Phillies: Rotation surprises in 2020, 2008, 1980

If Phillies teams with holes won championships, a casual observer could conclude adding two difference-making pieces means something, but the faithful blame general manager Matt Klentak for an imperfect roster.

Reality vs. memory:   

Instead of anticipating truck day, many Philadelphia Phillies fans view 2020 with dread because a “real” GM would assemble an active 25 with but a few blemishes. Yes, a starting staff should be –at least– equal to their divisional rivals and give the red pinstripes a fighting chance. Three studs?

"IN OTHER WORDS: “Comparison is the death of joy.” – Mark Twain"

No amount of logic can penetrate the defeatist attitudes of many locals, who believe the competition has the upper hand based also on 2019. But if the Fightins pile up enough victories in the second half to compete for the divisional pennant, will these doubting Thomases be bandwagon jumpers or fair-weather fans?

Remembering squads from 1980 and 2008, do you glorify the rotations of Paul Owens and/or Pat Gillick? Or are there some dents in your memory’s armor needing a light to reveal them? If so, a few surprises await those who believe 2020’s starting staff is inferior and can’t even earn a wild-card berth.

Besides Steve Carlton, whom from 1980’s rotation do you recall? If you were around in April of ’80, the names Larry Christenson and Dick Ruthven will be familiar. But who opened the season in the other two slots off the top of your head?

Although ’08 is memorable to many fanatics, which hurlers do you remember besides Cole Hamels? Perhaps, Brett Myers and Jamie Moyer are unforgettable from April’s rotation, and the other two you don’t recall, no? They escape your memory because those two rungs of the starting staff aren’t significant enough.

While many locals are unhappy with the front four of Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Zach Eflin and Jake Arrieta, they also bemoan the possibility of Vince Velasquez in the rotation. And some even think he can’t work more than three innings and want him to be the closer, but he’d have to earn even a seventh-frame setup role.

Instead of beginning at the top, let’s start at the bottom rung and see how 2020’s moundsmen compare to the fives of the 1980 and 2008 clubs. And since those were franchise champions, they must have had pitchers outshining Eflin and Arrieta. Yes, some believe those two should slot fifth.