Post Mortem

Well, they made it interesting, all the way to the second-to-last weekend of the season. They weren't supposed to be in contention. They were supposed to be better. And they are better, having won 78 games so far this year.

After 154 games last year, the Phils were 61-93. So we have a 17-win improvement over last season, which is pretty astonishing considering how anemic the offense was this year.

They are better than last year. Can they get even better? Absolutely. Odubel Herrera and Cesar Hernandez both had seasons below their career averages. Jake Arrieta was inconsistent. The defense was pretty awful.

There have been plenty of bright spots. The emergence of Aaron Nola as one of baseball's best pitchers. Seranthony Dominguez coming out of nowhere to be a bullpen force. A healthy Roman Quinn was a pleasant last-season surprise.A nice bounce-back year from Maikel Franco.

There are manny ways they can get better. (See what I did there?) The Phils will be active in free agency, with lots of money to spend.

All those weeks in first place was a tease of what's to come. The Braves will be formidable for years to come, but the Phillies have the pieces in place and the money to spend to give them all they can handle.