Philadelphia Phillies are beginning to remind me of the late 1990s teams

Gone are the glory days of the Philadelphia Phillies from 2007-2011. Those years when the team was winning – or at least always doing whatever they could to seize victory – is done.

The 2022 Phillies team is shaping up to be a lot like the ones I grew up watching. My first game, Fan Appreciation Day in 1996’s home finale, was a win over the New York Mets. At the time, I didn’t comprehend how bad the team was.

As the late 1990s and even the early 2000s went on and my fandom grew, there were always a handful of players each year I could enjoy and appreciate. Every Curt Schilling start was exciting. Watching Scott Rolen become one of the best third basemen in baseball was a treat. Each season, there were some surprises. The team didn’t win much and the front office didn’t seem to care. It sounds a lot like the current situation.

The 2022 Philadelphia Phillies look a lot like the teams from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Are the present-day Philadelphia Phillies better than the ones from my childhood? They probably are. They’ve finished at or near .500 for the last few seasons. Those early teams from my fandom couldn’t even sniff the playoffs regardless of how many teams were making it each season.

Despite having the reigning National League MVP and the Cy Young runner-up, the Phillies have some major holes on the roster.

Zack Wheeler is their Schilling while Aaron Nola is any number of pitchers who had potential to do something great or have a forgettable year. Bryce Harper is the Rolen or maybe the Bobby Abreu or possibly even both combined. Harper is much more impactful than either of them ever was but for what purpose? When the rest of your team doesn’t carry the weight, the best player in the league doesn’t really matter. Ask Mike Trout.

Those late 1990s/early 2000s teams never had a presentable starting rotation. The 2001 Phillies, the first during my time rooting for them to finish above .500, had a starting five anchored by Robert Person, Omaar Daal, and Randy Wolf with his leading 3.70 ERA. Somehow, they still won 86 games. Although it was only two games behind the Atlanta Braves, they were closer to the middle of the National League than the top.

There were years when a player like Mike Lieberthal could break out and hit 31 home runs and bat .300 for the Phillies during that stretch the same way a member of the current club could. Many of those down years for the club had too many guys not having career years or even performing below it. Pitching was especially problematic. The team had countless prospects and high draft picks never develop on the mound. In retrospect, some of the offensive numbers may even be skewered due to the era those seasons took place.

Nostalgia can be a good thing. When it comes to bad baseball, it’s the kind I think most of us can pass on.