The Atlanta Braves have won the National League East each of the last six seasons, including by fourteen games last season.
But apparently, that's going to change in 2024.
Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson, speaking to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Alex Coffey, laid out his team's plans to start hot and not let Atlanta build up a big lead in the division.
It begins with the offense. Free agent acquisition Trea Turner started off incredibly cold after coming over on a free agent deal last offseason, while Bryce Harper took a while to return to form upon returning from Tommy John surgery. Additionally, several Phillies participated in the World Baseball Classic and Thomson says that impacted their spring training preparation.
"During big league games, they’re allowed to go across to the complex and play in those (player development) games. Just to get at-bats. They don’t even have to play the field — they can get an at-bat every inning if they want. And now we have this Trajekt [pitching] machine, they can get at-bats there, too.”
Despite referring to Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and J.T. Realmuto with his comments, Thomson expressed the need for everyone to get more spring training at-bats to be ready for the season, to prevent falling behind early in the divisional race.
"If you get off to a little bit better spot ... We were .500 in March and April, so it’s not like we were terrible. But in May? We weren’t good at all. And then you’re playing catch-up. And that’s a lot of energy being used. Whereas if you get off to a better start, there is not as much anxiety in August and September."
Thomson also identified the relievers as an area where the Phillies can adjust their preparation...but unlike with the hitters, it's imperative they not get additional work in minor league settings.
“It’s making sure that all of our relievers, for the most part, check certain boxes,” Thomson said. “They all do back-to-back games in spring training. They all go one-plus [inning]. They all have a dirty inning where they come in with runners on base. You try to do that in major league spring training games, and not necessarily minor league games because there is a lot less adrenaline.”
Thomson closed his spring training tweaks with discussing the end of spring training, and how the team would treat the last week of Grapefruit League action as an extension of the regular season.
"And then really taking the last five or seven games, whatever it is, and ramping up the volume and saying, ‘Let’s go.’ We’re sort of mixing and matching, using relievers in the roles that they’re probably going to be used in during the regular season, just to get them accustomed to it."
The Phillies, who have come in 3rd place (2022) or 2nd place (2023) in the division recently, have made the playoffs as a wild card and advanced deep into the playoffs by virtue of knocking off Atlanta in the divisional round in both seasons.
But Thompson doesn't want his team to settle for a wild card spot, seemingly the opposite view of Seattle Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto.
“I don’t want people to think — and players wouldn’t think this — that it’s OK to win the wild card, and it’s easy to win the wild card, and you’re going to go further by winning the wild card. Because if you’re thinking that, you should shoot for the wild card because those division winners the last couple of years have been beaten out early, you won’t make the playoffs. There’s a good chance you won’t make the playoffs. We’re looking to win the division. And to do that, we have to play solid every month out of the year.”
Philadelphia last won the NL East in 2011, coming in at 102-60, before losing in the NLDS to the St. Louis Cardinals.
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