Best Phillies player to wear each uni number
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The Phillies retired Dick Allen¡¯s No. 15 in 2020, a high honor to recognize a great player. It got us wondering about the best players to wear every number in Phillies history.
Here is our stab at it:
0: Al Oliver
He played only 28 games for the 1984 Phillies, but he also is the only No. 0 in franchise history.
00: Omar Olivares
He pitched only five games in 1995, but he gets the nod over Rick White, who made 38 appearances in 2006.
1: Richie Ashburn
It can be nobody other than Whitey.
2: Granny Hamner
A three-time All-Star who helped the Whiz Kids win the National League pennant in 1950.
3: Bryce Harper
Already? Yes, already. Other notables include Dale Murphy, Hunter Pence and Chuck Klein, who wore a bunch of numbers for the Phillies.
4: Lenny Dykstra
Jimmie Foxx wore the number in his only season with the Phillies in 1945, but Nails gets it.
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5: Pat Burrell
Hearing about this honor, Burrell dropped a ¡°thanks, guys,¡± and walked away.
6: Ryan Howard
An argument can be made for Johnny Callison, but the Big Piece is the greatest first baseman in franchise history.
7: Kenny Lofton
Maikel Franco (2014-19) and Bobby Wine (1963-68) wore the number longer than anybody. Pedro Feliz played on a World Series winner. But Lofton had the best career.
8: Shane Victorino
A lot of memorable players wore this number: Bob Boone, Juan Samuel, Tony Taylor and Jim Eisenreich are a few, but the Flyin¡¯ Hawaiian¡¯s combination of offense and defense on a championship team earns him the top spot.
9: Manny Trillo
Trillo made two NL All-Star teams and won three NL Gold Glove Awards and two NL Silver Slugger Awards from 1979-82.
10: Larry Bowa
Darren Daulton is a worthy alternative, but Bowa is iconic in Philly.
11: Jimmy Rollins
Is J-Roll¡¯s next stop Cooperstown?
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12: Mickey Morandini
Matt Stairs sent one deep into the night in No. 12, but Morandini was nearly a decade-long presence in it.
13: Billy Wagner
Wagner was electric in his two seasons with the Phillies (2004-05). He deserves more consideration from Hall of Fame voters.
14: Pete Rose
The number is retired because of Jim Bunning. Del Ennis is worthy, too. But Rose jerseys are still seen at Citizens Bank Park.
15: Dick Allen
One of the most underrated sluggers in baseball history.
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16: J.C. Romero
A key piece to the Phillies¡¯ bullpens from 2007-11. He got two wins in the '08 World Series.
17: Scott Rolen
It is time Phillies fans let go of any animosity toward Rolen. No question that he should be in the Hall of Fame.
18: John Vukovich
Vuk influenced a lot of careers as a longtime Phillies coach. A brilliant baseball mind and fiercely loyal to the organization.
19: Greg Luzinski
Look at the Bull¡¯s numbers from 1975-78 and appreciate how much he bashed and battered NL pitching.
20: Mike Schmidt
Michael Jack Schmidt is the greatest player in Phillies history and the greatest third baseman in baseball history.
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21: Andy Seminick
No disrespect to Bake McBride, but Seminick put up solid numbers in the 1940s. He had a great ¡¯50 season, too.
22: Pete Incaviglia
Inky gets the nod over everybody because he helped the 1993 team win a pennant.
23: Greg Gross
One of the greatest bench bats in franchise history, Gross twice became the big league hitting coach.
24: Mike Lieberthal
Nobody caught more games in Phillies history than Lieberthal.
25: Jim Thome
Milt Thompson, Del Unser and Tony Gonzalez are a few notable 25s, but Thome¡¯s Cooperstown credentials can¡¯t be ignored. He signaled the return of competitive baseball in Philly in 2003.
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26: Chase Utley
One of the most iconic athletes in Philadelphia history. Could he join Rollins in Cooperstown someday?
27: Aaron Nola
Nola already edges Placido Polanco, Danny Jackson, Lonnie Smith and Willie Montanez.
28: Jayson Werth
Werth put up great numbers in the regular season and even better numbers in the postseason. He beats out Curt Simmons, but can he hold off Alec Bohm?
29: John Kruk
Raul Ibanez and Stan Lopata were other notables to wear this number, but Kruk was such a key piece to the 1993 team.
30: Dave Cash
Cash made three consecutive NL All-Star teams from 1974-76.
31: Garry Maddox
The Secretary of Defense won eight consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1975-82.
32: Steve Carlton
Who wore No. 32 before Lefty? Bucky Brandon. He switched to No. 30 upon Carlton¡¯s arrival.
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33: Cliff Lee
Lee¡¯s return to Philadelphia in 2011 created the greatest single-season rotation in baseball history. Its 27.0 fWAR is the all-time best.
34: Roy Halladay
Doc packed so many incredible moments into such a short period: NL Cy Young Award, perfect game, postseason no-hitter.
35: Cole Hamels
So many great moments, too. At the top: the 2008 postseason and tossing a no-hitter in his final Phillies start in July 2015.
36: Robin Roberts
Roberts was one of the best pitchers in baseball in the 1950s -- and one of the most underrated. He is rarely mentioned as one of the game¡¯s greats from that era.
37: Ryne Sandberg
Oh, what might have been.
38: Curt Schilling
Before a championship in Arizona and the bloody sock in Boston, Schilling made his mark in the 1993 postseason.
39: Brett Myers
Myers became the Phillies¡¯ closer when the need arose in 2007. He moved back to the rotation and helped the Phillies win a World Series in ¡¯08.
40: Steve Bedrosian
The 1987 NL Cy Young Award winner.
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41: Chris Short
Short ranks as one of the greatest left-handed pitchers in Phillies history. Short and Bunning tried their best to save the season down the stretch in 1964.
42: Ron Reed
Reed was a constant presence in the Phillies¡¯ bullpen from 1976-83.
43: Randy Wolf
No doubt the Wolf Pack appreciates this choice.
44: Dick Ruthven
Roy Oswalt could be here, but Ruthven edges him because of his longevity with the organization (1973-75, ¡¯78-83).
45: Tug McGraw
Ya Gotta Believe that McGraw is the only choice here, although Zack Wheeler is building his case. Other considerations: Pedro Martinez, Tom Gordon and Terry Mulholland.
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46: Ryan Madson
Madson also wore No. 63, but he wore this number from 2009-11. He was a rock in the Phillies¡¯ bullpen from 2003-11.
47: Larry Andersen
Andersen deserves this spot on his pitching merits, but it becomes a no-brainer when you throw in his broadcasting career, too.
48: Dickie Noles
Remember that time Noles knocked down George Brett in the 1980 World Series?
49: Tommy Greene
Greene finished sixth for the NL Cy Young Award in 1993.
50: Jamie Moyer
General manager Pat Gillick got Moyer in a waiver trade in August 2006. Moyer stabilized the Phillies¡¯ rotation for years.
51: Carlos Ruiz
Choooooooooch.
52: Ricky Bottalico
A 1996 NL All-Star who gets fired up occasionally on Phillies Postgame Live.
53: Bobby Abreu
Look at Abreu¡¯s numbers and then compare him to other players in the Hall of Fame. He should be a stronger candidate.
54: Brad Lidge
How many times do you think Lidge has signed a photo of himself celebrating the final out of the 2008 World Series?
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55: Clay Condrey
A diamond in the rough who helped the Phillies¡¯ bullpen for a few years. The Phillies need to find more pitchers like Condrey.
56: Joe Blanton
He joined the Phillies in July 2008, solidified the rotation and hit a home run in the World Series.
57: David Herndon
The Phillies had a successful run of Rule 5 Draft picks for a few years. Herndon had a solid 2011 season before injuries derailed his career.
58: Jonathan Papelbon
He knows he will not be invited to alumni weekend anytime soon, but he is the franchise¡¯s all-time saves leader.
59: Antonio Bastardo
Bastardo had a couple solid seasons before the Phillies traded him to the Pirates in December 2014.
60: Alex Johnson
Johnson had a 135 OPS+ in 116 plate appearances as a rookie in 1964. It¡¯s good enough to beat Colton Murray, Seth Rosin and Jeff Manship.
61: Chan Ho Park
He struggled in the 2009 rotation, but fared very well in the bullpen.
62: Rick Wise
He wore this number only as a rookie in 1964, but he beats Patrick Schuster (2016), Kenny Roberts ('15) and Vic Power (1964).
63: Jake Diekman
The left-handed sidearmer was included in the Hamels deal with Texas in July 2015.
64: Víctor Arano
Only two Phillies players have worn this number: Gary Wagner in 1965 and Arano (2017-19). Arano showed promise when he was healthy.
65: JD Hammer
Eddie Oropesa (1991) was the only other Phillies player to wear the number.
66: J.A. Happ
Happ wore this number from 2007-08 before he switched to No. 43 in ¡¯09, when he finished second for NL Rookie of the Year.
67: Mauricio Robles
He had a 1.93 ERA in 4 2/3 innings in 2013, the only innings of his big league career. It puts him ahead of Trevor Kelley ('20) and Jose Pirela ('19).
70: Luis Avilán
The Phillies acquired Avil¨¢n to boost the 2018 bullpen, but he pitched only 5 2/3 innings.
73: Deivy Grullón
The Phillies let Grullon go this season, forcing them to call up Rafael Marchan earlier than expected.
74: Ugueth Urbina
The Phillies acquired Urbina and infielder Ramon Martinez from the Tigers for Polanco in June 2005.
75: Connor Brogdon
He broke into the big leagues in 2020 and posted a 3.97 ERA while collecting 17 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings.
77: Adonis Medina
Medina allowed two runs in four innings for the short-handed Phillies this season. He remains a top prospect.
79: JoJo Romero
He dazzled as a rookie in 2020, becoming one of the team¡¯s only bright spots in the bullpen.
93: Pat Neshek
Neshek chose this number upon his return to Philadelphia because he was the first player in baseball history to wear it.
94: Dalier Hinojosa
He had a 0.78 ERA in 18 appearances in 2015, creating some short-lived talk about him becoming a back-end bullpen piece.
96: Tommy Hunter
Hunter posted a 3.64 ERA in 94 appearances over three seasons with the Phillies from 2018-20. He missed most of ¡¯19 because of an elbow injury.
99: Mitch Williams
Wild Thing takes this spot. So Taguchi and Turk Wendell are the other two players in franchise history to wear it.
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