Phan Phavorites
Approval ratings for every player on the active roster.
On Sunday morning I polled Phillies twitter to get a fan approval rating for every player on the 26-man roster. A voter could “approve” or “disapprove” of each player’s performance, with no options in between.
Here are the results, sorted from lowest approval rating to highest:
Dylan Covey - 6%
Covey’s 6% approval rating is about 6% higher than I thought it would be.
The Phillies claimed him off waivers on May 20 after he was designated for assignment by the Dodgers. He had a solid first start with the Phils, throwing five innings and allowing one run. But he’s been disastrous ever since, making four relief appearances and allowing 11 runs (nine earned). It works out to a 9.00 ERA in ten innings.
That’s a small sample size, but there’s no reason to expect a turnaround: Covey is 31 years old and has a career 6.63 ERA in 278 major league innings pitched.
Josh Harrison - 15%
A 13-year MLB veteran, Harrison is a two-time all-star and has a respectable career slash line of .271/.317/.396. Rob Thomson praised Harrison’s positional flexibility and “clubhouse presence” when the Phillies signed him to a one-year, $2 million deal. But he’s hitting .211/.265/.276 this season, hasn’t looked great defensively, and at age 35 it’s fair to wonder whether he has anything left to contribute.
Aaron Nola - 26%
Nola is having a strange year.
When the poll was taken, he led the league with 94.2 innings pitched, was top-ten in the NL with 93 strikeouts, and was top-five among NL starters with a 1.10 WHIP. He’s striking out 10.3 batters per nine while walking just 1.3.
So why is his approval rating only 26%? Well, he was expected to be the team’s co-ace with Zack Wheeler. Instead, his ERA is 4.66. He’ll look unhittable at times and then suddenly implode. The longball is killing him—he’s allowed at least one home run in 11 consecutive games. And the Phillies have won just seven of his 15 starts.
Nola is one of the most frustrating players in major league baseball. The approval rating reflects that.
Yunior Marte - 50%
It’s appropriate that Marte ended up at exactly 50/50 approval, because there’s a massive divide between his early-season appearances and his more recent outings. In six appearances from Opening Day through May 3, he allowed 10 earned runs in five innings. But the 28-year-old righthander posted a 1.86 ERA in his next ten games.
Whether fans gave him the thumbs-up or thumbs-down likely depended on which games they watched and which version of Marte they think they’ll see going forward.
Shortly after the polls closed, Marte struck out the side in the ninth inning of a 3-2 win over Oakland, earning his first career save.
Trea Turner - 64%
If polled in April or May, fans may have given Turner the lowest approval rating on the team. Expectations for the shortstop were sky-high and he got off to a terrible start. On May 31 his OPS was .651.
But he started turning things around in June, as some highly-knowledgeable observers insisted he would. When polling closed on June 18, his OPS for the month was .796.
Turner has hit seven home runs, and he has stolen 12 bases without getting caught.
Edmundo Sosa - 68%
Universally beloved by fans in 2022, Sosa’s popularity is taking a hit in 2023.
Fans didn’t expect him to replicate the .937 OPS he posted for the Phillies in 25 games last season. But most expected something higher than his current .647 OPS. Sosa’s defense has also been surprisingly uneven: He continues to regularly make the highlight reel, but he’s shaky on the routine stuff when playing third base. Sosa’s seven errors at third are tied for the second-most in baseball.
Matt Strahm - 69%
Strahm’s approval rating would have been higher earlier this year, but it’s still nice.
Signed as a reliever, Strahm joined the Phillies rotation as an emergency fix in April. As one fifth starter option after another failed spectacularly, many fans wanted the team to make Strahm a permanent fixture at the back of the rotation.
The organization indicated Strahm wasn’t a long-term solution because he’d pitched an average of just 44 innings/year in his big league career. The concern is starting to look warranted: Strahm posted a 2.73 ERA in his first 33 innings this season, and a 7.36 ERA in his most recent 14.2 innings.
Jeff Hoffman - 70%
Hoffman’s 70% approval rating might be fleeting. For his career, the 30-year-old righthander has a 5.56 ERA, 5.25 FIP, and 1.57 WHIP in 362.1 innings. But he’s been great so far for the Phils, posting a 2.57 ERA, 3.20 FIP, and 1.29 WHIP in 14 innings. 3 of the 4 runs Hoffman allowed came in one outing.
Kyle Schwarber - 78%
I expected Schwarber to have a higher approval rating than this, especially with polling conducted in the middle of another incredible June. He has a 1.002 OPS this month, slashing .254/.375/.627 with seven home runs in 17 games.
But Schwarber is still batting just .187 overall, which some fans will never approve, no matter how many Schwarbombs he drops on opponents. And his defense in left field—never a strength—has looked particularly bad lately.
I still think Schwarber should be higher than 78%. He’s not here to hit .300 or make spectacular outfield plays. He’s here to hit dingers, and he’s doing his job with 20 HR on the season.
Cristopher Sanchez - 82%
Sanchez probably benefited from timing here, as polling was conducted just after he kept Oakland scoreless for four innings in a June 17 start. This was only Sanchez’s second outing of the year, and he allowed three runs in 4.1 innings in the first. But with the Phillies desperate to find a fifth starter, fans are going to love anyone who can give the team four or five quality innings.
Andrew Vasquez - 84%
This is too low for Vasquez. I’m guessing it was a name recognition issue, because the 29-year-old lefty has been quietly outstanding: 23 G, 33.1 IP, 1.62 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 1.05 WHIP, 11 BB, 29 K.
Brandon Marsh - 84%
Marsh has cooled off considerably after a hot start. As recently as May 9 his OPS was 1.000, and on May 18 it was still over .900. But it’s down to .753 now, with Marsh slashing just .184/.232/.204 in June.
Marsh will probably always be a fan favorite because of his surprising success at the plate in 2022. It’s unclear, however, whether he’s a young star in a slump or a guy simply regressing towards his .695 career OPS. There will be days when the Phillies need the back end of the lineup to do some damage, and Marsh’s success might determine the team’s success.
Cristian Pache - 85%
I’m not surprised to find Pache right here next to Marsh. Pache is 24 years old and Marsh is 25. Like Marsh, Pache was thought to be mainly a great outfield glove when the Phillies acquired him. Early in the season, fans were disappointed to see his right handed bat (and career .173 batting average) in the lineup against lefties at the expense of the scorching-hot Marsh. And much like Marsh, Pache has exceeded expectations at the plate, slashing .333/.353/.576 (.929 OPS) in 21 games and 35 plate appearances.
Pache’s early success with the Phillies is exciting in part because he’s a former top prospect, and was at the center of the deal that sent Matt Olson from the Athletics to the Braves. It’s not hard to imagine hitting coach Kevin Long unlocking Pache’s talent after a false start of about 100 games with Atlanta and Oakland. With Pache’s speed and defense looking as good as advertised, he will likely continue to contribute in one way or another all season long.
Gregory Soto - 86%
Season stats can be deceitful when discussing relievers. If they get blown up in just a couple appearances, it can take months for their numbers to recover.
That’s the case with Soto, who has pitched much better than his 4.88 season ERA indicates. He has been charged with an earned run in just six of his 32 appearances this season. With 29 strikeouts in 27.2 innings pitched and experience as a closer, Soto is one of several pitchers the Phillies should feel comfortable utilizing in the ninth.
Bryce Harper - 91%
91% seems low for the face of the franchise. Harper returned to action after Tommy John surgery in record time, and .296/.391/.421 is a great slash line for most players.
But Harper isn’t most players. He’s an MVP, and fans expect MVP-level production. They also expect home runs, and Harper has just three in 179 plate appearances this year.
9% of fans are getting impatient, in my opinion. It’s not really fair to expect Bryce to perform at 100% so soon after surgery. His struggles are limited to left handed pitching: a 1.040 OPS vs RHP and a .454 OPS vs LHP. (In his career, Harper has a .956 OPS vs RHP and an .807 OPS vs LHP.)
Bryce Harper is the absolute least of the Phillies’ concerns. He’ll be back near 100% approval sometime soon.
Garrett Stubbs - 92%
Some might be surprised to see Stubbs’ approval rating almost as high as JT Realmuto’s (95%). The backup catcher has a .598 OPS in 45 plate appearances this season, a far cry from the .812 he posted with the Phillies in 2022.
Stubbs is a popular guy though, and handles his role on the team well. It would take a lot for fans to turn on the backup catcher/clubhouse DJ.
Taijuan Walker - 93%
Walker is a great reminder that, no matter how bad you’re playing, you can win fans back over if you turn things around. We sometimes have short memories.
Walker posted a 5.65 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP in his first 12 starts with the Phillies. But in his last three starts (all wins), his ERA is 0.45 and his WHIP is 0.80. He threw 20 innings and struck out 21 batters in those games.
Walker is in the first season of a four-year deal here in Philly, so let’s hope he continues his recent success. Walker’s career ERA is 3.92 and it was 3.49 in 2022.
Alec Bohm - 94%
Bohm’s .726 OPS is fine, but it doesn’t tell the real story of his season. He’s a fan favorite because he hits when it matters most. His OPS with runners in scoring position is .835 and his OPS with the bases loaded is .844. On a team full of high-strikeout stars, he’s a good bet to put the ball in play.
Bohm leads the team in RBI with 45. He’s been solid defensively. Plus he fucking loves this place. It all adds up to 94% approval.
Kody Clemens - 94%
This feels high for Clemens, but the fans have spoken.
Considered not much more than a throw-in as part of a trade with Detroit for Soto, Clemens has taken advantage of his playing time to contribute a .248/.302/.402 slash line with four home runs. Clemens is also solid defensively at first base, a sore spot for fans in recent years. And hell, he hasn’t been a bad pitcher in blowouts, posting a 3.38 ERA in a few innings. (Maybe we should have expected as much from Roger Clemens’ son.)
Clemens batted just .145 in 56 games with the Tigers last year, and he wasn’t a high-round draft pick. But there’s a chance that the Phillies got lucky here. If Pache and Clemens keep their numbers up, it might be time to give Kevin Long a huge raise.
JT Realmuto - 95%
Realmuto is another player who benefited from the timing of these polls. On June 2, his OPS for the season was just .707. But Realmuto managed to bump that to .806 by June 17, slashing .311/.380/.822 (1.202 OPS) in between. He even hit for the cycle on June 12.
95% is a high rating, but I’m left wondering what more he could do to win over the other 5%.
Craig Kimbrel - 96%
35-year-old Kimbrel is one of the Phillies’ most pleasant surprises this year. After some early struggles, the 8-time all-star has posted a 1.69 ERA in 16 appearances since May 9, with 27 strikeouts and just four walks in 16 innings.
Kimbrel leads the team with ten saves and has a 1.14 WHIP on the season.
Zack Wheeler - 96%
Wheeler seems to have finally hit his stride. He has an 0.47 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP over his last three starts, striking out 19 in 19.1 innings. For the season, his ERA is down to 3.48, and his 2.67 FIP suggests that his ERA would be even lower with some better luck. In 2022, his ERA was 2.82 and his FIP was 2.89, and in 2021, his ERA was 2.78 and his FIP was 2.59.
Jose Alvarado - 97%
Alvarado has developed into one of the most dominant relievers in baseball. 97% might even be too low. His numbers in 19 appearances this year: 19.1 IP, 1.40 ERA, 1.15 FIP, 0.93 WHIP, 1.9 BB/9, 15.4 K/9.
It’s getting hard to remember the 2021 iteration of Alvarado, who put up these stats: 55.2 IP, 4.20 ERA, 4.80 FIP, 1.60 WHIP, 7.6 BB/9, 11.0 K/9.
Ranger Suarez - 98%
Suarez began the season on the IL, and had a few rocky starts when he returned. But he has heated up in June with the rest of the team: 3 GS, 20 IP, 0.90 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 18 strikeouts.
Mix in a little leftover goodwill from Suarez’s performance in the 2022 postseason (1.23 ERA in five appearances), and the 98% approval rating makes perfect sense.
Bryson Stott - 99%
Bryson Stott’s approval rating is 99% for several reasons.
His overall offensive numbers are certainly solid: .296/.334/.426. That’s a top-10 OPS among NL second basemen. He has a nice power/speed combo, with seven home runs and ten stolen bases.
But much like Bohm, Stott’s top-line numbers don’t tell the whole story. He’s another high-contact-rate breath of fresh air in a lineup full of strikeouts, ranking in the 97th percentile for whiff percentage. He comes through in the clutch, with a .342 batting average in situations Baseball Reference defines as “high leverage.” And he consistently grinds out fantastic at-bats, seeing 4.25 pitches per plate appearance (top-10 in the major leagues).
Stott plays great defense at second base, he’s in just his second season, and he’s a rare homegrown Phillies success story. It takes a lot to get 99% of Phillies fans to agree on anything, let alone a player’s performance. But Stott is getting it done.
Nick Castellanos - 99%
Another way to get to 99% approval is to just mash baseballs. Castellanos is slashing .315/.358/.493 with eight home runs and 42 RBI. He’s looking like the hitter Phillies fans thought the team signed before the 2022 season. And he continues to exceed expectations defensively.
Castellanos heard some boos last year, but he never let things get ugly with the fans. In return, the Phillies Phaithful wrote off the .694 OPS he posted in 2022 as an anomaly. All offseason long, I heard fans confidently predicting a bounce-back season for Castellanos. And so far that’s exactly what we’re seeing.
Now everyone’s happy. Or more accurately, 99% of us are happy. I’ll take it.
Questions.
This week’s theme is polling, so I’m going to set aside the usual weekly format to run some polls about the newsletter itself. As always, feel free to drop a note in the comments.
Tell me how you feel about each of the following:
Just four more questions, you’re doing great.
Thank you for reading and go Phils!
Could use some more takes from long time phans who may not be established or new writers. There are some of us who have done some writing in the past, or at least are very active on twitter during and after the games.