2007-2011 was arguably the most successful span in the franchise history of the Philadelphia Phillies. The Philles made five consecutive trips to the playoffs which included them winning it all in 2008. However as all good things have to come to an end, the core players that helped the Phiilies win the World Series have either retired or been traded. Since 2012, the Phillies have not had another winning season, and since Andy MacPhail was named as the team’s president of baseball operations in 2015, the team has been in full rebuilding mode.
2016 would see Philadelphia give a spirited effort in spite of the fact that they were 71-91. But whereas the Philies somewhat overachieved last year, that is not the case this time around as their record of 30-60 has them on track to lose 100 games for the first time since 1961. The Phillies also have the worst record in Major League Baseball this year as MacPhail and his staff are attempting to get things turned around.
Philadelphia has not been above .500 since April 28, and you have to go back to the beginning of June to find the last time in which they were able to win a series. Offensively the Phillies are near the bottom of the National League in all of the major statistical categories which includes them being 14th in runs scored (345), and the same can be said about their pitching staff whose team’s earned run average of 4.65 is 12th. And for Phillies manager Pete Mackanin and his young team, they are definitely taking their lumps this season.
However all is not lost for the Phillies as players such as first baseman Tommy Joseph, starting pitcher Aaron Nola, and outfielder Aaron Altherr are giving the folks in Philadelphia some hope for the future. Joseph who just turned 26-years of age this past Sunday is in his second season with the Phillies and he’s on the cusp of hitting 20 home runs for the second consecutive year. Nola was the Phillies first-round pick in 2014 and he made his Major League Baseball debut in 2015. Nola has yet to make at least 30 starts in a season, but he is putting together the best year of his brief career. Nola is 6-6 with an earned run average 3.54. But in Nola’s last eight seven starts, he has given the Phillies at least six innings in seven of those outings which included him going eight innings while only surrendering a pair of runs versus the San Diego Padres on July 8 as he was the hard luck loser. After appearing sparingly for the Phillies over the past three seasons, Altherr is finally getting an opportunity to be an everyday player. Altherr is leading the Phillies in batting average (.288) and on-base percentage (.359) as he along with Joseph each have the potential to go yard 20 times.
But in spite of the fact of the potential of players such as Joseph, Nola, and Altherr, the name of the game in Major League Baseball is winning and the Phillies have not done much of that. When you were on top like the Phillies were, sometimes the reset button must be pushed. After the Phillies won the World Series in 2008, Ruben Amaro Jr. would replace Pat Gillick as the team’s general manager. Amaro attempted to keep the Phillies machine rolling as he mortgaged the future by trading prospects in order to acquire established veterans. However being that the Phillies would remain in contention, they would never win the World Series again. And even though that the title window had closed on the Phillies, Amaro held onto his aging players too long which decreased their value on the trade front which has made MacPhail’s job that much more difficult.
Andy MacPhail
However MacPhail knows how to build a winner as he has previously worked as a front office executive for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, and Baltimore Orioles. MacPhail’s time with all three clubs led to playoff berths for each organization with the Twins winning their only two World Series Titles in franchise history which gives the Phillies optimism that he can do the same for their club.
2017 might be a wash in Philadelphia, but I do expect MacPhail and his staff to use this time to evaluate the roster as they are getting a jump start on 2018.
Leave A Comment