3 Phillies players fans are already fed up with in 2024 season
Despite the Philadelphia Phillies sitting atop the National League East, fans are already fed up with these three players.
Yet, even with this hot start, there is room for improvement as the Phillies push for their first World Series title since 2008. Here are three Phillies players fans are already fed up with in the 2024 season
Taijuan Walker (SP)
After missing the first month of the season, Taijuan Walker’s return to the diamond was supposed to boost a Philadelphia starting rotation that was already the best in baseball. Instead, it sent Spencer Turnbull and his sub-2.00 ERA to the bullpen, while Walker has posted an ERA of 5.73 — more than four times worse than Turnbull’s at the time of his demotion to the relief corps.
Just two of Walker’s seven starts have gone at least five innings with three or few earned runs allowed — a feat Turnbull achieved in five of his starts. After Walker gave up a go-ahead two-run homer in his most recent start against the St. Louis Cardinals, the notoriously unloving Philly fans chanted, “We want Turnbull.”
The 31-year-old’s expected stats are even worse: a 6.10 expected ERA while ranking in the third percentile in expected velocity and the fifth percentile in whiff rate.
The Phillies are paying Taijuan Walker $18 million this year to play at well-below replacement value, giving the club little reason to keep him in the starting rotation moving forward.
After Taijuan Walker gave up his 2nd, 2-R HR of the night, Philly fans stating chanting “we want Turnbull!” loool Turnbull was pitching like an All-Star until he got sent to the bullpen when Walker returned from injury
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Nick Castellanos (OF)
Despite a slow second half of the season in which he batted just .226 with a .696 OPS, Nick Castellanos finished 2023 with 26 homers and a career-best 106 RBIs while receiving MVP votes.
That second-half slump has continued into the early portion of the 2024 schedule. The Phillies right fielder is batting just .214 with a .630 OPS — each far below his career averages. He batted .229 in May, and it still raised his average by nearly 20 points
Castellanos’ strength has to be at the plate because he has consistently been one of the worst base runners and fielders over the last few seasons.
The 32-year-old has cost Philadelphia two runs on the basepaths thus far in 2024 (tied for the worst in the league) and six runs defensively. Add in the negative four runs Castellanos has been worth at the plate, and it is easy to see how he has a -0.3 WAR through 63 games played.
Gregory Soto (RP)
A two-time All-Star with the Detroit Tigers, Gregory Soto has not found the same success in the NL East. The lefty posted a 4.62 ERA in his debut season with the Phillies, and those struggles have continued into this year. Soto has a 4.91 ERA across 18.1 innings pitched, while his 5.9 walks per nine innings are the worst of his career.
The 29-year-old Dominican has been saddled with the loss in three of his last nine appearances with the Phils — a stretch that could end up hurting the ballclub come the end of the season.
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