The Phillies will open spring training on Saturday, February 24, against the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, Florida.

As football season comes to a close, baseball season cracks open.

Pre-season for the Philadelphia Phillies is just a few weeks away. To get us pumped up for the 2024 season, WHYY “Morning Edition” host Jennifer Lynn spoke with John Stolnis, co-host of the podcast “Hittin’ Season” from WHYY’s Billy Penn.

Jennifer Lynn: Let’s get a scouting report. What are the known strengths and weaknesses of the Phillies going into this warm-up period?

John Stolnis: They come into the season a pretty strong team all around. They have a good lineup, it’s deep, it’s got lots of star players on it. They’ve got a really good starting pitching staff. It’s considered one of the better pitching staffs in the National League and the bullpen is returning most of the same guys who were very effective most of last season. So the strength lies in really the superstars this team has accumulated over the years.

I think if there are any areas where perhaps there is a little bit of weakness, it could be in one of the outfield spots. They’re going to be relying on a young player named Johan Rojas to elevate his game a little bit. Just the depth around the team. If there’s an injury or two here and there, how the Phillies will be able to adjust to that as the season goes along — but most teams have that weakness as well.

JL: Yeah. Well, let’s talk about who the Phillies have kept and who the Phillies have lost. First, who’s on first?