This Week In Philly Sports: Phils' 2021 Chances, Sixers Dominate

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Spring is here, and Philadelphia sports are heating up. The Phillies return to action (with fans) next week, while the 76ers and Villanova men chase championship titles. Here's a glance at what's been happening around the city sports scene over the past week.

Phillies ready for Opening Day

Opening Day is less than a week away. You wouldn't know it from a glance at statistical projections or New York-heavy coverage in national media, but the 2021 Phillies have quietly put up the best roster the franchise has seen in a decade.

This latest iteration of the Phillies includes all of last year's stars, a year deeper into their primes. The team's only real weakness last year, the bullpen, has been entirely revamped. The Phils blew an MLB-leading 14 games in 2020 after leading by at least two runs. If they'd even held on in half of those games, they would've finished with the same record as the division champion Braves (35-25).

Bryce Harper clearly likes the Phils chances, especially with all-world catcher JT Realmuto back in the fold for five more years:

Indeed, the biggest challenge the Phillies face in returning to the playoffs is not their own roster. It is the improved rosters of every other team in the division. The Mets and the Nationals made the biggest additions. Even the Marlins are returning a young team that made a surprise playoff appearance in 2020. It's doubtlessly the deepest division in baseball, perhaps the deepest division the MLB has seen in some time, and a thrilling pennant race could be on the horizon this summer.

Overrated Ben Simmons carries the overrated Sixers

Since the Sixers lost MVP frontrunner Joel Embiid on March 12, they’ve gone 6-1, including a 4-0 run since last Saturday. Their only loss since March 12 was an overtime nailbiter to the Milwaukee Bucks, one of the other best teams in the NBA.

If there’s a storyline that’s been repeated ad-nauseum around the league in 2021, it’s that the Sixers have had a softer schedule than some of their top rivals. They have a chance to put that firmly to bed on Saturday night, when they battle the Los Angeles Clippers, again without Embiid.

The other storyline, one that’s been festering for years, is that Ben Simmons is somehow overrated. Few Philadelphia sports figures, outside of maybe Carson Wentz, have drawn the level of controversy and trade speculation as Simmons over the past half-decade.

How has Simmons answered these charges? Unlike Wentz, Simmons has gone through no prolonged slump; unlike Wentz, Simmons has seen postseason success. Simmons' first four years in the NBA have resulted in an Rookie of the Year Award and three consecutive All Star game appearances. To the notion that he doesn't get along with Embiid, the pair have utterly dominated when on the court together this year. Now, without Embiid, the Sixers remain atop the Eastern Conference under Simmons’ guidance, and Simmons is a front-runner for defensive player of the year.

The Sixers’ supporting cast deserves enormous credit, too. Danny Green had a monster night in the team's win over the Lakers on Thursday, while Shake Milton has been an unshakeable presence off the bench.

Nova continues it's march

For years of a protracted Sixers rebuild, NCAA-championship contending teams out of Villanova were the most exciting basketball in Philadelphia. Now, the stars have aligned for two championship contenders in the same year.

The fifth-ranked Wildcats demolished 13th seeded North Texas on Sunday, 84-61.

The win propelled Nova into the Sweet 16, where they'll face off against their bracket's number one seed, Baylor, on Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis. They're betting underdogs, but the 2016 and 2018 National Champions shouldn't be taken lightly: the last two times Nova reached the Sweet Sixteen, they won it all.

Center field wars

Back to the Phillies, spring training is winding down as the team prepares to ship back up to Broad and Pattison.

The team still has a few roster decisions to make, but none as impactful and mysterious as the center field job.

The position remains wide open, with five viable candidates still in the hunt to get the Opening Day nod and the lion's share of reps at the position.

1. The Phillies 9th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Adam Haseley should be considered the front runner for the starting job. The soon to be 25-year-old who has drawn Christian Yelich comparison brings a strong glove, high contact bat, and good eye to the mix, with power that's expected to grow. He's still recovering from an early March injury that saw him miss a few weeks of action, but even if he needs another week or two, Haseley has earned an extended look at the big league level.
2. Speedster Roman Quinn might be next on the depth chart, based on a strong spring performance (.323 average), above average to elite glove, and sprint speed that rivals anyone in the game. Quinn is notoriously injury prone, however, and he's also struggled with consistency with the bat in the majors.
3. Former first overall pick Mickey Moniak has been one of the team's most electric hitters in Clearwater. He's slashing a superhuman .273/.385/.727/1.112 in 18 games of Grapefruit League action. Still just 22, Moniak has plenty of time to meet the sky high expectations that come with a number one overall pick. He comes in at three on the list because it feels likely that manager Joe Girardi and the Phillies will want to give the youngster more seasoning in the minors. (Note: Moniak was indeed optioned this week and will begin the season in the minors).
4. Once non-tendered by the team following domestic abuse charges, Odubel Herrera remains a figure of great controversy in Phillies camp. But the Phillies have punished the former All Star as much as they legally can; if they release him, it must be for baseball reasons, according to league rules. At 29, he remains in his prime, and the team has been reportedly impressed with his new work ethic. His spring statistics, however, leave much to be desired, as he's struggled mightily with the bat, and has not played in a big league game since early 2019.
5. Finally there is Scott Kingery, who is coming off of a lost 2020 in which he played after recovering from coronavirus. Kingery has struggled this spring, but he can play all over the diamond, has flashed a very high ceiling, and seems like a lock to fill a super-utility role in 2021.

This Week in Philly Sports is a weekly dispatch covering the wildest, the weirdest, and the greatest sports city in America. Have something you'd like to see here? Email justin.heinze@patch.com.