“It was a lot enjoyable enjoying these final three weeks,” Realmuto stated, including: “That is in all probability the closest group of men I’ve ever performed with. And I believe it exhibits after we’re on the market.”
His feedback echoed across the clubhouse.
“To start with of the 12 months when you requested a bunch of individuals, or baseball specialists, in the event that they thought we’d be within the World Sequence, they in all probability would have stated no,” Castellanos stated. “So the truth that we had been ready to do that collectively as a bunch and get this shut, we had been two wins away from being the most effective workforce in North America. It’s only a constructing block. And now you have a look at all of the younger children right here and in addition veterans, too, that now have this postseason expertise and it’s solely a great factor transferring ahead.”
The entire Phillies’ key items will return in 2022. The workforce holds a membership choice on right-handed ace Aaron Nola, who threw 205 innings this season. It’s a on condition that the workforce will choose that up. Much less sure is the membership choice on second baseman Jean Segura. The workforce may transfer this 12 months’s shortstop, Bryson Stott, over to second base and take a run at one of many marquee free agent shortstops anticipated to be available on the market resembling Xander Bogaerts (Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was in Boston with Bogaerts once they received the 2018 World Sequence collectively) or Trea Turner.
Harper famous now “it’s going to be the identical workforce subsequent 12 months with a few items added, I’d think about. Dave Dombrowski is our man.” He additionally added that proprietor John Middleton, who has stated a few occasions this autumn that Harper at $330 million is underpaid, “understands that we wish to win and he desires to win proper now, too. So I think about we’re going to be the identical workforce with some items added to make us higher.”
Till then, the bitterness of shedding the World Sequence can be assuaged by the nice and cozy recollections of a singular workforce that went additional than anyone would have imagined.
Hoskins, for one, stated he’ll bear in mind “how a lot enjoyable we had with one another, man. I don’t know. There’s quite a lot of expertise on this room, however I don’t know that that is essentially essentially the most proficient workforce anyone’s ever seen. However I believe we discovered methods to come back collectively as a workforce after we wanted to essentially the most all through the season, and within the postseason, time and time once more. I believe that’s what all of us ought to be most proud if, simply determining what an precise workforce appears like and the way highly effective that may be in a few of these huge moments.”
“And it’s solely the start, proper?” Castellanos added. “I do know all of us are actually excited. I can stand right here at the moment and say I’m actually excited for spring coaching.”