Spring is fleeting, rivalry is eternal
The wonderful thing about spring, obvious but no less delightful for it, is that it offers renewed hopes for your club. But the season does not discriminate; it offers the possibility of a better future for all her aspirants, including your rivals.
Divisional feuds may matter less than ever, thanks to the balanced schedule and the corresponding decrease in intradivisional games. Nevertheless, there are still glances, anxious, angry, contemptuous, mocking, or all four, exchanged between the Senior Circuit’s eastern quintet, and that alone is enough to tell you that rivalry still means something. Let’s take a look at one thing to know about each of the Phillies’ divisional foes as Spring Training gets underway.
Atlanta Braves
Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr., their 2024 campaigns abridged by an injured UCL and ACL, respectively, are ramping up to return to action. GM Alex Anthopoulos confirmed that neither will be on the roster when the Braves play their first game under the red, white and blue Opening Day bunting, but it shouldn’t be long before the Atlantas have their superstars back.
New York Mets
The optimistic bloom of Spring Training inevitably fades as reminders of cold reality set in. Unfortunately for the Mets, their first reminder came all too early. RHP Frankie Montas suffered a strained right lateral, and will not throw for another 6 to 8 weeks; his return to regular play will be delayed even further by the need to replace the ramp-up that ST was supposed to provide.
Washington Nationals
The Nats made a late addition to their crew in the form of SS/3B Paul DeJong, most recently of Kansas City. DeJong, signed to a 1-year deal, slashed .227/.276/.427 with the White Sox and Royals last year. He offered a fair amount of power (24 HR), but struck out frequently (32.4 K%) and rarely walked (4.8 BB%).
Miami Marlins:
A baby fish is known as a fry. This will be relevant information for the Miami baseball faithful, who will be watching one of the youngest teams in the sport. Per MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola, the Fish 40-man has an average age of 26, and just a pair of players past the age of 30. With apologies to our beloved Daycare, the Marlins are now the NL East’s true youth movement.