With a new, analytically-inclined manager and front office leading the Phillies, they are finally adopting new trends in the game. Batted ball data influences their outfield shifts, and spin rates are influencing how pitchers develop their arsenal.
Another new trend, inspired by Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon, is a complete re-invention of how baseball lineups are crafted. For quite a while, lineups had a very specific pattern: put the fastest guys first, follow them up with the power hitters, then end the lineup with your weakest hitters, with your pitcher at the end.
Maddon turned that notion on its head over the last few years; it’s part of the reason they won the World Series.