Best Phillies player to wear each uni number

December 1st, 2021
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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:
      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.

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      Senior Reporter Todd Zolecki has covered the Phillies since 2003, and for MLB.com since 2009.