The Philadelphia Phillies are running away with the National League East.
At the start of play July 22, the Phillies had a league-leading 63-36 record, which was 9 games better than the second place Atlanta.
But the Phillies have one major hole to fill.
They need an upgrade in center field.
It might also not hurt to have a reliable utility outfielder. The Phillies’ pitching staff has been excellent lately. The Phillies, second only to the Seattle Mariners in Major League Baseball in terms of overall pitching staff, are normally among the best in the game, as MLB.com notes.
Their starters include Right-handers Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Tyler Phillips. Lefties Christopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez have been outstanding.
The bullpen is solid, with All Stars Jeff Huffman, and Matt Strahm being anchors to a deep pen.
In general, the offense has produced well.
Led by All Star Bryce Harper, at the start of play July 22, the Phillies had a team batting average of .258, which put them 3rd in Major League Baseball. They had hit 123 home runs, good for 6th overall in MLB.
According to Baseball Reference, the batting average in Major League Baseball is.243 on average. As the July 30 trade deadline approaches, Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski will almost certainly focus on the team’s outfield offence.
Phillies manager, Rob Thomson, frequently plays Brandon Marsh in left, Johan Rojas in center, and Nick Castellanos in right.
Cristian Pache often platoons in center, and Weston Wilson, recently promoted from Triple-A, gets outfield playing time as well.
If the Phillies could trade for a good hitting, good fielding center fielder, their entire postseason outlook would get an uptick.
Here are the batting averages of the current Phillies outfielders prior to play July 22:
