Zero. That’s how many players remain from the 2008 championship team. A night that filled the hearts and the eyes of fans with joy. But unfortunately, in baseball years that was an eternity ago. It has been time to move on for a while now and they are finally on the road to recovery.
The Philadelphia Phillies finished the last season in the middle of the pack, going 71-91. Just like the other teams of the city, the Phils are in the midst of rebuilding a young core and with that process, comes underwhelming seasons.
With the rebuild, comes struggle and with struggle comes lack of entertainment.
Home games were empty; the team was shutout multiple times. It was a roller coaster ride for the Phillies this year.
“I went a couple times last year” said Bucks student Mike Reick, “Sometimes it was hard to watch, they barely scored runs.”
Another student Justin Longo mentioned he was “going to go the next season when some of the prospects are up from the farm.”
But in this past season we saw emergence of young stars that will structure the backbone of this team. Odubel Herrera, Maikel Franco, Freddy Galvis all seem like the players that will turn this team around for the better. They will be place all through the batting lineup and hopefully contribute power, speed and consistency.
If you look deeper, the farm system can finally become what everyone predicted them to be. They have eight top 100 prospects, which leads the MLB. The call ups should and will become more frequent after strong spring outings.
J.P Crawford said to be the next great short stop is standing at the phone ready for the call. Power houses Rhys Hoskins and Dylan Cozens combined for 78 home runs in Double-A last year and the likes of Jake Thompson should bolster an already strong rotation after getting his chance last September.
“I went to see him when he was at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, said Justin Longo about J.P Crawford, “I can’t wait till he is in Philly with the Phillies.
These players and others may not see immediate success at the professional level but getting them up here and seeing playing time is crucial for the future of this team.
In addition to the farm, they also signed former all-star Michael Saunders from the Blue Jays and acquired Howie Kendrick from the dodgers this past off season. They will add power depth and consistency to this lineup.
Although they don’t seem that important to the future of the team, veteran presence is needed after the departures of Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz.
“I think we can turn some heads this year” said Bucks student Matt Gornall, “We’re young and rapidly improving.”
Nobody knows that to expect this year, “they have high hopes” as Harry Kalas used to say, but they have some ways to go before consideration for another appearance in the fall classic.