Phillies Hitters Bring Spring Adjustments Into Regular Season

During each of the Phillies' last three seasons, they've chased at least 30% of pitches that should have been balls, and those bad swings and misses are what have led to three straight offensive shutdowns in the postseason. Cutting down on about one-fifth of them would be a massive improvement, if it holds up.

Right fielder Nick Castellanos has the largest decrease so far, from 37.8% last season to 27.4% through his first nine games this year. Shortstop Trea Turner and first baseman Bryce Harper both swung at about one-third of bad pitches they faced in 2024; both have been less aggressive and sit at 26.8% and 28.4% chases, respectively.

Second baseman Bryson Stott also had a massive decrease, dropping him below a 20% rate along with Kyle Schwarber and new addition Max Kepler.

Here's a better look at this data compared side-by-side:

Keep in mind that these numbers include the Phillies' disastrous Opening Day start, where they struck out 19 times in 10 innings. Take away a game that may have been influenced by bad shadows, and these numbers would look even better.

As with any hot start, maintaining it over the longest season of any professional sport is the challenge. But this patience was a huge factor in Philly's series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. To get past LA or whatever opponent they may face in October, good pitch selection will be key.