2024 season preview: Four All-Stars in the infield?

Could this foursome find themselves in the All-Star Game?

I probably should have been more explicit with my coverage of the Phillies’ catching position that I was looking at the best-case scenario for the position and wasn’t just being an optimistic homer. This week, I’ll be doing the same for the Phillies’ infield.

The Phillies have four talented players manning the infield positions, and as the title mentioned, it is possible for all four of them to end up on the National League’s All-Star team. Here’s a rundown of their chances from most to least likely, and I’ll lay out what a best-case scenario looks like for each.

Bryce Harper

Believe it or not, this is the first time in Harper’s six seasons with the Phillies that he’ll be starting Spring Training on time. Every other season, his Spring has been delayed by a late signing, COVID, a lockout, or injury. The closest he’s come to a normal Spring was 2021, where the start of camp was delayed due to debates over COVID protocols. It is likely not a coincidence that Harper won the NL’s MVP award that season.

Now fully established as a first baseman, due to his name value, if Harper is performing anywhere near his expected levels, he’s as safe a bet as any player in the NL to end up as an All-Star. And he might actually even appear in the game, something he has yet to do as a member of the Phillies.

As for best-case scenario for Harper, it’s a return to his status as one of the best players in baseball and another MVP award.

Trea Turner

Turner’s slow start to the season kept him from making his third All-Star team in 2023. But post-standing ovation, Turner was as good as any shortstop in the National League. There’s a decent amount of big-name competition at the position, but assuming Turner’s reality is closer to what we saw down the stretch, he seems like a good shot to make the squad.

As recently as 2021, he won the batting title and finished in the top five of MVP voting, and in 2022, he won the Silver Slugger at shortstop. If he can carry over his late season success, another top-10 MVP finish is possible.

Bryson Stott

We have a pretty big jump in likelihood for the All-Star team, as Stott doesn’t have anywhere near the same name recognition as Harper and Turner. But he’s probably not too far away from making it. In just his second full Major League season, despite moving to a new position and dealing with a new double play partner, Stott was a Gold Glove finalist. He was also one of the better hitting second basemen with a .747 OPS.

He’s been working to be more aggressive at the plate, which could potentially boost his offensive numbers higher. Considering his youth and growth so far, an OPS over .800 isn’t out of the question, and considering he was a finalist last year, actually winning a Gold Glove is possible as well.

Alec Bohm

In his rookie season, Bohm looked like he might be a future batting champion and seemed destined for stardom. A month or so into the 2022 season, Bohm looked like he might be another bust produced by the Phillies’ minor league system. Since that point, he’s been somewhere in between.

By improving his once-horrid defense to a passable level, and upping his home run total to 20, Bohm was better than the year prior during 2023. But his season still felt like somewhat of a disappointment. I’ve written about Bohm’s tendency to slump quietly. You’ll notice when he’s going well, and had a string of big games, but then a week later, you’re surprised to find he has just one hit in his last five games.

Part of his inconsistency may have been due to splitting time between third and first base. Presumably, he’ll be at third full-time this season, and we’ll see if that helps him avoid those slumps. Adding a few more home runs, showing a little more patience at the plate (easier said than done), and cutting down on his league-leading RBI total would help take him from an average player to a good one.

The bench

Edmundo Sosa will likely get most of the non-starter innings in the infield. Last year, due to the numerous injuries at first base, he probably received a bit too much playing time. His offense took a step back from his strong post-trade numbers in 2022 (those were always thought to be unsustainable), and there were some shaky moments on defense as well.

Backup infielders aren’t generally expected to provide much offense, but an OPS over .700 combined with solid defense would be a good season from him.

Whit Merrifield will likely see some time at second base when the Phillies face lefthanded pitching. Josh Harrison set the bar rather low for this roster spot last year, so if Merrifield can keep his OPS above .700, that would be considered a success.

There are others who could potentially see time in the infield (Derick Hall, Rodolfo Castro, Kody Clemens), but it’s hard to envision any best-case scenario where those guys see much time. The best you can usually hope for from those bottom-of-the-roster players is that they chip in the occasional big moment (Remember the Drew Ellis game?) and aren’t complete liabilities when they’re given the chance to play.