5 Phillies named in MLB Network’s Top 100 Players, Harper just misses top 10 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
MLB Network officially revealed its list for the 2024 Top 100 Players and a few familiar names make an appearance.
Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Zack Wheeler, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper are the five players representing the Phillies on this year’s list.
It’s two notches down from the seven players who made the list in 2023. The two missing this season are Aaron Nola and Rhys Hoskins (who is now with the Brewers).
That puts them at a respectable fourth place overall. They’re tied with the Diamondbacks, Mariners, Mets and Orioles with five players a piece. The five clubs sit behind the Braves, who boast an impressive nine, and the Astros and Dodgers, who are tied with seven.
Let’s take a look at the current Phillies on the list and where they rank:
Kyle Schwarber — No. 57
Schwarber didn’t necessarily have a poor year in terms of production, so why did he drop 13 spots from 2023? Sure, you look at his batting average of .197 and could find reasoning there, but Schwarber’s efficiency — especially when batting leadoff — helped the Phillies immensely. He had a career-high 47 home runs, which was second-best in MLB, only behind Braves’ Matt Olson (54).
J.T. Realmuto — No. 46
Realmuto’s numbers had a bit of a drop-off last season, which coincides with falling to 46 on the list, after being 29th the previous year. Still, he’s the third catcher listed, only behind Dodgers’ Will Smith (No. 45) and Orioles’ Adley Rutschman (No. 19).
The best asset a player can have is availability. Realmuto played 135 games and in that time collected 20 home runs, 16 stolen bases (the most from catchers) and hit .252.
Zack Wheeler — No. 28
Wheeler made a decent jump in the rankings, moving up seven spots and being deemed the third-best pitcher on the list (Shohei Ohtani was listed as a designated hitter). He’s only behind Yankees’ Gerrit Cole (No. 9) and Braves’ Spencer Strider (No. 17).
While Wheeler had solid numbers in the regular season, going 13-6 with a 3.61 ERA, his postseason numbers were spectacular. He went 3-0 with a 1.95 ERA in 27.2 innings. During that stretch he had 35 strikeouts, the second-most in the playoffs and had the lowest WHIP, 0.72, among pitchers with at least 10 innings.
Trea Turner — No. 16
For Turner to be this high on the list after such a slow start to 2023, makes the second-half of last season that more impressive. Previously ranked 11th overall, Turner fell just five spots. It makes you wonder where he would’ve placed had he found any sort of consistency through those first four months.
Bryce Harper — No. 11
Harper jumped up six spots on the list from his previous ranking in 2023 (No. 17). You can certainly argue why Harper should have earned a spot in the top 10, though.
Yes, Harper was sidelined for the first month of the season due to having Tommy John surgery but it didn’t stall his numbers. He returned in record time, picked up a new position at first base and didn’t miss a beat offensively. And, of course, his postseason numbers speak for themselves, batting .286 with 12 hits, five home runs, eight RBIs and 14 runs scored.
This is the 12th consecutive season Harper has made the list. The only other player in the league with that accolade is Mike Trout. In those 12 seasons, Harper has only dipped out of the top 25 twice — in 2013 (No. 54) and 2020 (No. 33).
Here look at the top 10:
10. Julio Rodríguez, CF, Mariners
9. Greeit Cole, SP, Yankees
8 .Yordan Alvarez, LF, Astros
7. Juan Soto, RF, Yankees
6. Corey Seager, SS, Rangers
5. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Dodgers
4. Shohei Ohtani, DH, Dodgers
3. Aaron Judge, CF, Yankees
2. Mookie Betts, 2B, Dodgers
1. Ronald Acuña Jr., RF, Braves
You can view the full list here.
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