Jake Arrieta, Andrew Knapp and Jay Bruce won’t get rings, but the Phillies might not be here without them

HOUSTON — The Phillies marked each victory this month on their climb to the World Series with a clubhouse toast and a playlist that has grown into lore. And for a group of players, there has been a text message waiting each night from a teammate they last played with two years ago.

The Phillies have received contributions this season from 56 players. There were Kyle Schwarber’s 46 home runs and Dalton Guthrie’s one. Aaron Nola logged 205 innings and Bubby Rossman recorded three outs. Corey Knebel had 12 saves, 11 more than Francisco Morales.

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All of those contributions added up to a National League title and all 56 players — perhaps Joe Girardi, too — will receive championship rings next spring. But it is the impact of past teammates like Jay Bruce — who sends that congratulatory text message after each win — that is not being lost this October on the current Phils.

Those players won’t receive rings but the Phillies, as they reach the World Series, are still thinking about the players they met along the way.

“He’s the first name that comes to mind for me,” J.T. Realmuto said. “He’s one of those clubhouse guys who we all took something from, learned from him, and saw how he treated everyone and how he showed up to go to work. We all strive to be the teammate that he is.”

The Phillies acquired Bruce in the summer of 2019, hoping his power bat could help them reach the postseason. They faded down the stretch that season and Gabe Kapler was replaced by Girardi. Bruce returned in 2020, where he helped welcome Alec Bohm to the big leagues during the pandemic-shortened season.

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“They took me in,” Bohm said of Bruce, Neil Walker, and Brad Miller. “It was a weird year. A lot of guys could’ve been like ‘This is stupid. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be doing this.’ Think about it from their perspective. It was still cool for me because it was my first taste. But for them, they could’ve been like ‘This is lame.’ But they helped me, took me in, and talked to me when I needed to be talked to and took me under their wing and held me up.”

Bruce retired after playing 10 games in 2021 with the Yankees. And now he’s keeping an eye on his old friends.

“Having teammates like that is special and then when you have these moments and they reach out, it’s really cool,” Realmuto said. “He’s been through it all. The ups and the downs and stayed the same through every bit of it. He treated everyone with respect whether you were the first-day rookie or the vet for 10 years.”

“I remember how nervous I was to meet Jake,” Zach Eflin said. “I met him in the fourth inning of a spring training game in the dugout because I didn’t introduce myself before the game. I remember being nervous like ‘I can’t believe Jake Arrieta is on our team.’ His demeanor, his poise, and everything he’s given us has helped us out tremendously and allows us to come out and play confident every single night no matter the stage.”

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The Phillies signed Arrieta during spring training in 2018, believing their young roster was ready to jump to the postseason after a cast of young players were starting to enter the majors. Arrieta had a roughly league average ERA during his three seasons with the Phillies as he was no longer the pitcher who carried the Cubs to the World Series. But his influence still looms this October.

“His presence, his authority, his demeanor on the mound. Just to never give in,” Eflin said. “Little things like that. He was so, so good with bringing everyone closer off the field and having everyone hang out. Doing stuff together after games and doing stuff together on off-days whether it was golfing or going out to dinner. That’s the chemistry and where it all starts.”

“One guy I thought a lot about during this is Andrew Knapp,” Rhys Hoskins said.

Knapp spent most of his five seasons with the Phillies as a reserve catcher after reaching the majors in 2017, four years after he was drafted in the second round. He played in more than half the games just once and never had 200 at-bats in a season before he was let go after last season. But his presence in the clubhouse always seemed to loom larger than his production on the field.

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“Somebody who was here for five-plus years, has worked with a lot of our pitchers, has been around a few of us on the position player side,” Hoskins said. “That’s someone who worked his tail off, didn’t necessarily get a lot of time on the field but never complained about it. He knew what his role was. He helped a lot of these pitchers in more ways than I can probably see or they can probably know.

“Just somebody who I wish was able to be here to see the work kind of come to fruition. I understand the business is the business, but I think of Knapp a lot.”

“Hector gave me plenty of confidence from the first day I came here and always talked to me about things that I should do, should not do,” Ranger Suárez said. “He wanted me to be a part of the team and helped me get close with teammates. Pretty much integrated me into that clubhouse and team atmosphere.”

The Phillies signed Neris for $17,000 when he was 18 years old after his contract with Kansas City was voided due to discrepancies with his visa. That $17,000 led to the most career strikeouts by a Phillies reliever and a booming presence in the clubhouse.

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“What I liked about him the most is regardless of what he had done the night before, the next day he would show up with a big smile on his face,” Suárez said. “He was happy with a good attitude. That’s what it’s all about. It’s baseball. Anything that can happen.

“He always took care of the rookies. He invited us to his house for lunch and dinner, and introduced us to his family members. It was a cool feeling to have, knowing this guy had your back and you felt welcome.”

The Phillies won’t award Neris a ring next year but Houston will as he’s been one of the team’s most reliable relievers. He left Philadelphia after last season as a free agent but left his mark on the pitchers he met along the way. And soon it’ll be decided what kind of ring he gets.

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Join Scott Lauber and Alex Coffey, Phillies beat writers for The Philadelphia Inquirer, as they preview the World Series on Gameday Central, Friday at 6 pm at inquirer.com/PhilliesGameday