We’ve made it to the top ten and the Philadelphia Phillies are one of the most interesting teams in baseball heading into a short 2020 season. They made a huge splash last offseason signing Bryce Harper but they seemed to be missing something very important to a winning organization, pitching. They were able to get some help there in the offseason and they come in at number 10 in my MLB Power Rankings.

The Phillies added Didi Gregorius to an already impressive lineup featuring the likes of Rhys Hoskins, J.T. Realmuto, Scott Kingery and the $330 million man himself, Bryce Harper.

People tend to downplay the year Harper had last season. He may have only hit .260, but he still clubbed 35 homers, second most of his career, and set a new career high with 114 Runs Batted In (RBI). Those are still some superstar like numbers. Expect him to grow in year two with the Phills.

Rhys Hoskins is the biggest question mark in this lineup right now. Which Rhys Hoskins are you going to get, the first half Rhys who looked to be back in 2017 form or second half Rhys who struggled mightily down the stretch. Hoskins will make or break this lineup.

The rotation, while still not that good by any means, definitely improved. Zack Wheeler is a great signing, but not for the money they’re going to be paying him. It was a move they had to make being a middle of the pack pitching team last season. The Phills are going to need Wheeler to continue to improve like he had been with the New York Mets the past two seasons. If he continues to trend upward, a bounce back year from Aaron Nola could be just what the team needs to squeak into the playoffs. They will also need solid performances from the rest of their rotation if they want any chance of competing in 2020.

Bleacher Report ranks the Phillies farm system as the 17th best in baseball. Their two best guys are Spencer Howard, a high upside starter with electric stuff, and Alec Bohm, the third overall pick back in 2018. For the sake of time, let’s talk about Bohm.

Without Maikel Franco, the Phillies have a hole at third base, which for the time being will be filled by Scott Kingery. Many fans think Bohm is the answer right now. We need to pump the brakes on that a bit. His bat, while very impressive, isn’t quite ready for the big leagues. Combine that with the fact that he is a well below average fielder and you can see why he isn’t quite ready yet. For the Phillies to be successful in the long run, they need be patient and let Bohm fully develop before bringing him up. A lot of teams often make the mistake of rushing guys to the big leagues and it has ruined careers.

The Phillies are a tough team to place because there are so many questions surrounding them. Playing in such a brutally tough division doesn’t help them either. I think the upside plays and I can see them pushing for the second wild card spot. I think they will barely sneak into the playoffs as the second National League wild card team.

Top Acquisition – Zack Wheeler

Biggest loss – Maikel Franco

MVP – Bryce Harper

Projected Finish – 3rd in NL East (2nd NL Wild Card)

Projected Lineup:

1. Andrew McCutchen, LF
2. J.T. Realmuto, C
3. Bryce Harper, RF
4. Rhys Hoskins, 1B
5. Didi Gregorius, SS
6. Scott Kingery, 3B
7. Jean Segura, 2B
8. Adam Haseley, CF
9. Pitcher

Projected Rotation:

1. Aaron Nola
2. Zack Wheeler
3. Jake Arrieta
4. Zach Eflin
5. Vince Velasquez

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Twitter: @B_Murphy_MU