Everyone east of the Mississippi cites the 2022 Phillies as the model for what can happen when a team puts it all together. I’m not sure if it really was Joe Girardi’s fault that the team was 22-29 when he got fired or if it was Rob Thomson’s personality that transformed the team.

What I do know is that there were several teams that were mediocre at best at that same point in time that didn’t make the playoffs-let alone the World Series. In fact, every year there are a bunch of teams that don’t respond to something and surge.

So when front offices and their media lackeys suggest that 1/3 of the season is too early to fold, I’ll argue that it most certainly is for most of the teams.

Last year, the Phillies went 65-46 to finish at 87-75 (good enough for 3rd in the NL East), but they were the only ones. Teams trying to figure out where they stand right now, should look at the teams that failed last season.

While the Phillies were 22-29, the White Sox were 23-25 and finished 81-81, the Tigers were 20-30 and finished 66-96, Miami 20-28 (69-93), and the Cubs 21-29 (74-88). Other than some fans of those teams, did anyone seriously think the other teams would surprise the world like Phily?

Why would any of the following teams, improve to the point where they are in the postseason? White Sox 22-34, Colorado 24-31, Cardinals 24-32, Cubs 23-30, or Washington 23-31? Of these teams, only the Nats have recently pulled this off with their current manager.