The most recent MVP Favorites List Snubs Superstar Phillies…..
The Philadelphia Phillies are being overlooked this offseason. With the moves that the Los Angeles Dodgers made, it seems like some aren’t giving the Phillies a chance. Baseball has always shown that no matter the talent level, upsets will happen. Philadelphia knows that better than anyone else after losing in the NLCS to the Arizona Diamondbacks last season. MLB.com released their MVP favorites for 2024 and Bryce Harper wasn’t on the list, another sign of the lack of respect the Phillies are getting this offseason.
Mookie Betts (1), Ronald Acuna Jr. (2), Shohei Ohtani (3), Fernando Tatis Jr. (4), and Corbin Carroll (5) were who they picked. The 31-year-old Harper is a two-time MVP winner and finished top-12 in the voting last season, despite playing a new position and missing part of the year due to recovering from Tommy John surgery. When healthy, there’s an argument that he’s the best player in baseball and he’s proven that during his time in Philadelphia.
The National League is loaded with talent and winning the MVP won’t be an easy task for Harper or anyone else. Ohtani and Betts being on the same team could hurt their chances. Acuna just won the award in 2023. Carroll and Tatis both have top-five finishes and can certainly win their first MVP in ’24. As the Phillies approach Spring Training and the regular season, it has to be in their minds that no one is expecting them to be in the same position they’ve been in throughout the past two years. All they’ve done in the postseason is win when it matters and Harper’s been a major reason why.
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Much maligned ex-Phillies manager lands new gig for 2024 season
Joe Girardi has a new job with the YES Network, working on games with the team he won multiple World Series titles with.
With many former Philadelphia Phillies players, such as Andrew Knapp, Héctor Neris, and Ken Giles, finding new homes with new ballclubs this offseason, a former Phillies manager has followed suit to land a new gig for the 2024 season. It’s just that the job isn’t exactly what people were expecting because of his managerial pedigree.
Joe Girardi will officially make his return to the YES Network as an analyst for the New York Yankees for the 2024 MLB season. He previously worked with the network first in 2004 following his playing career, and in 2007 following his debut MLB managerial stint with the Florida Marlins in 2006.
In a recent interview on the YES Network, Girardi was asked if he would feel odd broadcasting for the Yankees after managing the team for over 10 years. Girardi highlighted the fact that Aaron Judge is probably the only player remaining on the team he has coached before. It’s practically a new team to him as he doesn’t know the players, so it won’t present any weird feelings for him when working as a commentator.
When asked whether or not he would like to manage again, Girardi responded: “I do, but you know if I don’t get a chance, I’m okay with that too … I love broadcasting too. It’s a great job and I’m really fortunate to be able to come back, you know, what I consider home to the Yankees and get a chance to do this again … I’m really happy about it.”
So it seems he would be more than happy to work in either position if an opportunity presents itself.
Girardi had success with the Yankees before his Phillies stint
Girardi is perhaps most known for his time with the Yankees both as a player and a manager. He helped backstop the Bronx Bombers to three World Series titles between 1996 and 1999. Later, in a managerial role with the Yankees from 2008 to 2017, he led the team to three AL East division titles and one more World Series championship.
Girardi managed the Phillies from 2000 to 2022, taking over from Gabe Kapler following the 2019 season. He had less success this time around in his new tenure as the Phillies’ manager, leading them to a 132-141 record over two and a half seasons while failing to make a playoff appearance. He was eventually fired by the Phillies after a miserable 22-29 record to start the 2022 season.
Fans weren’t sad to see him go:
Since then, Girardi has worked as a game analyst for the Chicago Cubs as part of the Marquee Sports Network. When Girardi begins his new gig with the YES Network, he will still continue his work with the Cubs and Marquee Sports Network, splitting his time between the two broadcasts. For someone who was a master of strategies and analyses in the clubhouse back in his managerial days, he will now be able to share his expertise in more than one place for the upcoming 2024 season.
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