After winning the National League Pennant last season, the Philadelphia Phillies are a team to watch down the stretch with value to win it again.
When you get to the MLB postseason, many variables can factor into whether or not your team finds success. The Phillies caught lightning in a bottle as a wild card team last season and made a run for the ages, eventually falling short against the Houston Astros in the World Series. Is there merit in expecting the Phillies to make a similar run this time? We believe so.
Entering play on July 29, the Phillies occupy one of the three wild card positions in the National League. They’ve already demonstrated they can find success in October, and the key pieces that helped lead them there are once again in play.
Inside the National League playoff picture, the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers remain ahead of the field regarding their odds. The Braves hold the shortest odds to win the NL Pennant at +140, while the Dodgers aren’t far behind at +200. No other team in the National League has odds above +1000. The Phillies boast the third-shortest odds at +1100, and despite some early season inconsistencies, they’ve played good baseball after the middle of May. It’s understandable why the Dodgers and Braves are seen as the cream of the crops with their odds, but the gap between them and the Phillies certainly isn’t as big as the oddsmakers have placed it.
If the playoffs started today, the Phillies’ rotation would have no issue going head-to-head with others in the National League. Headlined by Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, and Taijuan Walker, it’s not hard to be bullish about what the Phillies could bring to a playoff series. The Phillies have the recipe to get hot and put it on full display last season.
Although it’s been a disappointing first year with the Phillies for shortstop Trea Turner, we believe he’s a big key in helping lead them to more postseason success. With his speed and ability as a five-tool player, Turner brings electricity to a Phillies lineup that can spark a team in October.
The Phillies are still fighting for a playoff position, but we like how they’ve been trending over the last two months. In MLB, especially, the best team isn’t always the last one standing. Since the value isn’t necessarily there with Atlanta or Los Angeles with their prices, we feel more comfortable looking at the field, and the Phillies give us the most confidence of those remaining teams.
All odds courtesy of the FanDuel Sportsbook.
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