Philadelphia Phillies: Is 1979 Repeating Itself in 2012?

The Phillies were coming off three consecutive NL East titles in 1979 and three very disappointing NLCS playoff losses.  They shocked the baseball world by signing Pete Rose to play first base and acquired second basemen Manny Trillo in a trade with the Chicago Cubs.  Not only did they look to be primed for another playoff run, they looked even better than they did in the previous three seasons.

However, after sprinting out of the gate to a 27-16 start, injuries to Greg Luzinski, Manny Trillo, Larry Christenson and Larry Bowa saw them go into a tailspin that dropped their record to 65-67 and as a result, they were buried behind the Pittsburgh Pirates and Montreal Expos.  They were able to right the ship toward the end of the season, winning 13 of their last 20, but it was too little too late, and the Phils finished the 1979 season 84-78 and in fourth place.

When spring training came around in 1980, it was widely known that the nucleus of Mike Schmidt, Bob Boone and Bake McBride, as well as Bowa and Luzinski, could be broken up if they did not win now.  We all know what happened in 1980, as the Phillies won their first-ever World Series championship.

In essence, the team needed to take a step back before it could move forward again.

That brings us to 2012.  The team is coming off two extremely disappointing playoff exits and a World Series defeat in 2009.  Injuries have decimated the team, losing significant amounts of time from stars Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Roy Halladay.  Many others have spent time on the shelf as the season slowly and painfully slips away.

The pessimistic Phillies fan can see this as a possible “beginning of the end” of arguably the best run in Philadelphia Phillies history.  The core has aged and the minor league system doesn’t have capable reinforcements to turn this thing around.  The optimist can point to 1979.  The team needs to be humbled and take a step back to taste failure to bring the hunger back.

2013 should have enough talent to make another run if the team remains healthy.  That’s the key when dealing with an old team.  Halladay will be 36 while Lee will turn 34.  Carlos Ruiz, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley will be 34. Howard will be 33. 

It’s possible Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino will be gone, while Placido Polanco will definitely be gone. There is a ton of uncertainty but at the same time, the ’80 season started the same way. 

Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has his work cut out for him between the 2012 trading deadline and 2013 spring training.  Can he get younger by dealing Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino at the trade deadline?  The ’80 squad was energized with young talent like Lonnie Smith, Keith Moreland, Bob Walk and Marty Bystrom.

Does Amaro have what it takes to make this team relevant again? A lot will be riding on him to make 2012 look like 1979…and 2013 to look like 1980.

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