1 Phillies' player who will make or break 2025 World Series chances
The Philadelphia Phillies are running away with the National League East as the New York Mets crumble. Philly has been great too, without the fanfare of the struggling Amazins, but has struggled in October. The Phillies have not won the World Series since 2008 and need shortstop Trea Turner to continue his bounce-back season to make it there this year.
The Phillies lost in the NLDS to the Mets after running away with the division thanks to a 95-win season. In 2023, they lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS after taking a 3-2 series lead. They took a 2-1 lead in the 2022 World Series before losing to the Houston Astros in six games. With an expensive and elite core on the field, they have not been able to bring a championship back to Philadelphia. Trea Turner is the key to getting over that hump.
Turner joined the Phillies ahead of the 2023 season on an 11-year, $300 million contract. He racked up 100 RBI and an .809 OPS in his lone full season with the Los Angeles Dodgers to earn that deal. But he struggled to start the big contract, with a .235 batting average and .657 OPS through August 3. A famous standing ovation turned the season around, with his OPS ending at .778.
Turner was an All-Star in 2024, but an injury capped his games at 121. In the Mets series, he had just three singles in four games, compared to five strikeouts. This year, Turner has been solid offensively and picked up his defensive struggles, from -2 outs above average in 2024 to 11 in 2025, according to Baseball Savant. With those improvements, the Phillies are in a much better position to win the World Series.
They could make a lot of improvements, but the National League will be strong and difficult to work through. Can they make another October run?
The Phillies need more than just Trea Turner to win the World Series
Turner will be very important to the Phillies in October. They needed better defense at shortstop, needed another big bat at the top of the lineup, and needed Turner to make good on the investment. Those three things have happened this season, but Turner alone cannot beat the Mets, Dodgers, Brewers, or Cubs to win the pennant.
The Phillies have two strong pitchers who will be difficult to beat for anyone at the beginning of the series. Zach Wheeler has been all around the NL Cy Young race in recent years, including this one. Cristopher Sanchez could steal it from Paul Skenes this year with an incredible 1.69 ERA since June 1.
The Phillies have spent a lot of money on their roster in recent years and could be spending more in the offseason. Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto are both free agents at the end of the season. They are integral parts of the Phillies' core, especially Schwarber, who could reach 50 homers this season. They went all-in at the trade deadline and could be even more all-in this offseason. That puts a lot of pressure on the 2025 campaign.
The Phillies invested a lot in Trea Turner, and he needs to be an elite playoff performer to make good on that investment. While that is a high bar, he has been an elite contact bat in recent years. That contract was for the immediate future, not for contention in the tenth season.
When the postseason begins, the Phillies could land in the three-game Wild Card Series. While they have a great roster, those are difficult series to win and could end in a disappointing year. Trea Turner holds the keys to a deep Phillies playoff run and an upset win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in October.
Related: Phillies' Kyle Schwarber gets unlikely NL MVP endorsement from Charles Barkley
Related: Phillies' Kyle Schwarber leapfrogs Shohei Ohtani with no-doubt HR vs. Reds
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