Phillies Mid-Season Grades at All-Star Break

The Phillies enter a much-anticipated All-Star break at Citizens Bank Park. They have salvaged their season after firing Rob Thomson at the end of April, when they were 9-19. They have gone 46-25 since the hiring of Don Mattingly, sit 11 games over .500, and are just two games back of the Braves for the NL East. 

What looked like a disaster in April has now turned into a divisional push for the Phillies, who look to win the NL East for the third consecutive season and make the postseason for the fifth straight year. 

So now, it’s time for first-half grades for the Phillies, as they look to build on their sustained momentum into the second half of the season. The grades will cover the regular starting nine, bench, starting pitching, and bullpen. 

Trea Turner: D

Turner has looked nothing like the player he was after winning a batting title in 2025. His .236 batting average and .639 OPS are career lows, aside from his rookie year in 2015, when he played only 27 games. His chase rate has gotten much worse, to 35.4%; his whiff rate, to 27.8%; and his strikeout rate, to 22.2%.

His defense has also been much worse than it has been over the past few seasons, with his outs above average at -5. His speed is still there, but it can’t be used if he doesn’t get on base consistently.

Turner had a slow start in 2023 and was woken up by a standing ovation, and he could use another one to see if he can regain his stride.

Kyle Schwarber: A

Schwarber has easily been the Phillies’ best hitter at the halfway point of the season. His 32 home runs lead all of baseball, and he remains a major threat at the plate. His .927 OPS leads the team as well, despite his 34.8 strikeout percentage, which also leads the team.

Regardless, teams are still scared to throw competitive pitches to Schwarber, as he’ll turn their mistakes into home runs. After hitting a career-high 56 last year, Schwarber looks to surpass that mark this year and Ryan Howard’s 58 in the second half of the season. 

Bryce Harper: A-

In the offseason, Harper wore a shirt that read “NOT ELITE” while hitting off a tee in response to a comment by President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski.

He has most certainly been elite this season. Voted to the All-Star Game for the ninth time, he’s slugging .260/.365/.497 with an OPS of .862. After a struggling start to the season, he enters the midway point of the season after coming off a June in which he hit .305 with seven home runs. He also hit for the cycle against the Mets. He was voted into the All-Star Game by the commissioner as a “legends pick”

Brandon Marsh: A+

It has been a pleasant surprise for Marsh in his breakout season, and he is playing his best-ever baseball.

A first-time All-Star who will be starting for the NL in the All-Star Game, he leads the Phillies in batting average at .301 and is tied for eighth in all of baseball in average. He just needs one more home run to tie his career high at 16, and if he can keep his momentum into the second half, he is going to be the driving factor in a Phillies outfield that has dealt with significant weaknesses throughout the season. 

Alec Bohm: D

After being mentioned in trade talks for the last two seasons, you would think that puts a grudge on Bohm. Instead, he’s having his worst career year with career lows in batting average (.215), OPS (.632), and OPS+ (69). He is one of the biggest drags in the lineup, yet he remains in the middle of the order due to the lack of depth behind him.

With Bohm entering a contract year, there’s an unlikely shot that he will remain with the Phillies beyond 2026 if he keeps up his poor play throughout the second half.

Bryson Stott: C

Throughout the first half of the season, Stott remains a defensive whiz, with his two outs above average being second on the team and tied with Edmundo Sosa.

His 17 stolen bases lead the team, but his .246 average, .700 OPS, and seven home runs are quite disappointing. Whilst his defense is fantastic, his offense remains below average and does not meet the Phillies’ expectations. 

Adolis Garcia: D+

Garcia gets a bit of a pass here, since he won’t be playing with the Phillies in the second half. He tore his latissimus dorsi in June, and it was announced that he would miss the rest of the season and potentially his tenure with the Phillies. He only signed a one-year contract with the club in December of 2025.

Although he played in 67 games, he posted career lows in average (.199) and OPS (.599), while only blasting seven home runs as a power-dominant hitter. He struggled mightily at the plate, with a chase rate of 29.8%, strikeout rate of 32.4%, and whiff rate of 34.6%.

He led the team with four outs above average and was a major upgrade in right field. Now, the Phils will have to look for another outfielder at the trade deadline once again.

J.T. Realmuto: C-

Over the past few seasons, Realmuto has shown a decline at the plate, and it is just getting worse in 2026.

He still provides value to the pitchers that are throwing to him, but he is not living up to his $45 million contract he signed in January. His .206 average and .634 OPS are career lows, but his defense is still keeping him in the game. Although his framing has declined, he is still one of the best at throwing runners out and is exceptionally good at blocking passed balls.

The Phillies are still banking on Realmuto for his offense, but he might just be valuable for defense in the second half.

Justin Crawford: C

Crawford is only a rookie and is not known for having the most power, but he is valuable for his contact and speed. His elite speed makes him a threat whenever he is on base, and he stole 12 bags at the halfway point.

He doesn’t hit the ball as hard as other hitters, and he struggles with a high ground-ball rate. Although when he gets on base, he can be trouble and potentially help the top of the lineup drive him in. His center field defense isn’t gold-glove-worthy, but it is helpful enough. 

Starting Rotation: B

The starting rotation is essentially a three-headed monster led by Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler, and Jesus Luzardo. Sanchez and Luzardo will represent the National League at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, whilst Wheeler declined an invitation, claiming he was disrespected. Those three pitchers form one of the top pitching rotations in baseball. Wheeler has been by far the best pitcher in the rotation, boasting a 10-1 record and 2.13 ERA after returning from thoracic outlet syndrome. A few rough starts from Sanchez leading up to the break have his ERA at 2.62, but he’ll start the All-Star Game for the NL. 

The rotation is plagued by Aaron Nola‘s inconsistency and the lack of a true fifth starter. Nola has not looked good all season and is boasting an ERA above six. Andrew Painter‘s disappointment also hurts the Phillies. Painter, who had an ERA over seven, was sent down in early June to Triple-A to work on some things. In his latest start for the Iron Pigs, he gave up eight runs in just 2.2 innings, and it doesn’t look like he will be back in the rotation soon. 

The Phillies can’t afford to have a bullpen game every fifth day, and they will need starting pitching help for the homestretch if they want a rotation ready for the second half and postseason push.

Bullpen: D-

The Phillies bullpen is a huge factor now. For the past few years, it has been the offense that has been plaguing them. Now, it’s back to the bullpen. And yes, Jhoan Duran has been sensational, with his 24 saves being tied for fourth in all of baseball, and that’s about it. Jonathan Bowlan and Orion Kerkering have also been solid, but the rest of the pen has been put into a dumpster fire.

Jose Alvarado and Tanner Banks have ERAs in the sevens, and they are the two most-used lefty relievers the Phillies use. The best lefty reliever for the Phils is Tim Mayza, and that’s saying something, considering how well Banks and Jose pitched in the past. 

The bullpen ERA is 4.29, which ranks 17th in MLB. If the bullpen remains a major area of concern heading into the second half, their weaknesses will show during the pennant race. There is a lack of depth and trustworthy options that can hold a tight lead for Duran to come in.

Bench: C- 

The bench ranks among the weaker benches in MLB, lacking a true threat in terms of offensive production. Edmundo Sosa remains the most reliable bench piece due to his versatility in the field and average bat. His limitations are exposed when he is put into the starting lineup. 

Beyond Sosa, the bench lacks major impact. Garrett Stubbs and Rafael Marchan are two catchers who don’t even have batting averages in the .200s, and they are used more when a game is out of reach or to pitch. Gabriel Rincones Jr. was called up not that long ago and has struggled in his limited amount of playing time. And he’s splitting time in right field with Derek Hill due to the injury to Garcia. Hill has played really well since being traded over from the White Sox and serves as a reliable platoon option until the Phillies find a corner outfielder. 

Otto Kemp and Dylan Moore served time on the bench earlier in the season, but were sent to Lehigh Valley after producing nothing offensively. The bench lacks threats, and it feels like filler until Dombrowski makes a move or calls someone up, because this is not a bench ready for a team trying to make the postseason.

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