Jun 24, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (28) fields a batted ball from Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (3, not shown) during the first inning at Daikin Park. Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Phillies Still One of MLB’s Most Exciting Teams Despite ‘Cracks in the Foundation’

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Anders Pryor | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies have had maybe the most dramatic, up-and-down season in baseball. In June, they started the month going 1-6, including being swept by the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates. But they are now 10-4 in their last 14 and spent the weekend taking two out of three against the New York Mets to regain the lead in the National League East division.

Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer put out a list ranking all 30 MLB teams by "watchability" and put the Phillies at No. 4. He notes that although many of the team's biggest flaws have been exposed with the Bryce Harper injury, Philadelphia is still a blast to watch.

The Phillies are as loaded with stars as they've ever been, yet the cracks in the foundation have never been clearer," Rymer notes. "Suffice it to say that Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto are not doing their best work."

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"They're still there, though, and Kyle Schwarber has never been more there. With a .920 OPS and 24 home runs, he is slugging his way even further into the good graces of baseball fans everywhere."

Schwarber is slashing .247/.378/.535 in 2025. Alec Bohm has improved tremendously over the course of the season after having a slow start, slashing .287/.327/.402 on the year and an astounding .333/.382/.444 in June.

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Zack Wheeler has been a reliable constant. Not just in the pitching staff, but on the team. He has a 2.61 and 0.91 WHIP. According to FanGraphs, the starting rotation as a whole ranks top ten in ERA, WHIP, strikeouts per nine innings, walks per nine innings, and home runs per nine innings. They have been able to stay calm while Aaron Nola remains on the IL.

Wheeler will take the bump on Wednesday night as the Phillies continue their series against the Houston Astros.

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This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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