Dave Dombrowski knows Phillies are built for this time of year originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The blueprint had been laid out by Dave Dombrowski of how he wanted to build this Phillies team and, as he believes, it has pretty much been followed to a T. Of course, come playoff time there are no guarantees, but when talking about his club, the president of baseball operations seems as confident as he can be about the immediate future.
The postseason will begin for his Phillies Saturday at Citizens Bank Park when they take on the winner of the Wild Card Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds. While there is the obvious feeling of “anything can happen,” there is an air of confidence surrounding this team that is palpable.
Most of that building process during the offseason was to bring back the core players of the team, basically re-rack a group that lost in the National League Division Series to the Mets last year, with some tweaks here and there. That all seemed to be fine, but when the trade deadline approached at the end of July, Dombrowski and company felt two real needs faced them – a closer and a right-hand hitting outfielder. They got both of them with Jhoan Duran now ending games for the Phils and Harrison Bader manning centerfield on a daily basis.
Now the question will be, is it enough?
“We have a good club,” said Dombrowski Tuesday. “We probably have as good a club, to me, as anybody. We’re a well-rounded club. We’ve been there before. We’ve had experience now for a couple of years. We have some really good players who have had really good seasons, in the (Kyle) Schwarber’s and the (Trea) Turner’s. The supporting cast is deeper in the lineup. I think a guy like Bader brought a lot to us. I think when you look at our lineup, I don’t think you look at one spot and say, ‘There’s an out there.’ We play solid defense. Our starting pitching is deep. And I think right now our bullpen’s probably a little bit better than it’s been at various times.
“I think we have a legitimate closer and then we’ve built around that. Our bullpen guys have thrown the ball well from the left-hand side and the right-hand side. Now, when I say that, you have to play well at the right time, and you have to be in a position where you don’t want to be three and done. It can happen to anybody, really. You have to play well at the right time but I think we’re more equipped to do that.”
In Bader, the team not only secured the centerfield position, but they also brought a character into the clubhouse that seems to be accepted and enjoyed by all. For a team that has taken backward steps in the playoffs since making it to the World Series in 2022, that could prove significant.
Bader shows up in boot leg jeans and cowboy boots before games, even when the temperature is hovering near 90. He then gets into his cutoff shirts with baseball pants rolled up to knees with colorful arm sleeves and batting gloves. The bandana is ever-present around his semi-mullet. When he arrives, smiles around the clubhouse are soon to follow.
“We thought he was a good player and we thought he could play, for sure, defensively in center field,” Dombrowski said. “He could hit right and left-hand pitching. We knew he was an energy guy and would handle the situation and Philly would not be a problem based upon playing in New York in the past. I think the way he meshed in the clubhouse with our players was really good for our club. I think he was just a real fit with them. They all seem to build on his energy. His offense has been really good, especially early. I don’t think you could ever predict a guy to be that hot at the beginning. He’s a good hitter. He’s a good all-around player. He’s a threat to hit the ball out of the ballpark. He’s given us a lot. I didn’t know if he would play every day for us or not when we got him. We knew he had a chance to do that. But he’s really developed into our everyday center fielder, and he’s earned that. He’s done a lot.
“Really, the reason behind it was we needed a right-handed hitter to play in the outfield. It was an advantage to play centerfield, too. (Johan) Rojas could play defensively in center field and we like a lot of things about him. But from an offensive perspective he wasn’t contributing much. So, for us, it was a position to add somebody like that was the most important part of it. Also, we did think that he would handle the atmosphere and pressure well, which was important. We didn’t bring him in from the energy perspective, it’s just an added plus that he’s brought along and fit in well.”
And the addition of Duran has made manager Rob Thomson’s job so much easier in handling the bullpen. With the Phillies starting pitching having been so good, Thomson should be looking at only having to handle a couple of bullpen innings before getting to Duran. That is the hope, anyway.
“Any time you have somebody that’s a dominant ninth-inning guy, it’s helpful for you because then you can script around that,” Dombrowski said. “But I’ve also been in the postseason where we haven’t had that and been able to work around and manipulate some of your starters to your bullpen. You never know how it’s going to be. You never know how a starter’s going to pitch out of the bullpen. It has worked at times, too. I think anytime you have that guy that you just give the ball to and everybody goes out there and they feel good about, it’s good.”
The Phillies will have an intrasquad game on Wednesday before another voluntary workout Thursday and a mandatory one Friday. How the team handles the week and whether it’s good for a team has been a big topic around the club, and Dombrowski had to perfect answer on what the week off means.
“It’s an advantage if you win the first series and it’s a disadvantage if you don’t.”
That remains to be seen. But there’s no doubt in his mind, this team is built to advance.
NOTES
•About an hour before the team workout, Trea Turner was on the field doing some sprints, high-steps and change of direction things for his healing hamstring and seemed fine.
•When asked about pitcher Zack Wheeler and his surgery, Dombrowski said: “Everything went well, everything went very efficiently. He’s supposed to be here today or tomorrow. Surgery went great. He’ll go back in another month to get rechecked, but so far so good.”
•Dombrowski said reliever Matt Strahm had been guaranteed his contract for next season. “Had a provision in his contract that at the end of the season he would need to take a physical to have his contract guaranteed for next year, we did that yesterday so we have advised him that his contract is guaranteed for next year so we have done that. We’ve filed all the official notifications in that regard.”
•The Phillies 26-man roster for the NLDS is due on Saturday, Dombrowski said. He gave no indication of what it will look like.
