The Phillies are among the most exciting teams in baseball, if not the, most exciting.
One of Sports Illustrated's cover photos for their MLB Preview magazine features Phillies' players Rhys Hoskins, Aaron Nola, Bryce Harper, and J.T. Realmuto. The Phillies, of course, signed Harper to a 13-year, $330 million deal this offseason and acquired J.T. Realmuto via trade. They also inked Aaron Nola to a four-year contract extension.
The Phillies are the cover team for Sports Illustrated's MLB season preview. pic.twitter.com/6yDhZTyyc6
— Joe Giglio (@JoeGiglioSports) March 20, 2019All four players in the photo are 28 years old or younger. Nola is 25, Hoskins and Harper are 26, and Realmuto is 28.
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On top of Harper and Realmuto, the Phillies also added 29-year-old two-time all-star shortstop Jean Segura and 32-year-old five-time all-star outfielder Andrew McCutchen.
Last season, under first-year manager Gabe Kapler, the Phillies finished 80-82, tailing off late. Recently, after former Phillie Carlos Santana admitted to taking a bat to a TV because of players playing Fortnite during games, Kapler said the team could have been more engaged late in the season.
This year, the Phillies are projected to win around 89.5 games and complete for the NL East division title, although the Nationals (88.5), Mets (85.5), and Braves (86.5) will have something to say about that. The NL East could be baseball's toughest divison in 2019.
Sports Illustrated ranks the Phillies as the most likely team to go from losing team to the playoffs.
