One of many parallels linking the 1992 Phillies to their 2017 counterpart is the fact that they were not expected to be a great team, coming off a 1991 that was mediocre at best. As Michael Sadowski points out, a fearsome core was already forming on the 1992 roster, but soft spots remained that needed to be reinforced before the team could become the National League champions they were in 1993.
Curt Schilling, who logged the most innings pitched on the 1993 club, was an addition early in the 1992 season. Even with his stellar performance in 1992 that included an ERA+ of 150, the rotation was 19th in ERA.