The Phillies could not have asked for a better start to their 2019 season.
It isn't just that the team is 3-0 following their 5-1 win over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday night. It is the impressive fashion in which they got there that has turned them into a must-watch team only three games into the season.
Here are a few main takeaways from the Phillies' opening sweep of the Braves:
Harper: It is impossible to discuss the Phillies opening series without starting with Bryce Harper, who looks like he is going to be worth every penny of the $330 million the team committed to him this offseason.
It is clear watching Harper why he was one of the most coveted free agents in the history of baseball. At 26-years old Harper already has amazing plate discipline (four walks in three games) and was an extremely tough out throughout the opening series (3.85 pitches per plate appearance). It was his power, however, that stole the show. Harper has two home runs in his first three games, both of which were clearly gone the second they hit the bat and left fans watching in amazement to see how far they would travel. According to MLB.com, Harper had two batted balls hit at least 113 MPH — something he did only three times all of last season.
The is also clear that Harper is ready to step into his role as the face of the franchise and wouldn't mind being the face of baseball either. From the Phanatic-green cleats, to the bow he gave fans when he ran out to right field for the first time to the curtain call after his first home run, Harper did now shy away from the spotlight and played with the kind of swagger that every fan wanted him to in the team's opening series. The Phillies might be 3-0 without Harper, but they are not nearly the dominating team they are now without what he gave them both on-and-off the field.
Plate Discipline: The Phillies have plenty of power in their lineup — they have seven already in three games. It is the plater discipline of their best hitters, however, that makes their lineup so tough for opposing pitchers. That plate discipline was on display for most of the team's opening series, but none moreso than on Sunday night, when Harper and Rhys Hoskins landed back-to-back walks that cost Braves pitcher Max Fried a whopping 14 pitches. Harper and Hoskins showing great discipline at the plate is nothing new. Last season, Hoskins saw an average of 4.43 pitchers per plate appearance, which was best in the majors. Harper, meanwhile, let the MLB in walks. Throughout the first three games the Phillies have collected 20 walks as a team, an extreme turnaround from the complete lack of plate discipline they had last season.
Hoskins: Last season the Phillies' best hitter — Hoskins — didn't have much around him. He didn't have players in front of him that got on base and he didn't have a player behind him that opposing pitchers feared. That is very different this season. Having Bryce Harper in front of him will give Hoskins a chance to collect far more RBIs than he had last season, and twice this season, he has already gone to bat with the bases loaded infront of him. Opposing pitchers have had to pitch to Hoskins, as with J.T. Realmuto behind him, putting Hoskins on base intentionally is a dangerous move. Harper will get the headline, and rightfully so, but Hoskins seems like he is going to have a monster season.
Jake Arietta: It was not pretty at the beginning, but by the time Jake Arietta left the mound on Sunday night, there was plenty of reason for the Phillies to be encouraged by what they saw. Arietta allowed just one run six inning pitched against the Braves, getting out of a few tough spots with big pitches in big moments, including a strikeout with the bases loaded in the top of the second inning. Arietta did not have his best stuff, but calmed down after a tough start and allowed just two hits after the second inning. Arietta struggled a bit with his location, walking six and throwing only five more strikes (55) than balls (50). If you told the Phillies that Arietta would leave his first start with an ERA of 1.50, however, they would have taken it every time.
Bottom of the lineup: The Phillies' lineup is obviously much better this season because of all the new additions they made, but the players that nearly got them to a division title last season are still here. They made their presence known in the opening series, as Maikel Franco, César Hernández and Odúbel Herrera combined for 10 RBIs in the first three games while also drawing five walks. There aren't many six-seven-eight hitters in the majors right now than the three the Phillies have at the bottom of their lineup.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
