The return of baseball season also means the return of the Phillies stock report! Every week we’ll highlight who’s performing well and who’s struggling as we navigate the peaks and valleys of a long baseball season. 

Stock Up

Nick Nelson

Nelson came out of nowhere and had a brilliant long relief outing Monday night. He threw four innings and allowed one run on one hit in relief of Ranger Suarez. He threw a fastball that sat around 96 MPH and a nasty changeup. Nelson’s performance kept the door open for the Phillies eventual comeback in a five run eighth inning. 

 

Christopher Sanchez

Much like Nelson, Sanchez was called in for a long relief outing due to a starting pitcher reaching an early season pitch count. Unfortunately for Sanchez, he was not rewarded with a team win like Nelson. Nevertheless, the 25-year-old went 2.2 hitless innings while allowing one run on two walks with three strikeouts.

Kyle Gibson

Gibson dazzled in his season debut on Saturday against Oakland. The right hander threw seven innings of shutout ball with 10 K’s and two hits with no walks. And he did it all on just 82 pitches. It was only the second time in MLB history that a starter went 7 IP with no walks, 10 K’s, and two or less hits on 82 or less pitches. The other was Jose Berrios in 2019 who had 11 K’s and 81 pitches. 

Nick Castellanos

The second of the Phillies two high-priced slugger additions has been as advertised in the early going. Castellanos is 7-23 (.304) on the season with five of those hits being an extra base hit, including one home run. His two-run double in the seventh inning on Opening Day gave the Phillies a much needed two-run cushion after the A’s cut the lead to one. 

Jean Segura

Segura has started the season on a tear, going 6-17 (.353) with two home runs. He was one of three Phillies players to homer on Saturday, as Segura went back-to-back with Rhys Hoskins in the sixth. Segura had just one home run in all of March and April last season in 17 games and 64 plate appearances. Unfortunately, he was hit by a pitch in the forearm in Wednesday’s loss and is considered day-to-day. 

Stock Down

Kyle Schwarber

Schwarber had a huge Opening Day, as he led off the Phillies season with a home run and got on base three times in the Phillies win. However, he has gone 0-18 since Opening Day with 8 strikeouts to three walks. Schwarber has been the victim of some questionable strike calls from umpires in recent days, but that doesn’t excuse his lack of production from the leadoff spot so far. 

Bryce Harper

Harper has had an uncharacteristic slow start to the season. The reigning MVP owns a career 1.014 OPS in the first month of the season, his best in any month. But this year, Harper is just 3-21 (.143) with 8 strikeouts to four walks. He’s been the victim of some bad luck as he’s hit balls hard right at defenders, but he has also been late on many hittable fastballs and either fouling them or swinging through them. Harper hit his first home run on Wednesday to the opposite field which is normally a sign he’s getting locked in. To be determined how his next week will go. 

Aaron Nola

Nola had a strong start on Opening Day that ended poorly. He allowed a three-run home run in the top of the seventh as he was fatiguing. Prior to that, Nola had allowed one run on one hit with seven strikeouts in six innings. The home run to Seth Brown was the A’s third straight hit to start the inning and was on a 3-2 count. Nola’s second start on Wednesday was a disaster, as he allowed three runs in just 3.1 innings, walked three, and hit two batters. His struggles with two outs and home runs from last season have persisted into 2022, as he has already allowed two home runs in two starts, including one with two outs. 

Didi Gregorious

Gregorious played the hero on Monday by driving in the go-ahead run in the Phillies five run eighth, but his struggles from last season have carried over as well. He’s 3-19 (.158) on the season with 6 strikeouts to just one walk. Gregorious has looked without a plan in many at-bats, swinging and flailing away at pitches out of the zone. He should be in line to cede playing time to the emerging Bryson Stott, but it appears manager Joe Girardi is reluctant to do so. Gregorious has started five of the Phillies first six games at shortstop whereas Stott has started four and just one at shortstop. 

Connor Brogdon

Brogdon’s velocity dip from Spring Training has carried over into the early stages of the regular season. His fastball velocity is averaging just 94 MPH after sitting around 96 last season. He’s been charged with two earned runs on four hits in just two total innings pitched across three appearances. Perhaps most concerning is he’s yet to get a swing and miss on his diminished fastball, after generating one on 25% of his fastballs a year ago. 

Fanatics

This is just embarrassing. 

 

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