Who doesn’t enjoy a good argument about sports lists? They are certain to start a discussion and cause us to reevaluate our standards for measuring athletic achievement in any sport, at any time, and for any team.
There’s a lot of ground to cover when discussing the Philadelphia Phillies’ lengthy and occasionally rich history. This article will discuss the best catchers the team has ever had, shining a light on
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those who have worn the “tools of ignorance” for the team. Naturally, this has been discussed previously, but that doesn’t lessen the enjoyment of gathering and justifying the options presented here.
Prior to determining the actual top five catchers in Phillies history, it is fitting to give recognition to a few players who were close to making the cut.
For good reason, Jack Clements is little known to Phillies fans—he was a player from 1884 to 1897. But in exactly 1,000 games with the Phillies, he made an impact by hitting.289 and driving in 636 runs. In addition, he caught the first no-hitter in team history, Charles Ferguson’s 1885 effort. Not to be overlooked are other vintage figures such as Butch Henline, Clay Dalrymple, Red Dooin, Spud Davis, and Stan Lopata. Fantastic names as well.
Smoky Burgess was a productive player for the team, finishing his three seasons with the Phillies with an average of.316 before being dealt. Additionally, Andy Seminick, one of the players for whom he was traded, was returning to Philadelphia after having previously played with the Whiz Kids. Seminick hit 123 home runs in total during his two seasons with the team.
Prior to determining the actual top five catchers in Phillies history, it is fitting to give recognition to a few players who were close to making the cut.
For good reason, Jack Clements is little known to Phillies fans—he was a player from 1884 to 1897. However, he batted for the Phillies for exactly 1,000 games during which he left his mark.
Creating a “best of” list isn’t the only thing that’s entertaining. Making a list of the “worst of” And while we’ll avoid the urge to deliberately rank some of the worst backstops the Phillies have ever paid to play, there are a few that are so far from the top that it’s almost laughable.Though he was heralded as the Phillies’ saviour, Lance Parrish was a complete disappointment in 1986 and 1987 and may have had the best career of any catcher to play for the team.
Though Bob Uecker is a beloved figure to all, his poor hitting performance during his two seasons with the Phillies—242 at-bats and a.202 average—must not be overlooked. It’s
Although Rod Barajas had a respectable MLB career, one of the worst defensive performances in team history tarnished his time in Philadelphia. However, as I always say, Barajas was a real stand-up guy, at least.And Andrew Knapp lastly. There is nothing more to say. Moving on to the real lis
