Philadelphia Phillies: 3 reasons why the 2008 team was so special
By Tim Boyle
The 2008 Philadelphia Phillies had underdogs other teams had given up on.
Jayson Werth didn’t become a star until he joined the Phillies. Once a highly-touted prospect, he was picked up off the trash heap and would become one of the best players on the roster over the next few seasons—beginning in 2008.
It wasn’t just this one addition to the club that fills this description. Before Mr. Perfect Brad Lidge was a member of Phillies history, he was a former Houston Astros closer who was trending in the wrong direction. Houston decided to trade him to Philadelphia after the 2007 season along with one of the biggest underdogs of all on the roster, Eric Bruntlett. Bruntlett wouldn’t play nearly as important of a role on the team. The super utility man played a ton of shortstop early in the year while Rollins was hurt and later became the team’s late-inning replacement in left field for improved defense.
Catcher Chris Coste, a rookie at age 33 in 2006, had a short-lived yet member MLB career with the Phillies. I’m not sure anything better defines “underdog” than his career timeline.
Finally, you can’t talk about underdogs on the 2008 Phillies roster without mentioning Shane Victorino. The Gold Glove-winning center fielder was a 2004 Rule 5 Draft pick by the club. Against so many odds, he became a fan favorite and one of the most productive members of the roster.