End of the Road 2015: Philadelphia Phillies
After their loss Wednesday night, the Philadelphia Phillies have been mathematically eliminated from the MLB postseason, meaning that they’ve effectively come to end of the road in their 2015 season. As we’ll do with each eliminated team this season, let’s give them a send-off that would make Boyz II Men proud.
We’ll look at the high and lows of their season, what bright spots their future might hold and what questions need answering as they prepare for 2016.
HIGH POINT: Cole Hamels, twice. He threw a no-hitter in his final start with the Phillies on July 25, then was traded to the Texas Rangers five days later. The no-hitter was exciting on its own accord, but it was also a nice bow to put on Hamels’ time in Philly. Then the Phillies restocked the cabinet by getting six players in return for Hamels. (Mike Oz)
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BEST HIGHLIGHT: Francoeur pitching was pretty fun, at least until all hell broke loose, but the easy call here is the Hamels no-hitter. Everyone knew Hamels would be traded during the season, and he went out and tossed a no-no in his final start with the franchise. This season has mostly been a disaster, but Phillies fans will never forget Hamels’ final performance. It was an incredible moment that came at the perfect time. (Cwik)
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE: The future of the Phillies is actually not that bad. J.P. Crawford is regarded as one of the best shortstop prospects in the game, and pitcher Aaron Nola should be a solid contributor next season. On top of that, the team acquired outfielder Nick Williams, catcher Jorge Alfardo and pitcher Jake Thompson in the Cole Hamels trade. While he doesn’t have a lot of playing time under his belt, the club’s 2015 first-round pick Cornelius Randolph is hitting .302/.425/.442 in the Gulf Coast League. Crawford and Nola are the immediate names to remember, but the farm system is in decent shape. (Cwik)
QUESTION THAT NEEDS ANSWERING: What’s the leadership going to look like next season? Amaro is gone, so a new GM is on the way. They have Pete Mackanin installed as interim manager. He’s 28-38 thus far, but there’s talk that the Phillies are impressed with the job he’s done and could keep him around. (Oz)
Footnote: The Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies are the teams next in line to be eliminated.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
