a huge jump for a hitter and Rincon has hit tool concerns.

          Miller is more advanced if he is healthy and could be in AAA for a very short period of time. Again, don’t sleep on DeMartini – he could end up being Bohm’s long-term replacement and I’m really excited to see what he might do next year. Finally, we have nice little core of upper minors position prospects, and not a moment too soon.

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          1. Just because Rincon will be in ST doesn’t mean that he will be on the opening day roster. I mean, he would have to absolutely rake for that to happen and even then, you figure that the Phillies will have a stopgap at 3B anyways.

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            1. Okay, I see. Yeah, of course, no issue at all with his being at ST – you can learn A LOT about a prospect which him play in ST – this year, for example, McFarlane stood out and, as it turns out, what we saw was completely real.

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        2. Not picking a fight, really not, and Catch “jump-in”! Suppose FOM, Miller & Rincon both go to ST and and set the world on fire! Suppose before ST, DD goes out and signs Arreaz to his standard deal (25 years)! We still have Trea from his last standard deal and Stott with his standard deal on the horizon! Who is playing the infield? I know who’s on first!😅🤣😂

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          1. If Arraez gets his deal, then there’s almost no chance that Stott (with his agent Scott Boras) will be re-signed. Stott will play out 2027 at 3B with Turner, Arraez, Harper rounding out the infield.

            I’m hoping that Rincon’s success makes DD NOT give Arraez the deal that he’s looking for.

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  19. Nice to get out of Atlanta with one win. The boys won 3 of the 7 games played against the Braves over the last 10 days. It could’ve/should’ve been 5 wins but I guess we’ll take what we can get.

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  20. The Phillies are now 5 games back with 12 games to go. Barring the Braves going 2-10, the Phillies won’t be winning the NL East. However, the odds of the Phillies making the wild card are very high, but their remaining 12 games are tough: Nationals, Mets, Brewers, Rays. The Brewers and Rays are both going for the 1 seed and you figure that once they do that, they will start giving their guys some rest (especially the Miz). But they both will still be tough outs.

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  21. A week or so ago I thought 4-3 against the Braves was doable but maybe not likely. 3-4 was the worse I thought they would do and boy was I wrong.

    The Luzardo issue is a bit worrisome now. Hopefully they bounce back quick.

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    2. When it comes to the play-offs the Phillies are Fools Gold…..their bats, defense and base running are all mediocre to below average……the bats vs good play-off pitchers will be interesting to see how bad it may be. Now however, it it the Cubs vs Phillies…..the Phillies have a chance…Cubs starters are aged and mediocre. So like it to be them playing at Wrigley. But after the first round …it is probably the Brewers or Bums …they have quality pitchers.

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      1. The problem is that the Cubs can really hit and they are top 3 in team defense. PCA will be a huge problem. The last time the Phillies played the Cubs, PCA was slumping bad. PCA is on a roll right now.

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        1. His past few games he’s slumping again, so we might catch another break. He’s hitting .150/.227/.150 in his past five games and had 1 total hit in their series against the Pirates.

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    3. I actually predicted 3-4 and that’s what happened. Winning the division is irrelevant but getting the home games in a best of 3 series is important. So beating the Cubs is what’s required. We play 6 vs Nats and Mets and we need to win 4. We then get the Rays and Brewers for 6, both of whom have clinched a spot, and we need to win at least 3. Cubs play the Braves for 3, root for the Braves.

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