Phillies aiming to seize championship window

This story was excerpted from Todd Zolecki’s Phillies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The Phillies only have so much time with this group.

Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, Trea Turner, Aaron Nola, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Ranger Suárez … they’re only guaranteed to play together for the next two years. So, yes, they want to finish the job and win a World Series.

“This is a window that we have to win in,” Harper said last month. “Our ownership deserves that. Our fans deserve that. [President of baseball operations David] Dombrowski deserves that as well. And we do, too. So, we got to go out there and play our game and play Philly baseball. And we'll see what happens.”

Everything starts Friday (following a postponement due to rain in the forecast for Thursday) with Phillies vs. Braves. Wheeler vs. Strider.

Here is a look ahead at the 2024 season:

What needs to go right?
The Phillies know many are favoring the Dodgers and Braves in the National League, but they also know they have played further into October than either team the past two years. The Phillies like their chances to win the World Series because they have an elite offense, one of the best rotations in baseball and a high-octane bullpen that should be one of the best in baseball. The Phillies should make the postseason, but if they don’t, it’s almost certainly because they lost stars along the way.

The Phillies need to stay healthy. They open the season with only two injured players from their projected Opening Day roster: Taijuan Walker and Orion Kerkering. Kerkering (illness) should be back by early April. The Phillies hope Walker (right shoulder impingement) will only miss a few weeks. But whenever he does, will he return to form?

Great unknown
So much was written this spring about Phillies center fielder Johan Rojas. The Phillies said he needed to earn the job in center field, but they also said they wanted him to win it. They liked enough of what they saw late in camp to put him on the 26-man roster. Remember: the Phillies do not need Rojas to hit like an All-Star to win. They don’t even need him to be an average big league hitter to win. They just need him to hit enough to keep his glove in center field.

Team MVP will be ... Harper
Harper has not played more than 126 games in either of the past two seasons because of injuries. But he enters this season healthy and motivated. If he stays healthy, Harper should put up monster numbers again, not only making him the Phillies’ MVP, but positioning himself for a third NL MVP.

Team Cy Young will be ... Wheeler
The Phillies signed him to a three-year, $126 million contract extension earlier this month because he is one of baseball’s best pitchers. Wheeler added a splitter into his already impressive repertoire. With the splitter, good health and a solid defense finally behind him, Wheeler will be a prime NL Cy Young candidate.

Bold prediction
If Rojas can hit enough to stay in the lineup the entire season, and if NL coaches pay attention, Rojas will win a Gold Glove in center field.