The 2012 Phillies were not devoid of talent. Stars like Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Jimmy Rollins, and Carlos Ruiz were still around and playing at a high level. But if you’ve got good players at the top of the roster and are still just a .500 team, that means you’ve got some bad players at the bottom weighing things down.
The Phillies had no shortage of bad players in 2012. Nate Schierholtz, Dom Brown, John Lindblom, B.J. Rosenberg, Joe Savery, Chad Qualls, and the incomparable Michael Martinez all spent time on the 2012 roster, putting up negative wins above replacement.