Best Phillies player to wear each uni number

Best Phillies player to wear each uni number

December 1st, 2021

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:
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:
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:
Already? Yes, already. Other notables include Dale Murphy, Hunter Pence and Chuck Klein, who wore a bunch of numbers for the Phillies.

4:
Jimmie Foxx wore the number in his only season with the Phillies in 1945, but Nails gets it.

5:
Hearing about this honor, Burrell dropped a “thanks, guys,” and walked away.

6:
An argument can be made for Johnny Callison, but the Big Piece is the greatest first baseman in franchise history.

7:
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:
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:
Darren Daulton is a worthy alternative, but Bowa is iconic in Philly.

11:
Is J-Roll’s next stop Cooperstown?

12:
Matt Stairs sent one deep into the night in No. 12, but Morandini was nearly a decade-long presence in it.

13:
Wagner was electric in his two seasons with the Phillies (2004-05). He deserves more consideration from Hall of Fame voters.

14:
The number is retired because of Jim Bunning. Del Ennis is worthy, too. But Rose jerseys are still seen at Citizens Bank Park.

15:
One of the most underrated sluggers in baseball history.

16:
A key piece to the Phillies’ bullpens from 2007-11. He got two wins in the '08 World Series.

17:
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:
Look at the Bull’s numbers from 1975-78 and appreciate how much he bashed and battered NL pitching.

20:
Michael Jack Schmidt is the greatest player in Phillies history and the greatest third baseman in baseball history.

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:
Inky gets the nod over everybody because he helped the 1993 team win a pennant.

23:
One of the greatest bench bats in franchise history, Gross twice became the big league hitting coach.

24:
Nobody caught more games in Phillies history than Lieberthal.

25:
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.

26:
One of the most iconic athletes in Philadelphia history. Could he join Rollins in Cooperstown someday?

27:
Nola already edges Placido Polanco, Danny Jackson, Lonnie Smith and Willie Montanez.

28:
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:
Raul Ibanez and Stan Lopata were other notables to wear this number, but Kruk was such a key piece to the 1993 team.

30:
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:
Who wore No. 32 before Lefty? Bucky Brandon. He switched to No. 30 upon Carlton’s arrival.

33:
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:
Doc packed so many incredible moments into such a short period: NL Cy Young Award, perfect game, postseason no-hitter.

35:
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:
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:
Oh, what might have been.

38:
Before a championship in Arizona and the bloody sock in Boston, Schilling made his mark in the 1993 postseason.

39:
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:
The 1987 NL Cy Young Award winner.

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:
No doubt the Wolf Pack appreciates this choice.

44:
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.

46:
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:
Greene finished sixth for the NL Cy Young Award in 1993.

50:
General manager Pat Gillick got Moyer in a waiver trade in August 2006. Moyer stabilized the Phillies’ rotation for years.

51:
Choooooooooch.

52:
A 1996 NL All-Star who gets fired up occasionally on Phillies Postgame Live.

53:
Look at Abreu’s numbers and then compare him to other players in the Hall of Fame. He should be a stronger candidate.

54:
How many times do you think Lidge has signed a photo of himself celebrating the final out of the 2008 World Series?

55:
A diamond in the rough who helped the Phillies’ bullpen for a few years. The Phillies need to find more pitchers like Condrey.

56:
He joined the Phillies in July 2008, solidified the rotation and hit a home run in the World Series.

57:
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:
He knows he will not be invited to alumni weekend anytime soon, but he is the franchise’s all-time saves leader.

59:
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:
He struggled in the 2009 rotation, but fared very well in the bullpen.

62:
He wore this number only as a rookie in 1964, but he beats Patrick Schuster (2016), Kenny Roberts ('15) and Vic Power (1964).

63:
The left-handed sidearmer was included in the Hamels deal with Texas in July 2015.

64:
Only two Phillies players have worn this number: Gary Wagner in 1965 and Arano (2017-19). Arano showed promise when he was healthy.

65:
Eddie Oropesa (1991) was the only other Phillies player to wear the number.

66:
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:
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:
The Phillies acquired Avilán to boost the 2018 bullpen, but he pitched only 5 2/3 innings.

73:
The Phillies let Grullon go this season, forcing them to call up Rafael Marchan earlier than expected.

74:
The Phillies acquired Urbina and infielder Ramon Martinez from the Tigers for Polanco in June 2005.

75:
He broke into the big leagues in 2020 and posted a 3.97 ERA while collecting 17 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings.

77:
Medina allowed two runs in four innings for the short-handed Phillies this season. He remains a top prospect.

79:
He dazzled as a rookie in 2020, becoming one of the team’s only bright spots in the bullpen.

93:
Neshek chose this number upon his return to Philadelphia because he was the first player in baseball history to wear it.

94:
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:
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:
Wild Thing takes this spot. So Taguchi and Turk Wendell are the other two players in franchise history to wear it.