The Final Countdown

It's that time of year, the time of year that makes or breaks a baseball season. The Phillies, lately, have faltered in September since 2018. As of the publishing of this article, the Phillies are 76-62 on the 2022 campaign. They are 4-6 for their last 10 and playing as the Phillies do, .500 baseball. The Phightins are 4-4 this September, which does not look well with their notorious bad omens during the month.

Right now, the Phils are not scorching like they were prior to the Return of Bryce Harper. However, throughout the season, there have been ebbs and flows of all the Phillies players, young and old.

So, what do the Phillies do? Will they conquer their September Slides of old? Or will they rise to the occasion and take this team and city to Red October?

Unsung Heroes of the 2022 Phillies

Matt Vierling

Vierling has been a mixed back in his first full season with the ball club. Last year he made an appearance in 34 games, batting .324 BA. This year, the St. Louis native is batting .232 on the year in 98 games.

On June 7th, Vierling and fellow Daycare member Alec Bohm hit homers to take a 3-2 victory over Josh Hader and the Brewers. This homer boosted the Phillies higher during their winning streak in the post-Girardi era. Vierling needs to develop more, but he will be a solid utility player for the next couple of seasons.

Nick Maton

The Lone Wolf, Nick Maton, is back in the bigs for his second straight season after a 52-game stint with the Phillies last year. Towards the end of his time last year, the coaches and fans alike discovered that Maton was having trouble hitting breaking balls, which warranted a demotion.

However, Maton returned in June for a couple of games before getting injured and returning after the trade deadline. Since then, Maton has hit the walk-off single below against the Cincinnati Reds that helped the Phils through a rocky August.

Maton is vital to this team, especially for this playoff push. He can be a starting second baseman for the Phils or most other teams, and it will be interesting to see how the team utilizes him.

Bryson Stott

The Las Vegas native and BFF to Bryce Harper faced some adversity developing in his first full season in the big leagues. He started the year as the starting third baseman before heading to the bench and, inevitably, the minors again to reset.

Stott made his comeback due to the many injuries the Phillies have faced the entire season. Since the injuries lasted a long time, Stott received the opportunity to grow in the MLB with consistent every day play. Since his return to the show, he increased his BA from under the Mendoza line to .237.

Stott has the makings of an incredible starting shortstop for the Phillies, possibly even second base depending on the Phillies' moves this offseason.

Alec Bohm

Alec has hit Bohms this year for the Phils. He has had multiple HR games, and clutch hits all season. After losing the starting role to Stott in the beginning, he began the season hitting well at the plate and taking over the hot corner once more for the Phils.

He has had his fielding errors, but Bohm will be a perennial All-Star third baseman for the Phillies for years to come. Despite his fielding mistake tendencies, Bohm has made significant improvements in the field.

All in all, Bohm is the best contact hitter on this Phillies team, especially with the absence of Bryce Harper. Currently, Alec Bohm has a BA of .294, the highest out of the players in a larger sample size.

Something Missing

As you can see, something is missing from the above list. Correct: Pitchers. The Phils have had good pitching this year, not great, but good, or maybe, good enough. One of the younger players on the team and arguably the most consistently good pitcher is Seranthony Dominguez.

Currently, Dominguez is on the IL but is starting his rehab in Triple-A and should hopefully be back in a week.

Dominguez's return and the starters returning to the form they were in for most of the season will be critical for the Phillies. Yes, their hitters have struggled at times, but If the pitching is there, the hitting will come with it. This year the Phillies will need to do something different. That something extra is making the playoffs for the first time since 2011.