Monday was about as perfect a day in Clearwater as the Philadelphia Phillies could have possibly imagined.
As there were snow squalls in Philadelphia, the bats set to come north next week provided thunder at BayCare Ballpark. Nick Castellanos hit his first home run as a Phillie. Kyle Schwarber hit his first home run as a Phillie. Top prospect Bryson Stott went 3-3 and made a tremendous leaping catch at shortstop. Ultimately, the Phillies defeated the Baltimore Orioles 7-1, improving to 5-0 at home in Grapefruit League play.
You never want to make too much of Spring Training results, but the Phillies looked the part of what should be a top-five lineup in baseball this season Monday. And with the addition of players with "an edge," Phillies icon Larry Bowa -- currently a special advisor to the general manager -- thinks that the 2022 team could do a lot more than just snap a 10-year playoff drought.
"...I think [president of baseball operations] Dave [Dombrowski] has done a tremendous job in putting this roster together," Bowa told Jon Marks and Ike Reese on SportsRadio 94 WIP Monday. "I'm gonna be shocked if this team doesn't make [the playoffs]. I'm not gonna be satisfied just getting to the playoffs. I think this team can go much deeper than that, barring injuries. It wouldn't shock me if we went to the World Series at all, it really wouldn't. If we can stay healthy out here and this offense continues to thump like I think they will ... they're not going to hit every game, but for the most part they're going to be consistent and we're going to put up runs."
The idea of adding Schwarber and Castellanos into a lineup that already included reigning National League MVP Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins, J.T. Realmuto and Jean Segura was scary enough as is, even if defense is being sacrificed.
However, there are other indications that the Phillies could have their best offense since 2009, when they had four players -- Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Chase Utley and Raúl Ibañez -- hit 30 or more home runs.
As noted above, Stott, a first-round pick in 2019, looks ready to make an impact at the Major League level. Maybe that's at shortstop, or all over the infield. But his offense approach looks very advanced for a 24-year-old. Castellanos called him "cool as a cucumber" on NBC Sports Philadelphia's telecast Monday.
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Gregorius appears to be healthy, which would provide a major boost. Whether he or Stott shifts to third base, if the Phillies get anything like the offensive production that Gregorius provided in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season -- when he posted an .827 OPS -- it could put them over the top to having the best lineup in the sport.
There are unquestionably concerns about the health of the starting rotation, Aaron Nola's ability to bounce back after a disappointing 2021 season and whether some combination of Corey Knebel, Brad Hand, Seranthony Dominguez and Jeurys Familia can stabilize a bullpen that's been a disaster the past two seasons.
But with six postseason spots now up for grabs in each league, the lineup alone should be able to get the Phillies back to the playoffs. And if a few things finally break their way, who knows what happens from there.
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