Philadelphia Phillies Have Been Baseball's Biggest Surprise In 2016

Heading into the 2016 season, one of the safest assumptions in baseball was that the Philadelphia Phillies would be a non-factor in the NL East. The team clearly appeared to be in the midst of a major rebuilding project and at least another year or two away from making any significant progress. However, the Phillies have been the biggest surprise in baseball to this point in the season.

Philadelphia currently has a record of 18-14, and the Phillies actually own the second Wild Card spot, a complete shock even at this point in the season considering the depth in the National League. That record also comes after getting swept at the hands of the lowly Cincinnati Reds to begin the season. The Phillies have bounced back from that slow start and have some how put together a 7-5 record against the New York Mets and Washington Nationals, their two main rivals in the NL East.

The silver lining for Philadelphia heading into the season was the amount of promise in the team’s young starting rotation, which has proved to be better than expected. Vince Velasquez, who came to the Phillies this winter in the Ken Giles trade, has emerged as an elite young pitcher, posting a 2.17 ERA in his first six starts. Aaron Nola, who was thought by some to be the future ace of Philadelphia’s rotation, has continued his development, pitching to a 3.13 ERA in his first seven starts. Velasquez and Nola have given the Phillies a formidable 1-2 punch atop their rotation, with the rest of the starters holding their own.

Of course, the biggest difference in keeping the Phillies in contention this year has been the team’s bullpen. Jeanmar Gomez has grown into the closer’s role, converting 11 of his 12 save opportunities when most thought closing out wins would be an issue for Philadelphia. In addition to Gomez, Hector Neris and journeyman David Hernandez have both been strong performers out of the bullpen, giving the Phillies a pair of competent setup men. Philadelphia’s bullpen was projected to be a disaster heading into the season, but the trio of Gomez, Neris and Hernandez has changed that and done well to support a young and promising rotation.

Offensively, the Phillies have been unimpressive, which was to be expected this season, but the performance of their pitching staff has made them the surprise story of the baseball season thus far. Without more offense, it’ll be tough for the Phillies to overcome the Mets and Nationals in the NL East, but it stands to reason that they can continue pitch at the same level all season, which could at least keep them within striking distance deep into the summer. As long as the Phillies keep pitching, they’ll continue to overachieve and be baseball’s biggest surprise in 2016.