The Evolution Of The Philadelphia Phillies: From 2022 To 2024

The Philadelphia Phillies clinched their third straight trip to the postseason after beating the New York Mets on Friday night.

What's different about the 2024 Phillies?  What do they have that the 2022 and 20223 versions were missing?

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The 2022 Philadelphia Phillies made a surprise appearance in the World Series, which was followed up by a disappointing defeat in the National League Championship Series in 2023.

The team brought back many of the same key pieces with its core of Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto, Alec Bohm, and Bryson Stott leading the offense.  Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Ranger Suarez have all been key pieces of the starting rotation.

So what's so different about the 2024 team? How can this team finally break through?

Obviously, the key offensive pieces and the starting pitching will need to do their part, but the one thing this team has that the 2022 and 20223 versions didn't have?

A deeper bullpen.

In 2022 Rob Thomson mixed and matched a vagabond crew of Jose Alvarado, Zach Eflin, Seranthony Dominguez, David Robertson, Brad Hand, Andrfe Bellatti, and Connor Brogdon to Game 6t of the World Series.

Last season, he stuck with Craig Kimbrel too long and bowed out in the NLCS.  During that run, he found guys like Jeff Hoffman, Orion Kerkering, and Matt Straham, who now will play bigger roles in 2024.

What's different about the 2024 Phillies?  The bullpen.  The question is, is that good enough to finally get over the hump?

The team added Carlos Estevez at the trade deadline to a bullpen that features Hoffman, Straham, Kerkering, and Alvarado.  Thomson can now mix and match those five quality arms, something he really didn't have in 2022 and 2023.

The offense and starting and pitching are very similar, but the new-look bullpen might be what gets the Phillies over the hump in 2024.