This offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies are being disregarded. It appears that some people aren’t giving the Phillies a chance because of the moves made by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Baseball has always demonstrated that upsets are inevitable, regardless of skill level. After losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS the previous season, Philadelphia is the team with the greatest understanding of this.
Bryce Harper was left off of MLB.com’s 2024 MVP favorites list, which is another indication of the lack of consideration the Phillies are receiving this offseason.
They selected Corbin Carroll (5), Fernando Tatis Jr. (4), Mookie Betts (1), Ronald Acuna Jr. (2), and Shohei Ohtani (3).
The 31-year-old Harper, who has won two MVP awards, finished in the top 12 of the voting in the last campaign despite switching to a new position and missing some time because of Tommy John surgery recovery.
There’s a case can be made for his being the finest baseball player when healthy, and he has shown this during his tenure in Philadelphia.
With so much quality in the National League, Harper and the other contenders will not have an easy time taking home the MVP award.
Betts and Ohtani sharing a team may be detrimental to their chances. The accolade was just won by Acuna in 2023. Carroll and Tatis can both win their first MVP in ’24 since they both finished in the top five.
The Phillies must realize that nobody is counting on them to be in the same spot they have been in for the previous two years as they get closer to Spring Training and the regular season.