Last season, the Phillies rarely deviated from having Kyle Schwarber lead off, letting the DH set the tone 149 times in 162 games. It worked, of course, as the team won 95 games and dominated for most of the spring and summer.

The Phillies are in a tougher division this season, of this there is no doubt. The Braves struggled with health and some regression to the mean in 2024 and seemed primed for at le