Philadelphia Phillies’ Rebuild Is a Slow Process
“The teams that have gone through successful rebuilds have gone through periods much like we’re
going through right now,” Klentak said last week in his office at Citizens Bank Park.
That was the first of what will soon be six consecutive seasons without a winning record, a string that followed a five-year run atop the N. L.
The Phillies won a championship in 2008 — the only crown for a major pro sports franchise in Philadelphia over the last 34 years —
but have fallen hard, with a major-league-worst 24-48 record through Friday.
“There’s a difference between winning games in the minor leagues and developing players — those two things are not exactly the same —
but there definitely is a correlation there,” Klentak said.
The Phillies had a better record than seven other teams last season (71-91), but had by far the major leagues’ worst run differential, at minus 186.
“It’s funny,” Meyer said, “because in my mind I was like, ‘You guys are the craziest basketball fans
and you know every player on our team, so how do you not know that?
As we watch our minor league teams, you can see from level to level how winning becomes contagious.”
The major league team has not caught the bug.