The Philadelphia Phillies pulled off a Cinderella run to the World Series last year, but in the end, the Houston Astros had the last laugh in the Fall Classic via a 4-2 series win.
Phillies outfielder Kyle Schwarber gets a sense from his teammates that they are far from satisfied with just how Philadelphia’s campaign came to a close. While the Phillies made plenty of history en route to their eighth appearance in the World Series, the reigning National League champions are hoping to make a return to the Fall Classic this year and win it all this time around.
“Definitely a little chip,” Schwarber said at the Phillies’ spring training complex in Clearwater, Florida. “It’s not like we’re happy with how it ended.
“So I think there’s a chip on our shoulder, but I also think it’s a little exciting, too, because we know where we can go.”
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski went all out in the offseason to bolster the roster in an effort to give his team a fighting chance to pull off another run to the World Series. From the blockbuster signing of Trea Turner to the multiple bullpen additions, the Phillies were among the heavy spenders in the free agency period, which garnered the stamp of approval of Schwarber.
“That’s the exciting part,” Schwarber said. “It’s not easy. It’s never easy.
“But look at what we added in the offseason. We added a lot of pieces. Obviously, Trea. But also in the bullpen. It’s exciting. How can you not be excited about that? It’s really cool when you have that backing from ownership, and they’re trying to give you every resource that they can to have a successful season.”
Rhys Hoskins is also full of anticipation for the Phillies’ upcoming season.
“We have great players,” Hoskins said. “We added more great players. So I just think there’s a quieter confidence, not only from the player standpoint but the strength and conditioning side, the athletic training side, the hitting coaches, the pitching coaches.
“They’re confident that we can get back there as a group.”
The Phillies will kick off their spring training schedule on Feb. 25 with matchups against the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers.
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