The 21st Century has been kind to the Philadelphia Phillies. The past 25 years of success are better than anything accomplished in the previous 116 years of Phillies baseball existence. The franchise transformed after leaving the desolate Veterans Stadium, discovering a newly competitive ownership group and the friendly confines of Citizens Bank Park. Two separate World Series eras make for some interesting decisions when compiling a Phillies’ All Quarter Century team. Increasing the difficulty, only one Phillies starting pitcher will be named, and it may not be the one most would think.
Catcher has been a consistent position for the Phillies over the last 25 years. Either Mike Lieberthal, Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz, or JT Realmuto has been the starting catcher for 22 of the past 25 seasons. Lieberthal’s best seasons with the club occurred in the late 90s and are not applicable here. Realmuto’s two Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger awards at the position give him the slight edge over Chooch, a fan favorite.
Realmuto, signed in free agency from the Miami Marlins in 2019, has been a consistent and sure-handed catcher behind the plate during the most recent playoff runs in Philadelphia. Combining that with more than above-average offensive tools makes him one of the most complete catchers in the league.
Ryan Howard is a no-brainer at first base. His four-year stretch from 2006 to 2009 might be one of the best ever; he hit 198 home runs, earned an MVP Award, and was the runner-up for a second. The Big Piece sported the most satisfying home run swings in Phillies history, and still holds the records for fastest MLB player to 100 and 200 home runs. Injuries altered his effectiveness later in his career and will most likely squash any Hall of Fame conversations, but his contributions to the 2008 World Series team were invaluable. In terms of Phillies power hitters, Howard sits somewhere in between slugger Dick Allen and Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.
Chase Utley is the second most loved Philadelphia athlete after Brian Dawkins; there is no question about his place on this list. The six-time All-Star led the Phils to their second World Series ever in 2008. His unbelievable play action fake to first, throw to home in Game 5 has left an indelible mark in the memories of Phillies fans. Despite being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers late in his career, Utley continued torturing the rival New York Mets, breaking the leg of Ruben Tejada with his aggressive, but not dirty at all, totally clean baserunning in the 2015 NLDS.
An unquestioned leader of the 2008 World Series team known for his predictive powers in the NL East standings, Jimmy Rollins is simply one of the best all-around Phillies of all time. The 2007 MVP won four Gold Glove awards and appeared in three All-Star games. J-Roll holds the Phillies franchise records for hits with 2,306, and his 453 career stolen bases are good enough for second. To put that in perspective, every other Phillie in the top 5 was born before the turn of the 19th century. Along with his double-play mate Utley, the middle of the Philadelphia infield was one of the best in baseball for a decade.
At third base in the 21st century, the Phillies have a Hall of Famer who played for only 1.5 seasons this century and utility player Placido Polanco. Because Polanco split time between second and third, Scott Rolen is the obvious choice. Consistently compared to Schmidt during his time in Philadelphia, Rolen is one of the best defensive third basemen of all time. Seemingly nothing hit to the left side could get past his 6’4″, 245lb reach.
Rolen’s frustration with ownership and eventual trade demand would be the last time the organization would claim financial hardship. He went on to spend the rest of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds, finishing with a .281 career batting average and a .855 OPS.
Since Shane Victorino, center field has been a relatively weak position for the Phillies. A fan favorite during his time in Philadelphia, the Flyin’ Hawaiian won three Gold Gloves patrolling his Citizens Bank Park expanse. The two-time all-star joins Jayson Werth as a fellow Rule 5 draft pick who saw success with the Phillies in the late aughts. His grand slam in the bottom of the second inning off C.C. Sabathia in the 2008 NLDS is the stuff of legends; he is the only player in MLB history to record a grand slam, a double, and two stolen bases in a postseason game.
Responsible for reigniting the Franchise after 8 seasons in the MLB wilderness, two-time MVP Bryce Harper has spent parts of three seasons at first base recently. Harper’s spent more time in the outfield while in Philadelphia, so for our purposes, he’s classified as a right fielder. Despite battling injuries, Harper has two All-Star appearances and a 2021 MVP award to show for his time in pinstripes. He’s hit .289 with a .916 OPS and smashed 161 homers in his six-plus seasons for the Phillies. Beyond his numbers on the field, Harper has helped recruit other stars like Kyle Schwarber, Realmuto, and Trea Turner to the franchise.
If not for a devastating knee injury, this spot would belong to Uncle Larry himself, Andrew McCutchen. Not many have worn a Phillies uniform as well as Cutch, but Pat Burrell spent nearly a decade making the ladies in left field swoon. The Midnight Mayor of Center City smashed his way to 253 homers in nine seasons for the fightin’s with an OPS of .847. Another in a long line of early 2000s players developed by Philadelphia, Pat “The Bat” also knocked in more than 95 runs a season four times.
Only the third current Phillie on the list, but another obvious choice is Schwarber at designated hitter. He’s currently playing his best ball ever for the Phillies this season, and it’s hard to imagine the current Phillies lineup having any effectiveness without him. There have been 152 Schwarbombs in three and a half seasons for Philadelphia, and a large portion of the fanbase would like him to be re-signed, no matter the cost.
Without a doubt, the most challenging position to pick for a Phillies Franchise that has had its share of outstanding pitchers in the past quarter century. Roy Halladay is a Hall of Famer, and Cliff Lee may find himself there one day as well. Both were excellent while wearing the red pinstripes, but only Cole Hamels has an NLCS and World Series MVP to his name. Had Philly finished the job in any of their subsequent playoff runs, Halladay is the pick here. They did not, however, and despite the criticism he received during his time in Philadelphia, Hamels’ 2008 playoff run is a truly special feat unmatched by any other Phillies pitcher in history.
The “Bridge to Lidge” gets the call in the eighth inning for the Phillies ‘ quarter-century team. Ryan Madson spent nine seasons in the city of Brotherly Love, and the hard-throwing right-hander’s ERA always seemed to hover right around three. 2017 All-Star Pat Neshak, Jose Alvarado, and Rheal Cormier deserve an honorable mention for their efforts in Philadelphia. The left handed Cormier especially was an underrated bullpen piece during the 2008 World Series run.
There could not be any other choice for an all-century team. Brad Lidge painted a masterpiece in 2008, going perfect in every save chance in the regular season and playoffs, giving up a paltry 17 runs in 69 innings. That year, he finished fourth in the Cy Young race and eighth for NL MVP, as a closer, something almost unheard of. The Phillies have struggled to find consistency at the position for the majority of the 21st century, especially this team’s current iteration.
For a franchise that has the honor of having the most recorded losses, in any sport, ever; the 21st century has been especially kind the Phillies ballclub. Boasting a gorgeous ballpark, they’ve managed to have two seperate runs of playoff success in the last 25 years. The challenge for ownership will be to sustain the club as Harper ages and players like Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott have yet to deliver on their promise. On the hill, the future looks bright with Andrew Painter and Mick Abel impressing for the AAA Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.
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