Philadelphia Baseball History

Going into the 2016 baseball season, we all knew that the Phillies were not likely going to be competitive. The fact is that neglect of the farm system from the front office combined with the aging of the star players from the 2008 World Championship team left the Phillies depleted. A sad comment on the organization was that the highlight of the 2015 season was the firing of Ruben Amaro, Jr. as the General Manager. Although there was a degree of optimism when Andy MacPhail and Matt Klentak took over the front office, the amount of damage done to the Phillies organization meant that there would be no quick fix. Many pundits picked the Phils to lose 100 games in 2017.   Surprising many, the Phillies not only avoided losing 100 games, but also climbed out of the basement of the National League East, finishing with a better record than the Atlanta Braves. Along the way, the Phillies showed signs of improvement, giving their fans hope for a better future. This season may not ...

Original thinking is not necessarily the hallmark of sports reporting these days.   It’s more like a pack mentality.   Here we are at the beginning of Spring Training.   No games have been played, and the roster has not been set.   Indeed, for the Phillies, this is a year of major transitions.   Yet, before anyone truly knows who is going to be on the major league club, all of the major outlets are simply assuming that the Phils will be as bad, if not worse, than last year. Quite frankly, I find this nothing more than lazy reporting.   Certainly, the theme for the Phillies this year is that of change; long awaited change.   Thankfully, the new guard has chosen to build through youth.   What this means is that the major league roster will be full of players with a limited track record from which to judge.   For those who make a living off of prognostication, the Phillies present a particularly difficult problem, that of uncertainty. ...