Philadelphia Baseball History

Another Hall of Fame voting season has passed. Three players were elected by the BBWAA this year: Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Pudge Rodriguez. For a Phillies fan, it is interesting to note that a number of players from the dominant turn of the century teams, including the 2007 World Championship, are becoming eligible. This year, Pat Burrell and Matt Stairs were both on the ballot. But neither received a vote.  In the next three years, however, a number of Phillies players who deserve serious consideration will become eligible. It is possible that a few players who donned the red pinstripes may find themselves in Cooperstown soon.  Next year, two former Phillies, Jim Thome and Scott Rolen, will become eligible. Those, of course, spent most of his career with Cleveland. However, as indicated by his enshrinement in the Phillies Wall of Fame, he was a fan favorite in his time in Philadelphia.  Over the course of his twenty-two year career, Thome hit 612 home runs...

From a certain set of Phillies fans, Jimmy Rollins gets no love.   It’s hard to see why.   Rollins is only the all time Phillies leader in hits (2,306) and doubles (479).   In stolen bases, he’s second only to the legendary Slidin’ Billy Hamilton, whose numbers may be inflated due to how stolen bases were credited in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.   He’s second only to Mike Schmidt in extra base hits and total bases.   In triples, he is third behind Hall of Famers Ed Delahanty and Sherry Magee. Certainly, in a team that has suffered through the likes of Steve Jeltz and Ivan DeJesus, Rollins has been a highlight of the shortstop position. Having grown up in the 1970s, I loved Larry Bowa.   He was a team leader.   In his twelve years with the Phillies, Bowa batted .264 with 1,798 hits and 421 RBIs.   But, in his fifteen years with the Phillies, Rollins edges out Bowa, his mentor, with a .267 average, and 887 RBIs. ...