Hittin' Season: A Philadelphia Phillies podcast

After a supremely enjoyable Opening Day win, the Phillies' bats disappeared in losses to the Texas Rangers on Saturday and Sunday, an unsatisfying weekend of baseball in Philadelphia on opening weekend. Is there reason for concern? On Episode 1057 of Hittin' Season, John Stolnis, Justin Klugh and Liz Roscher react to the Phillies' 1-2 start and whether anyone should be worried about what transpired. Plus, a quick look ahead to this week's series against the Nationals.

Kyle Schwarber said it best—the Phillies looked like a complete team as they defeated the Texas Rangers on opening day, 5-3. Justin Klugh and Liz Roscher break down the game's big moments, from Schwarbombs to Bohm-bombs to the dominance of Cristopher Sánchez.

The Phillies' 2026 season is finally here, and the Hittin' Season crew is ready! Will the Phils win the NL East for the third year in a row? Who wins MVP? Cy Young? Is this the year they win it all? Hosts John Stolnis, Justin Klugh and Liz Roscher make their official picks, and discuss all the ways Phillies owner John Middleton failed to read the room with his comments about Harry the K's and the Connie Mack clock going away at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies rewarded All Star left-hander Cristopher Sanchez with a new contract extension this week that recognizes his stature as one of the five best pitchers in baseball. Also, the Phils' Opening Day roster is set, and we know how the lineup and starting rotation are going to line up, days ahead of the start of the regular season. On Episode 1054 of Hittin' Season, powered by WHYY in Philadelphia, host John Stolnis of SB Nation's The Good Phight breaks down the roster, Sanchez' new deal, and the news that a top division rival has suffered another devastating injury setback.

Bryce Harper had his "elite" moment at the World Baseball Classic, slugging the biggest home run of the tournament for Team USA. John Stolnis of The Good Phight breaks down another iconic blast from Harper and ranks it among his top-10 HRs all time as a Phillie. Also on Episode 1053 of Hittin' Season, powered by WHYY, John breaks down the latest Phillies' position battles in spring training, Adolis Garcia's big day, and chats with Atlanta Braves writer Demetrius Bell of SB Nation's Battery Power to preview their 2026 season.

What will Bryce Harper's batting average be with runners in scoring position? How many home runs will Kyle Schwarber hit? How low will Aaron Nola's ERA be? On Episode 1052 of Hittin' Season, John Stolnis of The Good Phight sets the line on the most important numbers for the most important Phillies in 2026, as Baseball Prospectus' Justin Klugh and SABR's Liz Roscher try to decide if the number is too high or too low. Also, a Phils World Baseball Classic update. Are you concerned about Harper's struggles? Encouraged by Schwarber's start? Subscribe to the Hittin' Season podcast on Apple Podcasts here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Subscribe on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/6fMSJlk... Follow all WHYY podcasts here: https://whyy.org/radio-podcasts/ Follow John on X: https://x.com/JohnStolnis Follow John on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/johnstolnis.... Follow Liz on X: https://x.com/lizroscher Follow Liz on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lizroscher.b... Follow Justin on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/justinklugh.... 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...

Justin Klugh and Liz Roscher talk about a recent Jayson Stark column in which Dave Dombrowski shared some stirring thoughts on the Phillies' off season. Also, the Phillies extended Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola and Dante Nori are dominating at the WBC, and the Phillies have a new Wall of Fame inductee!

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!