Philadelphia Phillies: 3 reasons why the 2008 team was so special
By Tim Boyle
The Philadelphia Phillies won it all back in 2008. Having missed out on the 1993 run and suffering through the late 1990s and early 2000s, the 2008 team became an all-time favorite for me and I’m not sure much will change that.
What was about it about the 2008 team that made them so special? Winning certainly helped. But there’s more to it.
The Phillies won the 2008 World Series without a single Hall of Fame player on the roster. How did they do it? What made them so special?
The 2008 Philadelphia Phillies were filled with homegrown talent.
After so many years of losing and picking wrong in the draft, it was nice to see the Phillies finally build a roster made up with a lot of homegrown talent.
The starting lineup included the best first baseman, second baseman, and shortstop in club history. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins were the three best at their positions to ever suit up for the Phillies. Add in Pat Burrell and World Series MVP Cole Hamels, we have a core we watched grow up through the farm system and eventually win a championship.
On a lesser extent, the roster also included Carlos Ruiz and Brett Myers. Ruiz would become an important part of Phillies history. Back in 2008, he was just a catcher sharing the duties behind the plate. Myers was never quite beloved in Philadelphia but was still a hyped prospect who played a role on the World Series-winning team.
Ask fans of most teams in every sports what they would prefer their championship team to look like, it would be full of guys they knew about from the start of their professional career. The Phillies had plenty of players like this.