Former Phillies pitcher Brett Myers along with two others will be inducted into Double-A Reading’s Hall of Fame this year on Aug. 15.
Nearly every Phillies player we know and love today stopped at Double-A Reading on their journey to the majors. If they became quality major-leaguers in their career, more likely than not they did fairly well in the minor-leagues as well.
Reading will induct three new members into their Hall of Fame this summer on Aug. 15 prior to that evening’s game. Those three are former Fightin’ Phils Brett Myers and Mike Spidale along with Wyomissing, PA native Rich DeLucia.
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Myers was originally drafted by Philadelphia in the first round of the 1999 draft from Englewood Senior HS in Jacksonville, FL. Myers rose through the ranks quickly, stopping in Double-A in 2001. He made 26 appearances, finishing with a 3.87 ERA, 1.276 WHIP, and 3.02 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 156 innings for Reading. He was a part of Reading’s Eastern League championship that year along with other Phillies alumni like Marlon Byrd and Geoff Geary.
Myers was also part of Philadelphia’s World Series title in 2008 as well as three straight NL East championships from 2007 to 2009. He served as the team’s closer in 2007, moved back to the rotation in 2008, then started 2009 as a starter before returning to the bullpen after returning from injury.
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Along with Myers, Reading’s all-time hit leader Spidale will also be inducted. He recorded 570 hits along with playing a team-high 515 games between 2007 and 2012. His .326 batting average in 2011 is the eight-highest for any one season in Reading’s history. Despite his sustained success in Double-A, Spidale was never able to crack the major-leagues.
While he never played in Reading, DeLucia will also be inducted as he is from the area. Wyomissing is just across the Schuylkill River from Reading, so he is about as local as it gets without physically being from Reading.
Over his ten-year career in the majors, Delucia appeared in 320 games, posting a 4.62 ERA. Delucia pitched for Seattle, San Francisco, Anaheim, St. Louis, and Cincinnati.
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The first 2,500 fans at the game Aug. 15 will receive a Myers bobblehead according to the team’s official announcement.