The Phillies Big Three
The Philidelphia Phillies locked their spot in the playoffs after a 3-2 walk off win against the pirates. They stand in first place in the Wild Card race and hold a 7.5 game lead. The Fightin Phils are looking to finish what they started last year and bring home a World Series title. In order to do this, three huge pieces to their success are Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and Trea Turner.
Schwarber is no stranger to the playoffs. Already with a championship under his belt he looks to add on to his ridiculous post season resume. In 52 games in the postseason in his career he has 40 hits, 15 homers, 27 RBIs, 31 runs scored, and a .900 OPS. I will remind everyone that he is 30 years old, so he has ways to go. At the pace he is going we can potentially see him land on some all-time post season rankings in the near future.
If you tuned in to last yearβs playoffs, you know what this man is capable of. Bryce Harper put on one of the most magical performances we will ever see in postseason baseball. To return early from a bad injury and being able to deliver at that high of a level was awesome to watch. Last year alone in 17 games Bryce hit .349 with 22 hits, 6 HRβs, 13 RBIs, and a 1.160 OPS. Statistically that is one of the best runs we have ever seen. If he can be remotely close to that level the Phillies will benefit greatly.
The picture above captured the moment when Trea Turner blasted an 8th inning grand slam to beat Venezuela 9-7 in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinal. I have been around baseball for about 15 years and that was one of the most electrifying moments I have ever seen. βI just remember screaming. I donβt remember anything elseβ said Trea Turner when asked about the moment. Trea has done decently well over his postseason career but what he did in the WBC was extraordinary. Analysts say it ranks in the top 5 performances of all time. In 6 games played Turner hit .391 with 9 hits, 5 HRβs, 11 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.483. This energy will carry on to October and Turner will help lead the Phillies and their pursuit to the fall classic.