10 Most Underrated Phillies of All Time

Trying to nail down a true definition of ‘underrated’ is like trying to pinpoint what exactly is wrong with Charlie Sheen; there’s just too many options.

For a team such as the Philadelphia Phillies, who have been around since 1883 and were the first major professional sports team to reach 10,000 losses, the negatives have far outweighed the positives.

However, amid all the losing, there have been a number of players who have worn the Phillies uniform and given fans plenty of reason to cheer.

From Richie Ashburn and Steve Carlton to Mike Schmidt and Chase Utley, the Phillies have had their share of elite players.  However, a few players have slipped through the cracks over the years and never received the credit they deserve from the baseball world.

Here’s an attempt to give some underrated Phillies some well deserved recognition.

10. Willie Montanez: 1970-1975, 1982

Talk about style.

From his walk up to the batter’s box, to his bat flipping, wrist snapping, take-your-time-and-admire- them home run trots, Montanez simultaneously entertained Phillies fans while angering opponents.

Montanez played in 651 games for the Phillies after coming over from St. Louis in the Curt Flood debacle.   He led the National League in doubles in 1972 with 39 and tied for the lead in outfield assists with 15; all while the team finished in last place in the division.

Montanez managed 596 career hits with the Phillies to go along with 327 RBI’s and 63 home runs. 

His 30 homers in 1971 were seventh in the National League and led to a second place finish in Rookie of the Year voting. 

“The Hot Dog” is known not only for how he caught the ball, but also what he did with it afterwards.  Between catching the ball one handed and quickly bringing his glove to his opposite hip, Montanez entertained fans in Philadelphia while manning center field and first base in Veteran’s Stadium.

A 1974 campaign that saw him bat .304 and smack 160 hits (including a 24-game hit streak) doesn’t hurt his legacy, either.

(Image is from http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=montawi01)

9. Carlos Ruiz: 2006 - present

By the time Chooch’s career is over in Philadelphia, he can easily climb up this list.

His offensive statistics are not overwhelming.  He owns a .260 career average with the Phillies while gaining 435 hits and 210 RBI’s in 559 games.

It’s his managing of the Phillies’ pitching staff for the past four seasons that make him arguably the most underrated current big leaguer.

Chooch became the first player since 1972 to catch two no-hitters in the same season by catching Roy Halladay’s perfect game and playoff no-hitter.  (Ruiz is the first player since Yogi Berra to catch two no-hitters by the same pitcher in the same season).

Last season did witness an offensive outburst for the Phil’s catcher, as he batted .302 with a .400 OBP, both team highs.

It’s easy to get overshadowed on a team featuring the likes of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins in the lineup, and Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels on the field.

However, when Roy Halladay was announced as last season’s National League Cy Young award winner, he made sure to send a replica of the award to Ruiz as a thank you.

Being underrated doesn’t sting as bad when Roy Halladay appreciates you.

And misses you during the off-season.

8. Ryan Madson: 2003 - present

Few Phillies pitchers have had as many roles as Ryan Madson has had during his tenure.

Drafted in 1998, Madson found his way to the major league roster as a relief pitcher.  However, an underwhelming starting staff in 2006 paved the way for him to have one season in the rotation, before returning to the bullpen a year later.

During his Phillies career, Madson has gone from bullpen entity, to starting pitcher, to key set-up man, to this season’s closer.

The only job left for him to try is pitching coach.

Madson has 46 career wins with the Phillies in 460 games, along with a 3.63 ERA, 35 saves, and 519 strikeouts in 600.1 innings.

Madson’s most important role came in 2008 when he served as Brad Lidge’s set-up man during his 41-41 perfect saves campaign.  He also managed to pick up the win in game 4 of the NLCS that season against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

A World Series Championship made it a pretty decent season for Madson, as well as the rest of the Phillies.

Madson led the National League in holds in 2005 with 32 and has previously stated that he prefers that role to closing.  However, numerous injuries to the Phillies bullpen this season have forced him back into the closer’s role, where he is 15 for 16 in save opportunities this season.

Serving as a set-up man and being underrated is like wearing a fanny pack and getting made fun of; it’s bound to happen.

Pitching on the same team has Brad Lidge, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt hasn’t helped, either.

Jim Eisenreich: 1993-1996

Playing only four seasons with the Phillies makes it difficult to determine if a player was truly underrated with an organization.

Never batting under .300 in four consecutive seasons while battling Tourette’s syndrome makes it a little easier.

In four seasons with the Phillies, Eisenreich batted .318, .300, .316, and .361, while racking up 443 hits and 193 RBI’s in 499 games.

Early in his career, Eisenreich battled what many thought to be nervous issues before finally being diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome.  After playing only 14 games between the 1983 and 1984 seasons combined, he retired at the age of 25.  However, by 1987, Eisenreich was able to gain a better control of his health and make a return to baseball.

And return he did.

His .318 batting average in 1993 helped the Phillies win the National League pennant and a chance at the World Series.  (Eisenreich would get a ring with the Florida Marlins in 1997).

After splitting time with Wes Chamberlain, Eisenreich became the Phil’s starting right fielder in 1995, and batted .316.  His fielding percentage that season was 1.000.

Eisenreich continued to get better with age as he batted .361 in 113 games in 1996.

Between retiring at age 25 and then playing on the same team as Lenny Dykstra, John Kruk, Darren Daulton and Curt Schilling, it’s easy to see how someone could get overshadowed.

Eisenreich is one of the few players whose performance both on and off the field is underrated.

6. Ron Reed: 1976-1983

Picture Ryan Madson, rewind about thirty years, and you have Ron Reed.

Just as Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge served as the Phillie’s one-two bunch during the 2008 championship season, Ron Reed and Tug McGraw found similar success en route to the 1980 championship.

Reed not only finished in the top 10 in the National League saves department in six of his eight seasons with the Phillies, but also never walked more than 40 batters in a season. 

His 2.24 ERA in 1978, while pitching 108 innings, (following his conversion from starting pitcher by manager Danny Ozark) helped lead the Phils to their third consecutive National League East title.

A 57-38 record, 3.06 ERA, 90 saves, and 547 strikeouts make Reed one of the most consistent relief pitchers the Phillies have ever had. 

Reed also picked up the save in game 2 of the 1980 World Series against the Kansas City Royals.

Reed is one of five pitchers in major league history to win at least 100 games, save at least 100 games, and pitch 50 complete games.

Reed was overshadowed many times during his career.  Again, serving as a set-up man inevitably leads to being underrated. 

However, when your success occurs during the same game in which Hank Aaron hits his 715^th career home run, or during the same season in which the Phillies unveil the Phillie Phanatic, it’s best to just become familiar with the term ‘underrated.’

(Image is from http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=reedro01)

5. Del Ennis: 1946-1956

Before Ryan Howard, there was Mike Schmidt.  Before Mike Schmidt, there was Del Ennis. 

Also, when fans decided they wanted someone to boo, there was Del Ennis.

Not even batting .313 with 73 RBI’s during a rookie season can save one from hearing boos from Phillies fans. 

Del Ennis, besides being one of the earliest Philadelphia athletes to hear booing, is also a career .286 hitter for the Phillies. Ennis achieved this while accumulating 1,812 hits, 891 runs, 259 homers, and 1,124 RBI’s in 1,630 games.

From 1948 to 1956, Ennis had only one season in which he hit less than 20 home runs.

The three-time All Star finished in the top-20 in hits in the National League eight times with the Phillies as well in the top-10 in home runs, nine times.

Ennis finished in the top-15 of MVP voting six times and top-10 in the National League in RBI’s nine times.  He led the National League in RBI’s in 1950 with 126, while batting .311 and hitting 31 home runs.

The exact reason for booing Ennis isn’t known, but many spectators from the time period attribute it to a lack of hustle, even though nearly every player who played with and against him disagree entirely.

Ennis finished his career as the Phillies all-time leader in home runs before being passed by Mike Schmidt and, more recently, Ryan Howard.

From 1949 to 1957, only Stan Musial drove in more runs than Ennis.

As far as the Hall of Fame goes, the closest Ennis ever came to induction was in 1966. 

He received three votes.

4. Johnny Callison: 1960-1969

Johnny Callison is one of the few reasons the mentioning of the 1964 Phillies doesn’t always end in a fistfight.

1964 saw Callison hit 31 home runs, drive in 104 runs, and bat .274.  (His home run and RBI totals were third and fifth best in the National League, respectively).

However, it is the 1964 National League All Star game that is extra special, as Callison hit the game winning, three-run two-out home run.  The fact that it took place at Shea Stadium gives fans even more reason to smile.

Callison smacked 1,438 hits in 1,432 games for the Phils, while batting .271 and scoring 774 runs. 

The three-time All Star finished in the top-10 in the National League in home runs from 1963 to 1965, and led the NL in outfield assists four times. 

Callison batted .300 in 1962, and hit for the cycle in 1963.  He also managed to receive two first place votes for the 1964 MVP award.

On a team that also featured Jim Bunning and the popular Tony Taylor, Callison’s productivity was overlooked.

 However, when it came down to what happened between the foul lines, there was very little that Callison couldn’t do.

(Image is from http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=callijo01)

3. Robin Roberts: 1948-1961

An underrated Hall of Famer may sound like an oxymoron.  However, the greatness of Robin Roberts seems to be overlooked when it comes to determining the game’s greatest pitchers.

Roberts compiled a 234-199 record along with a 3.46 ERA, while striking out 1,871 batters in 3,739.1 innings.

Now for the good stats.

Roberts led the National League in wins and innings pitched from 1952 to 1955 and in complete games from 1952 to 1956. 

He was a seven-time All Star with the Phillies from 1950 to 1956.

In 1952 alone Roberts went 28-7 with a 2.58 ERA

And, finally, Roberts had six (6, s-i-x) consecutive 20-win seasons.

The Phillies retired his number in 1962.  Roberts didn’t even retire from baseball until 1966.  His career was finally immortalized in the Hall of Fame with his induction in 1976.

The member of the Whiz Kids didn’t let his dominance stay confined to the mound either.  He managed five homers, 83 RBI’s, and 412 hits with the Phils.

It’s difficult to be underrated when you’re a member of the Hall of Fame.  But when a debate rages concerning the greatest pitchers of all time, and Roberts isn’t even mentioned in the top-10?

That’s underrated.

2. Sherry Magee: 1904-1914

Arguably one of the most underrated players in major league history, Magee finished at or near the top of nearly every statistical category during his career.

Playing in the ‘Deadball Era’, Magee amassed 1,647 hits, 898 runs, 886 RBI’s, 387 stolen bases, and 75 home runs with the Phils, while batting .299.

Can’t believe you’ve never heard of him?

Magee led the National League in hits in 1914 with 171, and finished in the top-10 in the league five times.

He led the National League in RBI’s three times with the Phillies, and finished in the top-10 in the league seven times with the team. 

In 1910, Magee led the NL with a .331 average and drove in 123 runs, smacked 172 hits and scored 110 runs, while striking out only 36 times.

During his Phillies career, Magee never batted below .270, and finished in the top-10 in the NL in runs and triples seven times.

He also finished in the top-5 in stolen bases six times.

In 1914 alone he led the NL in hits, doubles, RBI’s and slugging.

Magee also stole home twice on July 20, 1912 against the Chicago Cubs.

His numbers dropped a bit in 1911 after he was suspended for five weeks for punching and knocking umpire Bill Finneran unconscious over a third called strike.

But what player hasn’t dreamed of doing that?

Magee fell short of the Hall of Fame in 2008 after he received only three of the nine votes needed for election from the Veteran’s Committee.

That’s fitting, however, for a career that’s been underrated for nearly a century.

1. Dick Allen: 1963-1969, 1975-1976

It’s not easy to reach top-level success on the field while dealing with numerous controversies off it.

That’s why Dick Allen finds himself as the most underrated Phillie of all time.

The three-time Phillies all star racked up 1,143 hits, 204 home runs, 697 runs, and 655 RBI’s while batting .290 in 1,070 games for the Phils.

Allen won the 1964 Rookie of the Year award while batting .318 with 201 hits, 125 runs, 29 homers, and 91 RBI’s.

During the final twelve games of the ’64 season?  Allen batted .438 with three home runs and 11 RBI’s.

Allen finished in the top-10 in the National League in home runs and batting average five and four times, respectively.

He led the NL in runs in 1964, in slugging in 1966 and OBP in 1967. 

He batted over .300 four times with the Phillies.

1966 saw him smack 40 home runs and drive in 110, while batting .317.

From 1964 to 1969, Allen hit at least 20 home runs and drove in at least 70.

However, from the start of his career, Allen was forced to deal with controversies.  Racial protest parades took place in Little Rock while Allen was playing in the Phillies minor league system.  There was also a fistfight incident involving teammate Frank Thomas.  Allen even had to wear his batting helmet while playing the field due to fans throwing various objects.

Despite incidents off the diamond, Allen is still ranked as one of the longest distance hitters in baseball history among the likes of Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, and Babe Ruth.

Yes, that Babe Ruth.

In addition to being arguably the most underrated Phillie of all time, Allen is also one of the greatest players not enshrined in Cooperstown.

Critics say he divided clubhouses, although nearly every former teammate and manager says Allen did no such thing, and even helped out the younger players.

Mike Schmidt even credits Allen as helping him with his hitting and rediscovering the fun in baseball.

It seems as if Allen was underrated in multiple aspects of baseball.