Skip to content
Phillies
Link copied to clipboard
Link copied to clipboard

Predictions for the Phillies and MLB in 2025: Surprises, top stories, who wins it all, and more

The Inquirer’s baseball insiders make their predictions for the Phillies, the NL East, the playoffs, and World Series, along with individual awards.

The Phillies core, which includes Bryce Harper (left), Kyle Schwarber, and Trea Turner, returns in 2025 for another shot at a World Series.
The Phillies core, which includes Bryce Harper (left), Kyle Schwarber, and Trea Turner, returns in 2025 for another shot at a World Series.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

The Phillies are running it back — again — in 2025 with a few new faces joining the core that has led them to three straight playoff appearances. While they have won more games each year during the regular season since 2022, their playoff runs have gotten shorter from the World Series to the National League Championship Series to an ouster in the divisional round last year.

So what’s in store for these Phillies in 2025? Can this core finally break through and win a World Series? The Inquirer’s baseball insiders make their predictions for the Phillies, the National League East, the playoffs, and World Series, along with individual awards.

How many games will the Phillies win?

  1. Scott Lauber: 94

  2. Lochlahn March: 92

  3. Alex Coffey: 91

  4. Matt Breen: 89

  5. Marcus Hayes: 100

» READ MORE: How long will Rob Thomson’s leash be with the Phillies after two disappointing seasons?

Will the Phillies make the playoffs?

  1. Lauber: Yes, as NL East champs.

  2. March: Yes, as a wild card.

  3. Coffey: Yes, as a wild card.

  4. Breen: Yes, as a wild card.

  5. Hayes: Yes, as NL East champs.

If so, how far will they advance?

  1. Lauber: NLCS.

  2. March: World Series.

  3. Coffey: NLCS.

  4. Breen: NLDS.

  5. Hayes: World Series.

» READ MORE: 25 things to know about the Phillies in 2025: From the new guys to World Series odds, and more

What is your boldest Phillies prediction in 2025?

  1. Lauber: Andrew Painter will win 10 games as a starter, then pick up the save in the NL East-clinching victory.

  2. March: Zack Wheeler is going to throw the Phillies franchise’s 15th no-hitter.

  3. Coffey: Trea Turner will have his most consistent season as a Phillie to date, in the realm of what he did in 2021.

  4. Breen: Last season’s playoff exit felt like the end of an era.

  5. Hayes: Kyle Schwarber will win the NL MVP over the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani. Wheeler will win his first Cy Young Award. Rob Thomson will win manager of the year.

Which Phillie will be the best story this season?

  1. Lauber: Bryce Harper makes a temporary return to the outfield after the Phillies bring back Rhys Hoskins at the trade deadline and edges Ohtani for his third MVP award.

  2. March: Alec Bohm is going to dispel any trade chatter with another All-Star season and will surpass 100 RBIs.

  3. Coffey: Painter will debut in the summer and become an NL Rookie of the Year contender, despite his missed time.

  4. Breen: Wheeler will finally get his Cy Young, which he should’ve won in 2021 and 2024.

  5. Hayes: After starting the season on the bubble, Taijuan Walker wins 15 games. Talks of a contract extension begin.

» READ MORE: As teams expect less of starting pitchers, the Phillies are counting on theirs to win a World Series

A World Series-winning Phillies season depends on …

  1. Lauber: … a dominant postseason bullpen. Ask yourself this: Who will get the final out of a playoff series? Maybe Jordan Romano. Or Orion Kerkering. José Alvarado had a lights-out spring. Want to bet it’s a trade deadline pickup? Ryan Helsley, anyone?

  2. March: … the pitching staff remaining healthy. In particular, newcomers Jesús Luzardo and Romano are coming off injury-marred seasons but can be difference-makers if they prove to be durable.

  3. Coffey: … the more aggressive hitters in the lineup chasing less.

  4. Breen: … the lineup. The rotation is one of baseball’s premier pitching staffs, but they need more from a lineup that came up short last October.

  5. Hayes: … production from the bottom. Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto will make over $43 million this season. Earn it.

Who will be the NL MVP?

  1. Lauber: Harper

  2. March: Ohtani

  3. Coffey: Ohtani

  4. Breen: Ohtani

  5. Hayes: Schwarber

» READ MORE: Scott Franzke back calling Phillies games on WIP, while NBC Sports Philadelphia adds a familiar face

Who will win the NL Cy Young?

  1. Lauber: Paul Skenes, Pirates

  2. March: Wheeler

  3. Coffey: Skenes

  4. Breen: Wheeler

  5. Hayes: Wheeler

Who will win the NL Rookie of the Year?

  1. Lauber: Roki Sasaki, Dodgers

  2. March: Dylan Crews, Nationals

  3. Coffey: Matt Shaw, Cubs

  4. Breen: Sasaki

  5. Hayes: Bubba Chandler, Pirates

» READ MORE: Sielski: The Phillies don’t quite have the ingredients for a World Series-winning team

Who will win the AL MVP?

  1. Lauber: Aaron Judge, Yankees

  2. March: Bobby Witt Jr., Royals

  3. Coffey: Gunnar Henderson, Orioles

  4. Breen: Witt

  5. Hayes: Yordan Alvarez, Astros

Who will win the AL Cy Young?

  1. Lauber: Garrett Crochet, Red Sox

  2. March: Jacob deGrom, Rangers

  3. Coffey: Tarik Skubal, Tigers

  4. Breen: Skubal

  5. Hayes: Framber Valdez, Astros

» READ MORE: The Bryce Harper conversation: Why he’s open to an outfield return, his love of Pilates, playing past 40, and more

Who will win the AL Rookie of the Year?

  1. Lauber: Roman Anthony, Red Sox

  2. March: Jackson Jobe, Tigers

  3. Coffey: Coby Mayo, Orioles

  4. Breen: Jasson Dominguez, Yankees

  5. Hayes: Jobe

Who will win the World Series, over which team?

  1. Lauber: Dodgers over Red Sox

  2. March: Phillies over Orioles

  3. Coffey: Dodgers over Yankees

  4. Breen: Dodgers over Orioles

  5. Hayes: Phillies over Yankees