If you are looking for a basis for optimism about this Phillies season, 2015 is a pertinent year. At the time, rebuilding projects in Houston and Chicago were at a juncture similar to the one the Phillies’ is at now. Both teams were entering their fourth seasons under the command of front offices that had been hired to rebuild the roster from the ground up. The Astros, under Jeff Luhnow, had won 70 games the season before. The Cubs, under Theo Epstein, had won 73.
At the start of the regular season, oddsmakers in Vegas had set the over/unders for Chicago and Houston at 81.