Jun 26, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA;
There were more fireworks surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies in 2015 than those put on display for fans at the conclusion of a game against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park.
(Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)
For the Philadelphia Phillies, there were a handful of franchise-altering moments during a 2015 season that saw the club finish with the worst record in baseball for the first time in nearly two decades.
Some of those moments led to a complete change in direction at the highest levels of the franchise. Some led to changes in management at the field level. Still others turned the page on the team’s recent championship past.
The end of any calendar year is always an opportunity for us to look back and examine the road down which we travelled for these last 12 months. For a ball club, that road is filled with twists and turns. Injuries, trades, free agent signings, management changes, on-field results.
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Much of what we think we know every January about the Phillies turns out to be way off by the time all is said and done. But that really wasn’t the case in 2015. Entering the year, everyone knew that it would be a season of change. It was simply a question of who, where, and when.
It is my opinion that the following five developments were the most influential on the Phillies franchise. All of them happened during or immediately following the 2015 season. All of them have major ramifications for the team’s future. Just how influential each will end up is something that may take years to evaluate.
Next: 2015 Phillies Influential Moment #5: Goodbye, Chase