Turning back time in picking the Phillies All-Decade Team

ATLANTA, GA JULY 02: Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola (27) looks out from the dugout after pitching 8 scoreless innings during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies on July 2nd, 2019 at SunTrust Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA JULY 02: Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola (27) looks out from the dugout after pitching 8 scoreless innings during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies on July 2nd, 2019 at SunTrust Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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(Photo by Justin Berl/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by Justin Berl/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Let us take a look back at the past decade and check out the Philadelphia Phillies all-decade team.

Picking an all-decade team for the Philadelphia Phillies for the teens is a weird exercise because the decade saw at least one ultimate team peak (most wins in a season) and a lot of valleys, some very low indeed. Not surprisingly, then, the team selected here is heavy with players who happened to play on the 2011 team that posted 102 wins although a number of those players had actually peaked individually in the previous decade.

Remember, the Phillies finished first in the NL East in 2010 and ’11, then only as high as third twice more in the decade, and only once since 2012.

So, actually picking an all-decade team for the Phillies is a vaguely sad exercise as their fans hope managing owner John Middleton’s commitment to winning didn’t actually peak last winter, and he will have what used to be called the gumption to fix the team’s starting rotation. If not, the fear is that, despite Bryce Harper, the Phillies could slide back into their 20th century, losing ways.