Didi Gregorius had the most underwhelming season of the 2021 Phillies and the most underwhelming of his individual career. At only age 31, Didi maneuvers like an older player at shortstop and provides a veteran presence on the club. The Phillies signed Didi on a 1-year deal prior to the shortened 2020 season to see if he was a good fit. He’d played the past five seasons in New York pinstripes, coached by Phillies’ current manager, Joe Girardi. When the Phillies chose to fire Gabe Kapler and hire Giradri in the ‘20 offseason, it made sense to fill the hole at shortstop with a familiar face to Girardi. In 2020, Didi maximized his own value on that deal, particularly at the plate for the Phillies. He hit 10HRs and 10 doubles, stacking 40 RBI over the course of 60 games, all while slashing .284. He became a respected face in Philly, carrying his ability to hit the grand-slam with him from NY as well. His defensive play wasn’t stellar, but the production at the dish was considerable. It warranted a re-signing. 

So, the Phillies did just that and elected to sign Gregorius on a 2-year/$28M deal, latching him on for the ‘21 and ‘22 seasons at an expensive rate. Did’s play in 2021 made the organization regret that decision. Didi took a hard fall both offensively and defensively, ultimately losing his position as the Phillies’ starting shortstop by the end of the year. He began the year cold and was injured with rare elbow arthritis by mid-May. Gregorius missed significant time and didn’t return until early August, when the Phillies were already in first place contention. It was difficult to find an alternate piece to play shortstop during that time because of the size of Gregorius’s contract. When he returned, he did hit a notable, go-ahead home run that weekend in early August, when the Phillies snatched first place from the Mets. By the end of the year, Gregorius batting average leveled at .209, while he committed a total of 18 errors at shortstop in limited time. Those numbers are particularly bad and statistically the worst of his career. He is locked into nearly $15M this current season for the Phillies, so fans and the organization can only hope Didi returns to MLB-caliber play for the money he’s making. He has not performed all that well in the few games played thus far in 2022.

Similar to the experience many bench players had for the Phillies in 2021, Brad Miller took on a larger role than he typically would due to injury and Covid circumstances. But, Miller probably had the best season of the bench-Phillies who played in starting-caliber innings last year. Brad’s first stint with Philadelphia came in 2019, where he acted as a supplemental left-handed bat off the bench with some pop. He launched 12HRs with a .263 batting average in just over 100 at-bats, producing adequately that year. Brad isn’t known for his defensive prowess, so he was utilized in pinch-hit opportunities mostly. The Phillies didn’t re-sign Miller in 2020, so he joined the St. Louis Cardinals on a 1-year deal. He had success with some power numbers at the plate, and was consistently hitting in the cleanup spot for St. Louis. 

Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski opted to bring Miller back for the ‘21 season on another 1-year deal, standard for many players who don’t earn a starting role. He looked good in the shortened season in ‘20, so many expected him to be the Phillies’ best bat off the bench and fulfill a similar role to what he accomplished in ‘19. Yet, Miller went above and beyond his traditional role and had one of the best statistical years of his journeyed career. Miller tallied 20HRs in total, with 49RBI, playing in 140 games for the Phillies. It seemed like Brad played in just about every game for the Phils, whether he started the game, pinch-hit, or finished the game. He took on an improved role and succeeded.Brad was most impactful in 2021 from being a ‘spark plug’. He had several multi-home run games, including a 3HR game at Wrigley in July. Fans recall the memorable image of Brad wearing three of the Phillies’ “Home Run Hats” to celebrate in the dugout. Later in July, Miller hit a walkoff grandslam to cap a comeback from down eight runs against the Nationals. It was one of the most electrifying moments of the season for a club that fell short of October. He earned himself the nickname “Bamboo Brad” for his connection with Philadelphia fans and passion for the big moments. Miller became a free agent following the season and signed with the Texas Rangers recently, following the lockout. The Phillies are looking to bolster their hitting off the bench in place of Miller as Opening Day is quickly approaching on April 8th, 2022. 

Following the Phillies 60-game 2020 season, the team finished with the worst combined bullpen ERA in the sport in the last 90 years at 7.06. Even those who aren’t familiar with statistics can recognize the atrocity in the one the Phillies accomplished just two seasons ago. So, in the offseason heading into ‘21, the organization knew they had to bolster the bullpen and do what they could to fix the issue. Arguably, the Phillies biggest addition to the bullpen that offseason was the signing of relief pitcher Archie Bradley on a 1yr/$6M deal. 

Philadelphia had high expectations for Archie upon his arrival, considering he was the biggest implementation to a glaring hole on the team. Many expected him to take on the role of the closer. He’d been around the block for a few years, since 2015, and earned the league’s respect out of the pen, carrying a career ERA of just under 4. Most of his time was spent in Arizona since his rookie season, where he became a fan favorite. When the Phillies traveled to the Diamondbacks’ Chase Field in August, Bradley got a standing ovation from the hometown crowd for his time spent there. Most memorably, Archie hit a two RBI triple in the 2017 NL Wild Card Game for Arizona, as a relief pitcher.At the beginning of the year, Archie was mediocre at best along with the rest of the bullpen. It seemed like things hadn’t changed much for the Phillies’ relievers since ‘20 by the time Archie hit the IL for over a month between April and May due to an oblique strain. When Archie returned and settled into his rhythm, the Phillies began to win some baseball games and reached first place by early August. Manager Joe Girardi hit a groove calling his players out of the pen in order, utilizing Neris in the 7th inning, Archie Bradley in the 8th, and then Ian Kennedy in the 9th to close. Though the Phillies ultimately fell short last year, that combination of relievers did experience success for a period, and Bradley deserves some of that credit. He finished with a 3.71 ERA in 2021, making up for early season disappointment. Archie was an energizer for the Phillies out of the pen, but he was expensive last year in a relatively limited role. Archie’s status is currently a Free Agent as MLB’s player lockout remains in effect.

Odubel Herrera was selected by the Phillies in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft, when thereafter, he quickly established himself as a starter for the team in 2015, hitting nearly .300 on the year. Philadelphia was in a low organizational spot in ‘15, so they saw Herrera’s limited success that year atop the lackluster lineup as potential for sustained success moving forward. He, along with former Phillies 3B Maikel Franco, 2B Cesar Hernandez, and SP Aaron Nola were supposed to be the young and potent ‘core’ that ball-clubs desire during a rebuilding phase. Unfortunately, they never found success with those pieces. Franco and Hernandez were gone by the end of the ‘18 season, while Herrera and Nola remained. Herrera saw a steady decline in batting average every year since ‘15, reaching his lowest mark of .220 by mid-2019. Although, he was hitting for more power with bolstered homerun numbers, launching a career high of 22HR in ‘18. He was the Phillies’ lone All-Star in 2016 and arguably could have been one in 2018 as well.

In mid-2019, Odubel Herrera committed a despicable domestic assault against his 20-year old girlfriend at an Atlantic City nightclub. The Phillies released the criminal and scandalous Odubel promptly, so he didn’t play professional baseball in 2020. Despite several Phillies not wanting to share a locker room with Herrera for what he did, the organization didn’t have much of a choice in 2021 with a roster hole in center field, so they re-signed Odubel. Some argued he had ‘paid his dues’ after serving a league suspension and attending legal rehabilitation. He quickly outplayed his competition by mid-spring and earned a starting role once again in the outfield. He did have somewhat of a comeback year, hitting .260 with 13HR for Philly, and filling that outfield void. His most memorable moment of the year came at Nationals Park, when he tied the game for the Phils with a solo homerun off of CL Brad Hand, with 2 outs in the 9th. 

Odubel deserves credit for a respectable job in center field in 2021, but he still remains a controversial athlete in this city for domestic violence. If that weren’t a factor, he would likely be brought back – but it’s reality, so his future in Philly remains undetermined in ‘22 as the MLB player lockout remains in effect. Many are hoping the Phillies sign a stronger outfielder than what Odubel can provide, like Kyle Schwarber or Nick Castellanos. 

Ronald Torreyes had the best year of his limited Major League career for the 2021 Phillies. Torreyes is a 29-year old journeyman, standing at only 5’8’’, 150lbs, but he plays with a great deal of technique and heart.

Torreyes was never a major league starter, but he got an opportunity to tally starting innings for the Phillies in the back half of the season. The Phillies everyday 3B to start the year, Alec Bohm, was slumping offensively and costing the team runs defensively. So, Phillies manager Joe Girardi elected to upgrade a well-known utility piece on his bench in the form of Torreyes to replace the void. Girardi knew Torreyes from his managing days in New York, where Ronald posted his best statistical year, 2017, hitting .292 with 3HR in limited, alternate time for the Yankees. Girardi had respect for Torreyes ability to fundamentally play the game. His play doesn’t pop like a superstar’s, but he makes the plays that need to be made and he hits the ball when he needs to. And when he got his number called for the Phillies this year in a larger role, he did just that.

Torreyes final 2021 stat line isn’t outstanding, as he batted .242 with 7HR, but Phillies fans don’t doubt the impact of his play for his worth. Torreyes plugged the defensive hole that Bohm left at 3B, committing no errors at the position. His limited pop in the form of seven homers may have been the most impactful aspect of his play, as two were go-ahead, three-run home runs for the Phillies. One he launched over the Green Monster at Fenway in July, and the other bounced out of the yard at home against the Pirates in September. Torreyes grew into a player that the Phillies depended upon by the end of the year. It wasn’t by matter of choice, as the Phillies would’ve preferred to keep Torreyes in his traditional role on the bench. But, with the poor performance of Bohm, Torreyes stepped up and got the job done for the Phillies in a needed area. The Venezualen utility man is only on the books for less than a million annually. If he continues to perform at this clip for a cheap price, it only makes sense for Girardi and the Phillies to tenure Torreyes next season as a bench piece.

Rhys Hoskins had an underrated year for the Phillies in the summer of 2021, as he carried the team offensively through much of the early season. Dating to his debut year in the league, 2017, Philadelphia fans came to expect a lot from Hoskins at the plate. Rhys set a record in his rookie season for the most home runs over the fewest amount of games for a player entering the league. Though the Phillies were in rough shape that year, Hoskins launched 18 homers over a 34-game stretch through the late summer to make a name for himself in this town. 

2018 and ‘19 brought a 34-homer season and a 29-homer season, respectively for the Phillies everyday first baseman. But toward the back end of 2019 and into the Covid year, 2020, Hoskins began seriously struggling at the plate. By the end of ‘19 his average had dropped to .226, though he hit with power early on, and carried a poor average into next season. There were concerns with Hoskins’ upward swing plane and the Phillies knew they needed him back on track at the plate to see any sort of offensive proficiency in ‘21. 

Hoskins put the doubters to rest in the early part of ‘21 as he was a crucial piece in the center of the lineup. Hoskins’ walk-rate dropped, paired with a cleaner swing, as he became more aggressive offensively and his numbers showed. He posted 27 HR and 71 RBI over 107 games (roughly ⅔ of the season). Hoskins entered an IL stint as the team got hot in August, and soon was out for the year to get repair surgery for an abdominal tear. It was a hefty blow to the Phillies lineup, as they fell from first place and weren’t able to recover offensively. Hoskins came up big this year several times, most notably, with his two-homer game in Colorado in April and near game-tying RBI ground-rule double against the Mets at home. Hoskins was never touted for his defensive play with several costly errors each season, but it was evident the Phillies needed his bat while they had it this year.Hoskins is 28 now and approaching a contract year, currently on the books for only $4.8M. Rhys has really grown into a leader for this clubhouse, but due to offensive inconsistency, defensive incompetence, and the money, it’s likely the Phillies and Hoskins will part ways.

Over the course of his now eight-year career in Philadelphia, the Phillies organization and fans have gotten to know 32-year old bullpen arm, Hector Neris very well. He’s a career 3.42 ERA out of the pen, a quality number, but he’s experienced a variety of ups-and-downs in red pinstripes. For a number of years, Hector served as the Phillies closer as he recorded his first save in ‘16. He sits at #8 on the Phillies all-time saves leaders list with 84, though the entirety of the list is a bit discouraging. He was never the best closer in the league, but he got the job done at a reasonable rate. 

Similar to his roller-coaster career performance, Hector had his high and low points in 2021. Hector started the year as the Phillies 9th-inning man, but ultimately ended up in a 7th-inning role where he found success by the end of the year. After he’d blown 6 save opportunities over 32 appearances this season by midsummer, the Phillies acquired a new arm for the closer role at the trade deadline in RP Ian Kennedy. The blown save opportunity that still stings for Phillies fans was Pablo Sandoval’s two-out, two-run homerun off of a high Neris fastball in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game for the world-series winning Braves in a May matchup. He earned himself the nickname “heart attack Hector” for his nerve-wracking performances.  

The Phillies were frustrated with Hector but far from giving up on him. He has a long history in both the league and in Philadelphia of success. He just needed to be utilized in a different role after ‘getting the yips’. Phillies manager Joe Girardi began using Neris consistently in the 7th-inning where he was able to get hitters out at a reliable rate once again. Neris went the rest of the year having success in his setup role, while avoiding save opportunities. In total, Neris’ numbers this year are not all that great as he has career highs in categories such as earned runs allowed, home runs allowed, and walks allowed. But, he did bounce back positively in some areas after getting his new 7th-inning role like his 74.1 innings pitched, the 3rd most in the National League. Hector had a so-so year for the Phillies in hindsight, but the late inning split-baller will certainly be back next year to add to his seasoned Philadelphia career.

In the 2019 offseason, during the Phillies buying spree of veteran free agents, the Phillies latched on to the aging outfielder, Andrew McCutchen, on a substantial 3yr/$50M contract. Cutch was 33 when he signed the deal, and the Phillies thought the former 2013 MVP still had reliable production, both offensively and defensively, left in the tank. After hitting a memorable leadoff homer to open the 2019 season, he was off to a decent start in Philly for an older veteran as a spark plug. Cutch then went down shortly after in June of ‘19 with a season-ending leg injury. He had a mediocre, shortened 2020 season, and fans expected the talent they once knew to be back in form for ‘21. 

In the final year of his Philadelphia deal, Andrew McCutchen has not lived up to his 5x all-star expectations. Signs of aging in his play are clear and a continued decline in production is inevitable for the near 36-year old. Some players have a knack for it in old age in baseball, while others have a clear-cut prime. McCutchen looks to be the latter. His batting average leveled at .222, a drastic dip from his career of .280, and an underwhelming .334 OBP. Though, he did have some bright spots with flashes of power, raking 27 homers and 80 RBI. He didn’t hit for consistency like his career numbers suggest, but when he did hit it this year, it was probably leaving the yard. Andrew was particularly dreadful in his left field defensive role, tallying 8 total errors, a career high. The number isn’t exceptionally high, but it’s an inaccurate representation of his play. The vet looked far worse in left field than the numbers suggest. 

Aside from his unsatisfactory play on both sides of the ball, McCutchen brought leadership and entertainment to the clubhouse. He took on the comical alias “Uncle Larry”, interacting with fans and the Phillie Fanatic. He even did things like play rock-paper-scissors on home run trots and have a catch during a game with a fan. It wouldn’t be right to disregard Cutch’s contributions to the clubhouse with his experience and lighthearted nature.In a postseason interview, even Cutch admitted, “with the seasons that I’ve had here… I definitely felt that my performance personally wasn’t where I wanted it to be.” Andrew has a club option to be decided by the organization this offseason, but it’s pretty evident the Phillies are looking forward to getting the vet off the payroll. Fans would agree McCutchen’s been entertaining, but ultimately disappointing in his three years here.

Ranger Suarez was probably the Phillies most successful pitcher in 2021 behind Zack Wheeler. Suarez began the year as a bullpen piece, then progressed to the starting rotation as he was pitching well and an opportunity opened. It was Ranger’s first season experiencing the success he did, as he took steps to massively improve his game. He’s been signed in Philadelphia since he was 16 years old, but he just broke out as a hot item now. If there were a “Most Improved Player” award in the MLB, it likely would’ve been won by Ranger this year. 

It’s difficult to compare this season to Ranger’s previous ones as he’s a young player with a limited sample size. In his last season of significant use, 2019, Suarez pitched to a 3.14 ERA – a respectable number for a bullpen arm, but he dipped in limited use in 2020. 

Suarez delivered the best of his few seasons thus far in 2021, posting career numbers in nearly every statistical category including ERA, strikeouts, innings pitched, and WAR. The standouts are his dominant ERA of only 1.36, with over 100IP, and a remarkable WAR of 5.9. For comparison, that’s the second lowest ERA a pitcher has had with over 100IP since 1969. For a large portion of the early season, his ERA remained under 1. He delivered eight wins and four saves for the Phillies in total. Ranger’s stuff isn’t overpowering, with an average fastball velocity of 94MPH, but he’s accurate, throws with precision, and changes speeds utilizing a slider and changeup. His success resulted in a hefty workload, pitching in every imaginable situation over the course nearly 40 ballgames. It speaks to his versatility as an arm, and the get-it-done mentality he’s been praised for. He kept coming through when his number was called, so the Phillies decided to employ him in the lengthened starter’s role. Ranger delivered two memorable starts – one was the Saturday night win at home over the Mets in an August first-place matchup that he put together, the other being his masterpiece, a complete game shutout of the Pirates in late September.

Suarez entered 2021 as a hopeful bullpen piece and he leaves it a bonafide starter of the league, and one of the Phillies best. The Phillies organization looks forward to many years of reliable production from an up-and-coming talent like Suarez.

Jean Segura has shined as one of the few bright spots on the Phillies roster this season. Coming off a down year in the shortened 2020 season, Segura has bounced back in hitting for a high average at the top of the lineup with a little pop, had outstanding defensive play at second base, and even showed veteran leadership qualities this year. The Phillies acquired Segura in the 2019 offseason along with much of the rest of the team, coming off an all-star season in ‘18. Segura is a career .285 hitter, but he didn’t perform at that rate in his first couple of seasons in Philadelphia. He was considered lazy and many viewed him as a trade prospect. 

Segura has become a fan favorite due to tremendous play in 2021. From his comical walk-up music to his swag on the diamond, he’s been the complete package that the organization signed on for this season. He’s been the staple in the Phillies 2-hole, hitting .290 with 14 jacks, and 58 RBI. As one of the only consistent producers at the top of the lineup, his value has not been diminished this year. Jean’s been great managing his defensive role at second base this year too. He boasts a fielding percentage of .981. He’s highly acclaimed for both his cannon of an arm and internal clock on the inner diamond. Comparisons have been drawn between Segura and Phillie Wall-of-Fame second baseman Manny Trillo, famous for his powerful and precise arm in the 1980 World Series run. Segura seems to always know exactly when a play needs to be made too, throwing runners out on time with consistency. 

The Dominican infielder smacked his first Major league grand-slam this season in a September matchup against the Brewers. It’s an accomplishment all amateurs dream of, and he finally got it in his ninth season in the bigs. Jean’s probably the biggest all-star snub in 2021 as one of the top second baseman in today’s game, because his name doesn’t pop like it once did. He’s been flat out great for the Phillies this year and fans hope to see him and the consistency he brought on both sides of the ball back in red pinstripes in ‘22.