ESPN report: Philadelphia Phillies Sign a Mega Star From the Braves in a Blockbuster Trade.

The Philadelphia Phillies don’t have a protracted or very successful past. They once had just one winning season in a 31-year span. They won the World Series in 1950, but they didn’t qualify for the postseason again until 1976. They participated in just one postseason game between 1984 and 2006. Before their recent run of postseason participation, they had nine straight losing seasons after the incredible run from 2007 to 2011. Even still, as baseball season approaches and a city as passionate about sports as Philadelphia does, the expectation grows for a squad that has the potential to become the greatest in franchise history—the 2024 Phillies.

Naturally, the Phillies have been extremely close to winning it all the last two seasons, but they are more of a very good than a great team. They defeated the rival Braves in both the 2022 and 2023 division series, winning 87 games each in 2022 and 90 games in 2023. However, they lost the World Series to the Astros in 2022 and the National League Championship Series against the Diamondbacks in the previous season.

After missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, a team’s ability to persevere through another 162-game season may be put to the test. All you want is to be playing baseball in October again, with all the energy and adrenaline that brings, but instead you’re in a half-empty stadium in April against the White Sox. But unlike either of the previous two seasons, the Phillies have blasted out of the gate and are on pace for a 100-win season, something that has only been accomplished in the franchise-best 102-win squad in 2011 and the Mike Schmidt/Steve Carlton years of 1976 and 1977.

There has been an emphasis. The pitching worked. As always, Bryce Harper has been Bryce Harper. But to get off to this kind of start, you also need some up-and-coming players. On “Sunday Night Baseball,” as the Phillies take on the Cardinals, let’s take a closer look at some of the breakout players who have propelled the team from mediocrity to greatness.

Ranger Suarez On Sunday, after making 11 starts this season, Suarez finally lost a game when the Rockies blasted him for five runs in the opening two innings at Coors Field. His record was now 9-1 with a 1.75 ERA as a result. He is the first pitcher in Phillies history to win nine out of his first 11 starts in a season and the only pitcher since Carlton in 1972 to win nine out of 11 starts at any stage in a season with an ERA under 2.00.

Although it’s simple to write off this run as just a passing fad, Suarez performed at this level in 2021, pitching as a hybrid starter/reliever and recording a 1.36 ERA over 106 innings. Since Bruce Sutter in 1977, that was the lowest ERA for a pitcher with at least 100 innings. Since then, Suarez has improved his repertoire by adding a curveball, which is now one of his greatest pitches: Batters struck.143 are batting and had a 38% whiff rate against the pitch in the previous season.152 going into his Saturday start in 2024 with a 34% whiff rate against it.

Suarez has also discovered that it’s best to use a little less. His changeup has decreased from 82.9 to 80.7 mph, while his sinker has decreased from an average of 92.8 mph in 2023 to 90.9 mph. With a four-seamer that averages 92 mph and a cutter that he uses on right-handers, Suarez possesses a challenging five-pitch arsenal that keeps hitters off-balance and guessing. It’s not as impressive as Tyler Glasnow or Paul Skenes, but it’s still throwing at its finest.