April 22, 2024

Phillies stock watch: Everyone stays hot as Fightins pull off back-to-back sweeps

You'd be hard pressed to find a Phillies player who's not on a hot streak after their sweeps of the Rockies and White Sox.

By Shamus Clancy
PhillyVoice Staff

Kyle Ross/USA Today

Zack Wheeler is pitching like a Cy Young Award candidate right now.

Playing against a pair of bottom-feeder teams was exactly what the Phillies needed to resemble the pennant contender they've been the past two Octobers. The Rockies and White Sox have a combined record of 8-35 as the Phils swept each team in turn at Citizens Bank Park over the past week.

It's time to evaluate who's balling out and who's struggling in our weekly Phillies stock watch. Spoiler alert: there will be a whole lot more guys in the former category coming off this six-game winning streak...

Hot 🔥

Zack Wheeler

Wheeler is looking like a National League Cy Young Award candidate yet again. On Saturday night, he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, pitching 7.1 innings of scoreless baseball. Wheeler is striking out 10.9 batters per nine innings, the best mark of his career so far in this young season.

Johan Rojas

In the White Sox series alone, Rojas picked up seven hits. He had seven hits the entire season before then. Rojas is still well below average as a hitter, but at just 23 years old, perhaps he's getting into a rhythm. Being a respectable enough hitter combined with his elite defense in center field would do wonders for the Fightins.

Kyle Schwarber

Schwarber bashed three home runs last week. His best game of the year came on Sunday against Chicago. He walked three times and homered. Tell that to all the leadoff hitter haters out there.

Bryce Harper

After a mixed bag to start the season, Harper is riding a six-game hitting streak. He's driven in seven runs in that span. A violent swing in the Colorado series had this ball leaving the field of play with quickness:

🚨 Harper Homer Alert 🚨 pic.twitter.com/xiDo1YoYwO
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 17, 2024

Again, playing the two worst teams in baseball is all you need to get in a groove.

Ranger Suárez

The Phillies' entire starting rotation has been dominant. Suárez pitched a complete game shutout against Colorado on Tuesday with eight strikeouts. With a 1.73 ERA on the season, he's making a case as the best No. 3 starter in the sport.

Spencer Turnbull

Who's leading the National League in ERA so far in 2024? None other than Turnbull! The 31-year-old righty took a no-hitter into the seventh inning on Friday night. Turnbull will likely find himself in the bullpen once Taijuan Walker returns from injury and is back in the big leagues, but why not try out a six-man rotation with how filthy all of these guys have been?

Aaron Nola

Two-run ball across eight innings on Sunday? That'll do!

Alec Bohm

A pair of three-run home runs on Friday night truly set the tone for a weekend of beatdowns.

Brandon Marsh

Play. Him. Every. Day.

Marsh collected a hit in every game of the White Sox series, including this two-run mash to deep right center on Saturday:

Bark bark#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/PY6edReQc8
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 20, 2024

Marsh's OPS of .885 is second on the team and higher than the likes of Aaron Judge, Matt Olson, Freddie Freeman and Julio Rodríguez across baseball.

Trea Turner

Statistically, Turner has been exactly the player who the Phillies thought they were getting when they signed him to a massive contract ahead of the 2023 season. He has a .908 OPS. He's reached base in each of his last 13 games. He combined for 12 hits against the Rockies and White Sox, too, with six extra-base hits.

Cold 🥶

Ricardo Pinto

Someone has to be cold, right?

With the Phillies holding a nine-run lead entering the ninth inning on Saturday, Pinto, in some mop-up work, proceeded to allow five runs and load the bases before being removed for the game. What should've been a 9-0 thrashing turned into a mellowed-out 9-5 win.