At his peak, Ryan Howard was one of baseball’s most dangerous hitters.
With the 2017 MLB postseason underway, fans across the country can fantasize about champagne-soaked celebrations, parade’s down city streets, and exorcising the ghosts of seasons past.
Sadly for nine teams, this postseason will amount to nothing more than a “what could have been?” conversation at sports bars for decades to come. For many disgruntled fans, the wounds of years past are still too fresh, and the anniversary of the 2007 postseason brings back some especially harrowing memories.
Surprisingly, many of the 2017 postseason contenders also had their chances in 2007, but it remains to be seen if the results will be the same.
If the thought of the 2007 postseason still triggers clenched fists for you, read at your own risk. In this series, we’ll take a trip down memory lane to revisit the contenders in the 2007 playoffs, what got them there, and where they went in years to come.
First up, the Philadelphia Phillies.
2007 Philadelphia Phillies (89-73, 1st In NL East)
A year after falling 1.5 game short of a Wild Card spot (before the introduction of a second Wild Card team), the Phillies returned for the 2007 season with a chip on their shoulder. They’d won 80 or more games every year since 2001, yet hadn’t appeared in the playoffs since their World Series loss in 1993.
With star first baseman Ryan Howard coming off an MVP season in which he hit 58 homers, shortstop Jimmy Rollins confidently declared the Phillies as “the team to beat” before the season began. With other stars emerging in second baseman Chase Utley and lefty ace Cole Hamels, Rollins had every reason to be confident. An MVP season from Rollins, strong seasons from Utley and Howard, and an outfield of Aaron Rowand, Pat Burrell, and a young Shane Victorino helped the Phillies lead the National League in RBI.
Entering September, the Phillies seemed prime to miss the playoffs once again, trailing the defending division champ New York Mets by seven games with 17 to play. A historic collapse from the Mets, combined with a 13-4 stretch from the Phillies, saw them enter the final day of the season in a division tie.
The Phillies held the tiebreaker entering the season’s final day, and a Brett Myers strikeout of Nationals Willy Mo Pena would send the Phillies to the postseason for the first time in 14 years.
Manager: Charlie Manuel (3rd with team)
End Result: Lost NLDS to Colorado Rockies in three games
Despite possessing one of the most potent lineups in baseball during the regular season, the home-run reliant Phillies failed to win a single game against the Rockies during the playoffs. The Phils were held to two runs on four hits (solo home runs from Rowand and Burrell) in Game 1, and just two runs on nine hits in Game 3. Though their bats were livelier in Game 2, a grand slam by Kaz Matsui off Kyle Lohse would be their undoing, ultimately dropping the crucial game, 10-5.
2008 Record: 92-70 (1st in NL East)
After a long-awaited return to the playoffs in 2007, Phillies fans would have a lot to smile about over the next half-decade, winning five division titles from 2008-2012. After their pitching struggles in 2007, the Phillies would correct the issue in the offseason, trading for closer Brad Lidge and leaping into baseball’s Top 5 teams in ERA. Lidge, Ryan Madson, J.C. Romero, and newcomer Chad Durbin would secure the bullpen en route to Philadelphia’s first World Series title since 1980. It would be their only World Series title in their dynasty-run, though they’d return in 2009, where they fell to the New York Yankees.
Top Draft Pick: LHP Joe Savery (19th overall from Rice University)
As well regarded with the bat as with the glove, Savery and the Rice Owl’s would sweep the Texas A&M Aggies in the College World Series soon after he was drafted, and his future was bright. Unfortunately, his control disappeared, and in 2010 the team decided to convert him to a hitter. Despite minor league success as a hitter, in 2011 the team would decide to convert him back to a pitcher, a reliever this time. He would make his MLB debut in 2011 but never sustained success at the highest level, with a 3.83 ERA in parts of four years with the Phillies and Oakland Athletics. He retired in 2015, and now works as an insurance agent.
Other Notable Picks: C Travis d’Arnaud (supplemental pick, #37 overall), RHP Brandon Workman (3rd round), RHP Justin De Fratus (11th overall), LHP Jacob Diekman (30th overall)
d’Arnaud was a part of two separate deals for Cy Young award winners, a 2010 deal that netted the Phillies Roy Halladay, and 2012 deal that sent R.A. Dickey to the Blue Jays. He still resides behind the plate with the Mets, but after arriving with much promise, at 28 he’s still searching for consistency.
Workman opted to go to college but was selected by the Boston Red Sox three years later. He was an important piece down the stretch of their 2013 World Series run, and after two missed seasons with Tommy John surgery, he’s back in the bullpen as a steady piece of their 2017 bullpen.
De Fratus spent parts of five seasons in the Phillies bullpen, putting together a 4.08 ERA, but hasn’t seen a major league field since the 2015 season. He’s currently in the independent league.
Diekman made his debut as part of the Phillies bullpen in 2012 and would establish his dominance against lefties over the new few years. He was shipped to the Texas Rangers as part of the Cole Hamels deal in 2015 and posted a solid 3.40 ERA in 53 innings for the Rangers in 2016. He missed most of 2017 due to injuries.
Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects: RHP Carlos Carrasco (#41 overall)
A stud now with the Cleveland Indians, “Cookie” was once upon a time viewed as a future star in the National League. Signed as an undrafted free-agent in 2003, Carrasco pitched a no-hitter with Double-A Reading and appeared on the World roster three times in the All-Star Futures Game. He was a centerpiece in the 2009 deal that sent Cliff Lee to Philadelphia.
Team Leaders:
- BA: 2B Chase Utley- .332
- HR: 1B Ryan Howard- 47
- RBI: 1B Ryan Howard- 136
- SB: SS Jimmy Rollins- 41
- W: LHP Cole Hamels- 15
- ERA: LHP Cole Hamels- 3.39
- SO: LHP Cole Hamels- 177
- SV: Brett Myers- 21
Individual Awards: Jimmy Rollins (NL MVP), Jimmy Rollins (Gold Glove- SS), Aaron Rowand (Gold Glove- OF), Chase Utley (Silver Slugger- 2B), Jimmy Rollins (Silver Slugger- SS)
Ten years later, baseball may have changed, but it’s not hard to see reminders of years past! Be sure to check out my recap of the 2017 postseason, coming in 2027!
