The 2015 season has been a long and painful season for the organization as well as the loyal fans of the team. Despite this, the season can be viewed as a successful start to a franchise rebuild.
As of Sep. 9, 2015, the Phillies own the worst record of any team in Major League Baseball. Many fans were expecting a down year from the franchise, but it may not be so bad after all.
Despite the terrible record, the organization and its fan base can view this season largely as a success.
Donavin Williams, an 18-year-old nursing major from Bensalem said, “This season has been tough to watch, but it’s good to know that there is reason to still follow the team going forward.”
The Phillies have made sweeping changes across the organization. Among these changes are the announcement that Andy McPhail will be the team’s new President starting at the end of this season.
This season will be the final one for Amaro, as it has just been announced that his contract will not be renewed in the upcoming season. Scott Proefrock, the assistant general manager, will be replacing him.
Amaro has been heavily scrutinized by fans of the team for years now, and for good reason. Fans feel as if he has not put the team in a great position to succeed on the field. Despite this, he has had a pretty good season when it comes to the moves he has made.
Those moves date back to the offseason when he decided to trade longtime shortstop Jimmy Rollins to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and outfielder Marlon Byrd to the Cincinnati Reds. In those deals he received three good pitching prospects in Zach Eflin, Tom Windle, and Ben Lively.
He then traded Jonathon Papelbon, and Cole Hamels prior to the Jul. 31 non-waiver trade deadline. For Papelbon, the Phillies received a young pitching prospect named Nick Pivetta.
For Hamels, he acquired a package of five prospects including pitchers Jake Thompson, Alec Asher, and Jerad Eickoff, outfielder Nick Williams, and catcher Jorge Alfaro. They also received a veteran pitcher in Matt Harrison.
Thompson, Williams, and Alfaro are all rated in the top one hundred prospects of baseball by Baseball America and other prospect ranking sites. While Asher and Eickoff have already made their major league debuts with the Phillies.
Ryan Nolan, a 17-year-old nursing major from Bensalem said, “It’s sad to see the players that were vital to a championship go, but these moves are what’s best for the team.”

These moves have moved the Phillies up from having the 23 ranked prospect system in baseball to the 8 best, also based on Baseball American.
Manoj Kumar, a 17-year-old criminal justice major from Bensalem said, “It is great to see the organization moving in a new direction and trying to break from the past and move forward with a new group of young players.”
In addition to the moves made during the season, the Phillies’ minor league team finished the regular season in first place in their respective division and are hoping to make a lengthy playoff run.
So, despite an unsuccessful season on the field for the Phillies, there are many reasons to call this season an organizational success.