Hittin' Season: A Philadelphia Phillies podcast

The Phillies signed left-handed starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo to a five-year contract extension on Monday, locking up one of the best southpaw starters in the National League! Powered by WHYY, host John Stolnis analyzes the contract, explains why it's a good and smart deal for both sides, and how Luzardo's 2026 season may play out.

Phillies starters post the best ERA. Bryce Harper gets 100 RBIs. Adolis Garcia 35 home runs. On Episode 1050 of Hittin' Season, powered by WHYY in Philadelphia, hosts John Stolnis, Justin Klugh and Liz Roscher go over their BOLD predictions for the upcoming season. Also, a Phils prospect is off to a MONSTER start in the WBC, a longer conversation about Bryce Harper's outspokenness this spring, and the ABS system is officially here!

Cristopher Sanchez. Kyle Schwarber. Bryce Harper. Trea Turner. The list doesn't stop there. ESPN's ranking of the top 100 players in baseball has a surprisingly large number of Phillies in it. Their ranking will surprise you! Also on this edition of Hittin' Season, powered by WHYY in Philadelphia, host John Stolnis of The Good Phight provides an update on how Aaron Nola and others are progressing as we near the midway point of spring training. John also speaks with MLB.com's Mike Petriello about two recent articles concerning the Phillies. Which NL East rotation has the chance to flame out more spectacularly, and where does Mike rank the Phillies in his Tiers of 30 MLB teams? Subscribe on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/6fMSJlk... Follow all WHYY podcasts here: https://whyy.org/radio-podcasts/ Read John at The Good Phight: https://www.thegoodphight.com Read Mike's Ranking of all 30 MLB Teams in Tiers here: https://www.mlb.com/news/tiers-of-2026-mlb-contenders Read Mike's NL East rotation story here: https://www.mlb.com/news/2026-nl-east-could-be-a-4-team-race

Bryce Harper is leaving the Phillies... along with Kyle Schwarber and reliever Brad Keller to begin play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic starting this week! Will a big Harper WBC performance be a springboard for an All Star 2026 season? As for the players still in Clearwater, there are a number of things to feel really good about right now, including hot starts from uber prospects Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford, and veterans Bryson Stott and Cristopher Sanchez. On Episode 1048 of Hittin' Season, hosts John Stolnis, Justin Klugh and Liz Roscher discuss all that and much more, powered by WHYY! Subscribe on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/6fMSJlk... Follow all WHYY podcasts here: https://whyy.org/radio-podcasts/ Read John at The Good Phight: https://www.thegoodphight.com Read Justin at Baseball Prospectus: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/au.... Become a Member: https://whyy.org/membership. Buy Justin's NEW book, "Summer of the Cheap Weiners: What the 1941 Phillies Were Up To While Joe DiMaggio Was Making History" at Brookline Books! https://www.brooklinebooks.com/978195...

Phillies spring training games are underway! On Episode 1047 of Hittin' Season, John Stolnis of The Good Phight, Justin Klugh from Baseball Prospectus and Liz Roscher of SABR's Baseball Research Journal highlight rookie Justin Crawford's promising debut, Aidan Miller injury concerns, Bryce Harper's influence on team dynamics and the ongoing tension with management, and John Middleton's recent interview where he addresses the team's financial strategies and the luxury tax implications. The conversation also touches on the return of baseball to the Olympics in 2028.

Justin Klugh and Liz Roscher recap and reflect on the Nick Castellanos Saga. Then, Bryce Harper's had some recent comments on Dave Dombrowski's quote from a press conference months ago, which begs the question: Are the Phillies showing up to camp a little messy?

Will Zack Wheeler be ready by Opening Day? Is Aaron Nola cooked? Can Bryce Harper be elite again? How much impact will the rookies make? On Episode 1045 of Hittin' Season, John Stolnis of The Good Phight and Baseball Prospectus' Justin Klugh try to answer some of the toughest questions facing the 2026 Phillies as pitchers and catchers begin reporting to Clearwater over the next few days. Also, some news about Wheeler's recovery timetable, when Nick Castellanos might get traded and Dave Dombrowski discusses a top prospect who could be a fast riser through the minors this year.

How many homers will Kyle Schwarber hit? How many starts will Zack Wheeler make? How much WAR will Bryce Harper accumulate? On Episode 1044 of Hittin' Season, powered by WHYY, John Stolnis of The Good Phight and Baseball Prospectus' Justin Klugh play over/under with Phillies player projections and spoke out who ZiPS thinks will win the NL East.

On Monday, Harrison Bader signed a two year deal with the San Francisco Giants that pays him a little over $10 million a year. Why didn't the Phillies try to beat that? On Episode 1043 of Hittin' Season, John Stolnis of The Good Phight, Justin Klugh from Baseball Prospectus and Liz Roscher, the editor of SABR's Baseball Research Journal, discuss the signing and the state of the Phillies outfield. It's all apart of a Mailbag Edition of the podcast!

Chase Utley isn't a Hall of Famer yet, but with the votes in for this year's class, it's clear the Phillies second baseman is on a glidepath to eventual enshrinement. On Episode 1041 of Hittin' Season, John Stolnis of The Good Phight and Baseball Prospectus' Justin Klugh talk about how all the Phillies fared on this year's ballot, which current Phils players could be Hall of Famers, and preview next year's hilariously bad Phillies class. Also, Dave Dombrowski and Rob Thomson spoke to reporters Tuesday to reassure a fanbase uninspired by this off-season, and we look at which positions on the field the Phillies might improve on from 2025.

After seemingly being on the verge of signing a free agent contract with the Phillies, Bo Bichette is instead a Met, crushing the hopes of Phils fans everywhere. What the heck happened? On Episode 1041 of Hittin' Season, John Stolnis, Liz Roscher and Justin Klugh dissect what went wrong and also talk about J.T. Realmuto finally agreeing to a new deal that some say is a pretty big overpay.

The Phillies met with free agent infielder Bo Bichette on Monday, a surprising turn of events that could land the superstar in Philadelphia. Will they actually land him? If so, what does it mean for the rest of the roster? On the latest Hittin' Season, powered by WHYY, John Stolnis, Justin Klugh and Liz Roscher discuss all angles of a potentially huge free agent signing for the Phillies.

Are the Phillies really considering signing Bo Bichette to a free agent contract? And can new bench coach Don Mattingly help bring him to Philly? Probably not, but John Stolnis of The Good Phight, Baseball Prospectus' Justin Klugh and Liz Roscher of SABR's Baseball Research Journal discuss all that on Episode 1039 of Hittin' Season, powered by WHYY, plus J.T. Realmuto's continued absence, Japanese players going elsewhere, and the slew of free agents that remain on the market!

The waiver wire may have been quiet, but there's no shortage of Phillies items to hit on a new Hittin' Season, hosted by The Good Phight's John Stolnis and Justin Klugh of Baseball Prospectus. What about Bryce Harper wearing a Not Elite T-shirt? Does Dave Dombrowski give the Phillies an edge over other GMs? And does the Phils outfield have a chance to be the worst in baseball? Surely not! Also, when is J.T. Realmuto going to sign?

One thing the Phillies won't be running back in 2026 is the same bullpen we saw in '25. After signing Brad Keller and trading away Matt Strahm, the Phils are approaching relief pitching differently this off-season. On this episode of Hittin' Season, from WHYY, John Stolnis, Justin Klugh and Liz Roscher tackle those deals, discuss why J.T. Realmuto remains unsigned and the back-up plans if they can't get a deal done, the White Sox signing a Japanese slugger and what it means for the Phillies, and a Phils-themed piece of merchandise we feel is missing from your Christmas wish lists.

The Phillies appear to be done tinkering with their outfield after signing free agent Adolis Garcia to be their new everyday right fielder. On this episode of Hittin' Season, from WHYY, John Stolnis, Justin Klugh and Liz Roscher discuss the signing, what the 2026 outfield looks like, what it says about Justin Crawford and Harrison Bader, and Dave Dombrowski's off-season plan thus far. Also, an analysis of what the Braves and Mets have done over the last week.

Kyle Schwarber is back with the Phillies. What does it mean for the team, their window of contention and their ability to add to the MLB roster this winter? Hosts John Stolnis, Justin Klugh and Liz Roscher discuss the Schwarber deal, what's next for Dave Dombrowski and the front office, as well as Rob Thomson's contract extension and the Mets losing closer Edwin Diaz to the Dodgers on Episode 1035 of Hittin' Season, powered by WHYY!

On Episode 1034 of Hittin' Season, powered by WHYY, John Stolnis of The Good Phight, Justin Klugh from Baseball Prospectus and Liz Roscher, Editor of SABR's Baseball Research Journal preview this week's Winter Meetings in Orlando. Most people believe Schwarber will re-sign with the Phils this week, but what if he doesn't? Where could he go? What would the Phillies do if that happens? Plus, each host shares an "under the radar" player they'd target, Japanese free agents of interest, and some time is spent discussing Bryce Harper's curious health regimen.

On Episode 1033 of Hittin' Season, powered by WHYY, The Good Phight's John Stolnis, Justin Klugh of Baseball Prospectus and Liz Roscher, editor of the SABR Baseball Research Journal discusses the latest rumors on Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto, Ketel Marte trade ideas, a Japanese pitcher we'd all like to see, and various hot take Phillies topics that may have landed you in a fight at Thanksgiving, courtesy of That Ball's Outta Here! https://thatballsouttahere.com/8-phillies-hot-takes-to-fight-about-over-thanksgiving-dinner?page_source=v_recirc

On Episode 1032 of Hittin' Season, The Good Phight's John Stolnis, Justin Klugh of Baseball Prospectus and Liz Roscher, Editor of SABR's Baseball Research Journal discuss the trades involving Taylor Ward, Marcus Semien and Brandon Nimmo and how they affect the Phillies, the chances Kyle Schwarber signs with the Pirates or Reds, three non-tendered players of potential interest, and an interview with MLB.com's Todd Zolecki on the 20th anniversary of the trade that sent Jim Thome away from the Phillies to make room for Ryan Howard. Powered by WHYY!