Philadelphia Phillies: A look back at a decade of honeymoons, nostalgia and reconstruction

A retrospective look at the past decade for the Phillies, and all of the fan-fare and turbulence that it provided.

As we look ahead to one of the most anticipated seasons in recent Phillies’ history, we can reflect on the decade that was the 2010s and all the tumult that came with it.

The past ten years saw arguably the greatest run in franchise history come to an end, with five straight division championships and two World series appearances from 2007-2011.

The following eight seasons would see an average of 72 wins per season, and an average finish of fourth place in the NL East, with three different managers over the final six seasons.

The beginning of the decade was the highlight of every Phillies fans’ dreams: two straight WS appearances, the acquisition of former Cy Young winners Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee to pair with their World Series MVP Cole Hamels, and their homegrown core of Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard at the peak of their primes.

Yet, after the 2011 season, the franchise crashed hard, settling for mediocrity for several season before selling the farm and embracing the rebuild.

While this decade was not the most fruitful in terms of wins and championships, it paid tribute to the players who helped establish Philadelphia as a baseball haven again, and helped fans fall back in love with the team that had broken their hearts in 1993.

With the first half of the 2010s celebrating the careers of the winningest manager in franchise history, a Cy Young winner, two MVPs, and “The Man,” the Phillies end the decade with an improved outlook towards the future, featuring their own former MVP, bonafide ace, and World Series-winning manager.

Everyone played a part in the Phillies early success

I can’t think of a better time to be a Phillies’ fan than in the earlier part of the 2010s. Philadelphia had always been a great sports, but their success usually fell out right at the end of the season, either in the playoffs or in the championship. Something always felt different about this group of Phillies though.

Not just the fact that we had so many players that came up through the organization and had great success at the big-league level. But they had guys like Carlos Ruiz, who might be the greatest game-caller in Phillies’ history, and Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Greg Dobbs, Ben Francisco. Guys who just came in, put their heads down, and went to work. The types of players that Philly fans love.

As a 17-year-old I know I tried to model my game after Victorino, try to catch everything in sight and do whatever it took to get on base when my number was called.

After ten years of watching their fall from grace, and their disappointing transition to the new regime, I find myself starting to have that excitement that I had then.

With still a handful of homegrown players, and some stupid money spent on big names, I dream and hope that they’ll find the same magic that the team at the beginning of the decade found.

A now 27-year-old me gets to watch J.T. Realmuto put on a show every night (if you don’t know my obsession with J.T., read my other articles).

A brief glimpse into the decade that was for the Phillies

Roy Halladay had put the entire league on notice in 2010 and shut down any notions that he was a fringe Hall of Famer. The Cy Young winner threw the 20th perfect game in MLB history, and followed that up with the second ever postseason no-hitter ever, in his first postseason appearance for Game 1 of the NLDS. I can still remember the chill down my spine watching that performance, Yet, the Phillies ran into the buzz saw that was the “even-year” Giants, who would go on to win the World Series.

The 2011 season saw the end of the Phillies 5-year playoff run. Cliff Lee came back to the staff for a final hurrah, and the “Four Aces” were absolutely dominant, leading to a franchise record in wins.  Halladay, Hamels, Lee, Roy Oswalt, and Vance “The Vanimal” Worley combined for 70 wins, and a 2.89 ERA. Yet, the Phillies ran into fate again, losing to the future World Series champion Cardinals in the NLDS.

In the final game of the season, as a sort of omen for the years to come, Ryan Howard tore his Achilles tendon running to first on the final play of the game.

The dismantling of the dynasty began in the up-and-down 2012 season, shipping off Shane Victorino and Joe Blanton to the Dodgers, and Hunter Pence to the Giants. Most of the pitching staff dealt with lingering injuries, while Jonathan Papelbon dominated at the back-end of the bullpen with 38 saves and a 2.44 ERA.

The ultimate shift to rebuilding the franchise should have come in 2013, which saw a multitude of one-year veteran contracts, the dismissal of Charlie Manuel (the winningest manager in franchise history), and the retirement of Roy Halladay, whose dominance buoyed the back-end of the team’s postseason streak. In the June draft, Phillies drafted J.P. Crawford and Andrew Knapp in the first and second rounds.

The Matt Klentak era began for the Phillies and things have slowly turned around

The Matt Klentak era began in the 2016 season, and would be the final Phillies’ years for Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz. This season saw the increased production in Herrera, Cesar Hernandez, and Hector Neris, while the team failed to eclipse 75 wins.

These were dark days, where names like Jeremy Hellickson and Jeanmar Gomez were heavily relied upon in the pitching staff, with Tyler Goeddel and Cody Asche splitting time in left field.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Aaron Nola show was the highlight of the 2017 season, where he displayed glimpses of the ace we see today. That’s about it. Another sub-70 win season, finishing last in the division, and culminating in the firing of then-manager Pete Mackanin. Oh, and they turned a triple play.

Yet, new owner John Middleton promised a shift in franchise ideology, leading to the hiring of analytics-driven Gabe Kapler as new the manager.

The last two seasons saw the rise of the Phillies from mediocre-at-best to above-average, winning 80+ games in back to back season since 2011-2012. Aaron Nola was sensational in 2018, earning an All-Star bid and finished third in the Cy Young. Rhys Hoskins also continued his power surge to start his career, being the fastest Phillie to 30 home runs and 100 RBIs.

As for outside the organization, the Phillies went on a spending spree in the 2018 offseason, acquiring the likes of Andrew McCutchen, J.T. Realmuto, and Bryce Harper. Realmuto had arguably the best defensive year for a catcher since Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez in 2019. And Bryce Harper signed the largest contract in MLB history…until Mike Trout broke it later that offseason.

It was clear after the 2019 season that average would no longer be acceptable, and Kapler was fired. World Series winning manager Joe Girardi was hired to bring a championship pedigree back to the organization.

While most of the decade was hard to watch, and tested the mettle of most fans, it was also a time of reflection. We celebrated the careers of many players who came up through the organization, and closed out a massive chapter in the franchise’s history. And now, with the revitalization of the roster and staff, the Phillies are primed to make another push back into the playoff fold. A few pieces may still be missing, but the prior seasons of disdain have led to the coming seasons of triumph.

At the very least, this team makes watching baseball fun. I mean did you see Bryce Harper’s reaction after hitting that absolute moon shot walk-off grand slam?

Baseball is exciting again in Philadelphia.