These Phillies Aren't Any Younger
This brand of Phils will get their age from Jamie Moyer (46), Matt Stairs (41) and Raul Ibanez (38). The 1983 Phils had more 38-plus players (Pete Rose, Tony Perez, Joe Morgan, Steve Carlton, Ron Reed, Tug McGraw), but where the new kids have the edge is in a plethora of 30-plus players. In fact, of the potential starting eight, only Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino won’t be 30 during the 2009 season.
For posterity sake, the 1980 Phillies were over 30 years old, like the 2008 team. The 1981 Phillies were a shade over 31, and had a great first half. But a bad post-strike second half.
Does it mean much? Probably not. But these Phils aren’t getting younger. Only the Astros should compete with the Phils for the National League’s grandfather title. At some point, the team might see the additions of Carlos Carrasco (21) and Lou Marson (22), but the youth remains to be seen. And with age comes more chances for injury, especially as innings pile up (see Hamels, Madson, Blanton, Durbin, Myers, Victorino, Werth). For now, the Phillies are comparable to the Wheeze Kids.
