The Philadelphia Phillies are coming off a disappointing 2021 season. For the fourth year in a row, the Phillies failed to live up to the expectations held by their diehard fanbase.

The 2021 season marked the forth consecutive season where Philadelphia hovered around .500 all season long. The Phillies finished last season with an 82-80 overall record.

The Phillies are looking to change their trajectory in 2022, their third season under manager Joe Girardi. With the expansion of the playoffs from 10 to 12 teams this season, the opportunity for the Phillies this season is greater than ever before.

With this opportunity comes added pressure, and the Phillies have even greater urgency to end their decade-long playoff drought. To overcome this pressure several things will have to break Philadelphia's way. Below we outline Philly's path to redemption in 2022.

 

Phillies 2022 Bold Predictions

1. Phillies sign Nick Castellanos in Free Agency

Nick Castellanos has become well known in the MLB community for his ability not only to swing the bat, but also to create legendary meme content. Castellanos however is still without a home for the 2022 season, with Opening Day merely three weeks away. This development is surprising considering the high-level of play Castellanos has always produced.

According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, the Phillies remain in on Castellanos up to the final hour.

Adding Castellanos to a lineup that already includes reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper and perennial All-Star J.T Realmuto would be a major upgrade. This addition would not guarantee the Phillies the division title, as the NL East is among the toughest divisions in all of baseball, but it would certainly push them much, much closer to true contention. Furthermore, the addition would only further energize the Philly fanbase and help propel the Phillies clear of mediocrity early in the season.

The addition of Castellanos would be a win-win, as the former Detroit Tiger has seen a spike in production since joining the Senior Circuit in 2019. Expect a Castellanos decision to arrive before the second week of Spring Training, and expect the All-Star to remain in the National League with either the Phillies or the Marlins.

Bottom Line: Castellanos signs with Philly and helps propel the team to the top of the NL East by June 1st.

 

2. Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola both finish top-5 in CY Young award voting

When Zack Wheeler signed last winter with the Phillies for 5-years, $118 million Philly fans were envisioning a dynamic 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation. The fact that Philadelphia was able to steal such a good player away from a division rival made the addition that much sweeter.

Unfortunately for Philly, only half of their dreams became reality.

Zack Wheeler held up his end of the bargain remarkably, exceeding even the the most extreme expectations held by the Philly faithful. Wheeler finished the 2021 season 2nd in NL Cy Young voting, behind only Corbin Burnes of the Milwaukee Brewers. Wheeler finished last season with a major league-leading 213.1 innings pitched. It was an impressive season all-around for Wheeler, and it would not be surprising at all if he followed up with another outstanding performance in 2022.

For as well as Wheeler pitched last season, his running mate Aaron Nola had an equally as forgetful season. Nola struggled with mistakes throughout the 2021 season, and finished with a career-high 4.63 ERA over 180.2 innings pitched. Nola however remains supremely talented as a starter, and he is widely expected to have a bounce back season in 2022.

A continuation of Wheeler's dominance and a return to form from Nola would be huge for Philly this season. Their performance, along with the play of Zach Eflin , projects to keep the Phillies in the hunt all season long.

Bottom Line: Wheeler once again finishes 2nd in NL Cy Young voting, behind only Jacob deGrom this time around. Nola on the other hand rounds out the top five, finishing 5th with a sub-3.00 ERA.

 

3. Bryce Harper pushes for second consecutive NL MVP award

Bryce Harper had an absolutely outstanding 2021 season. Harper won the NL MVP award for the first time since 2015, his first time winning the award as a member of the Phillies.

Harper posted a 1.044 OPS and .615 SLG percentage during the 2021 season. Both marks were tops in the entire major-league. Harper also finished with 35 HRs and 84 RBIS.

There has not been a repeat MVP winner in the MLB since Miguel Cabrera in 2012 and 2013. Additionally, there has not been a repeat NL MVP award winner since Albert Pujols in 2008 and 2009.

It would be an outstanding accomplishment for Harper to repeat as NL MVP, however unlikely it may be. However, Philly will likely need MVP-level performance from Harper once again if it has any hope of making it to the playoffs.

Bottom Line: Harper falls just short of a repeat MVP season, finishing second in MVP voting behind only Juan Soto.

 

4. Phillies make the postseason for the first time since 2011

The Phillies last made the playoffs in 2011. By the time October hits this season, it will have been over a decade since the Philly faithful last saw postseason baseball.

The 2022 season projects to be the year the playoff drought finally ends in Philadelphia.

FanGraphs gives the Phillies a 56.7% chance to make the playoffs this season. In a top-heavy NL East, anything above 50.0% gives Philly fans real hope that this could be their year.

This projection also comes before free-agent OF Nick Castellanos has made his decision where he will play next. If Castellanos does join the Phillies the projections could push the Phillies' outlook even higher.

The Phillies will still face an uphill battle to overcome the reigning World Series champion Atlanta Braves in the standings, even in light the departure of Freddie Freeman to the Dodgers. The Phillies will also have to contend with the big-spending New York Mets in a heated division race.

Making the playoffs will be a challenge for Philadelphia this year. However, it is not a challenge this franchise is not prepared to overcome.

Bottom Line: Philadelphia makes the playoffs with an 87-75 record, securing the final spot in the 2022 NL playoff picture.

 

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