Phillies 2019 predictions: ESPN not optimistic, Sports Illustrated regrets scout’s Odubel Herrera comments

Sports Illustrated ran afoul of Phillies fans after publishing an anonymous scout's dog-whistling criticism about Odubel Herrera.

The Phillies' Odubel Herrera warms up during a workout at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday.Read moreJOSE F. MORENO / Staff Photographer

by Rob Tornoe

Updated March 28, 2019, 5:54 p.m. ET

Published March 28, 2019, 11:01 a.m. ET

MLB season predictions are largely meaningless leading into baseball’s lengthy 162-game season, when a single injury or blockbuster trade can quickly change the fortune of any team.

Despite that, predictions are certainly fun to chew over, and it never gets old for fans to taunt the so-called experts when they make incorrect guesses about their favorite team (as the popularity of Old Takes Exposed on Twitter makes clear).

This year, predictions about the Phillies seem to be all over the place, even after the addition of superstar Bryce Harper. The experts at ESPN project the Phillies will end up in fourth place in the National League East, while the staff at Sports Illustrated predict the team will finish in first place with 92 wins and make it all the way to the World Series, ultimately losing to the Houston Astros.

Despite that optimistic prediction, Sports Illustrated’s Jon Tayler faced intense criticism for including the comments of an unnamed scout, who anonymously referred to outfielder Odubel Herrera as an “[expletive] dog.” Deadspin’s Tom Ley wrote that the scout’s comments amounted to “dog-whistling a non-white player.”

As a result of the criticism, Sports Illustrated removed that portion of the scout’s comments about Herrera, and added an editor’s note at the top of the article: “This article has been updated; the original version mistakenly included language that may be considered inappropriate or offensive. We regret the error.”

“This is a guy who’s misunderstood. He’s learning how to work and to increase his volume of work,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said of Herrera. “It ebbs and flows as he develops. But there’s no shortage of care from Odubel and there’s no shortage of work.”

Here’s a round-up of predictions about the Phillies this season. Bookmark this page to refer back to if the Phillies end up cruising toward 100 wins (and just forget all about it entirely if they don’t).

ESPN: Phillies will finish fourth in the National League East

What if, in Year 1 of 13, Bryce Harper hits .230? The Phils could find that their window of contention, which seems to just be opening, is stuck. Those Phillies fans standing outside looking through it? You don’t want to hear what they are saying.

Sports Illustrated: Phillies will finish in first place with 92 wins

How the Bryce Harper Show plays out will be fascinating to watch, particularly now that he’s joined a team with real World Series hopes. All eyes will be on MLB’s resident phenom to be a superstar from Day One in Philadelphia. But the rest of the supporting cast is well worth your time too, from Aaron Nola on the mound to Rhys Hoskins’ nightly home run derby.

FiveThirtyEight: Phillies projected to finish behind the Nationals, Mets

The Washington Nationals are slight favorites despite losing Bryce Harper… The Philadelphia Phillies have also improved a bunch since last season, when they collapsed down the stretch (and had the run differential of a 76-win team anyway). Staff ace Aaron Nola might quietly give [Jacob] deGrom and [Max] Scherzer a fight for the title of division’s best pitcher. But like the Mets, Philly could also get caught up in the East’s numbers game.

MLB Network: Nationals will win the National League East

In what may be the most intriguing division to follow in 2019, the NL East was very competitive in balloting by our experts, with the Nationals edging out the Phillies, 27 votes to 25. Philadelphia made the biggest splash of the offseason, signing superstar Bryce Harper to a 13-year, $330 million contract to add to an already impressive list of roster upgrades.

But Washington, despite a disappointing 82-80 finish last year, has Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and newly signed left-hander Patrick Corbin leading the rotation, as well as young stars Juan Soto and Trea Turner leading the way at the plate.

CBS Sports: Phillies will go to the playoffs, but that’s about it

Only CBS Sports writer Mike Axisa picked the Phillies to win the National League East, but four of the network’s five baseball writers projected the team would make the playoffs (and lose in the wild card round). They were slightly less optimistic about the Mets and the Braves, which Matt Snyder touched on in their summary:

In looking at how things shook out, I’m guessing the most complaints would come from Braves and Brewers fans… with the Braves, I’ll go something like 83 wins and trailing the other three NL East contenders (and I’m barely behind the Mets, with whom I’d predict around one more win).