TBT: Phillies Edition

A few weeks ago The Phillies had their Nostalgia Weekend and wanted us to “Get Back” to the psychedelic summer of 1969. So, with a “Suspicious Mind,” I decided to look into the 1969 Phillies and discovered that this was a bad team, every bit as bad as the 2015 team.

In the “Dawning of the age of Aquarius” The Phillies finished fifth in the NL East and lost 99 games. The 2015 team is currently in fifth place in the division and could easily lose 100 games or more. The 1969 team’s average age was 27.2 years old, the 2015 average is 28.7. The ’69 Phils were ranked 9^th out of 12 teams in runs scored, batting average (.241) and total hits. While they were fourth best in the league in home runs, they were 11^th out of twelve in strike outs. Of the 15 NL teams in 2015, The Phillies currently rank last in runs scored, 12^th in batting average (.247) 8^th in total hits. Opposite the ’69 team, the 2015 team ranks second to last in home runs and fourth in strike outs.

The comparable futility of these two teams would make “Everyday People,” “Dizzy.”

Let’s look at some pitching. Although the 2015 season is incomplete, as of today, The Phillies staff ranks dead last in wins, hits, runs and home runs and are 14^th in ERA (4.66). The 1969 hurlers were last in only one category- hits- but they were 10^th out of 12 in wins and ERA (4.14)

In 1969 The Phillies fired their manager, Bob Skinner, before the season was over. In 2015 Ryne Sandberg resigned mid-season.

After the 1969 season The Phillies traded core players from the 1964 team and began a process that took six years to make the team competitive and eventually World Series Champions. Within three years Larry Bowa, Greg Luzinski, Bob Boone, Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton were with the club and on their way to fulfilling Phillies fans’ championship dreams.

After the 2015 season, perhaps during, The Phillies will trade core players from the great 2011 team and start the rebuilding process. I hope it doesn’t take until “The Year 2525” for them to win another World Series and that within a few years Maikel Franco is leading a core of HOF caliber players to a title.

That would be groovy.