Philadelphia Baseball History

Offense.   First basemen are known for providing their team with much needed offense.   Often, a team will put a power-hitter on first, or even convert a good-hitting outfielder to the position, making the first baseman one of the strongest hitters of the team. The Phillies have had a number of good first basemen in their history.   What follows are the five players that stand out as the top first basemen to play for the Phillies, in our opinion.  If you believe any players belong on this list, or that the order in which he placed the following players is incorrect, please let us know in the comments. 5.             Fred Luderus Born on September 21, 1885 in Milwaukee, WI, Fred Luderus joined the National League in 1909 at age of 23 with the Chicago Cubs.   After a year and a half with the Cubs, Luderus was batting only .242 with an OPS of .644.   On July 29, 1910, the Cubs traded Lude...

Going into the 2016 baseball season, we all knew that the Phillies were not likely going to be competitive. The fact is that neglect of the farm system from the front office combined with the aging of the star players from the 2008 World Championship team left the Phillies depleted. A sad comment on the organization was that the highlight of the 2015 season was the firing of Ruben Amaro, Jr. as the General Manager. Although there was a degree of optimism when Andy MacPhail and Matt Klentak took over the front office, the amount of damage done to the Phillies organization meant that there would be no quick fix. Many pundits picked the Phils to lose 100 games in 2017.   Surprising many, the Phillies not only avoided losing 100 games, but also climbed out of the basement of the National League East, finishing with a better record than the Atlanta Braves. Along the way, the Phillies showed signs of improvement, giving their fans hope for a better future. This season may not ...