Phillies Draft History : Studs, Thuds and Duds

PHILLIES “STUDS” FIRST ROUNDERS

Chase Utley -2000 – UCLA – Rd 1, Pick 15

What can’t be said for Utley in his 13 years as a Phil ? World-F’ing Champion, 6-time All-Star, 4-time Silver Slugger winner, 1551 games played, 233 homers, over 900+ runs scored and 900+ RBI, a career .282/.366/.481 hitter, stole 142 bags while only being caught 18 times in 13 seasons ! Three 30+ HR seasons, and 137 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) at 2B. Finishing with 61.5 WAR as a Phillies player, the man did it all. Enjoying a nice late-career season in LA. Future Wall of Famer. Strong argument for the Hall of Fame.

Cole Hamels – 2002 – Rancho Bernardo H.S. (San Diego, CA) – Rd 1, Pick 17

Perhaps the best homegrown pitcher the Phillies ever cultivated, Hamels pitched for a decade in the City of Brotherly Love, capturing the NLCS and World Series MVP Awards on the way to a world championship in 2008. He sported a 114-90 career W-L mark, a 3.30 career ERA in Philly, received Cy Young votes in four different seasons, and was a three-time All-Star. He was 7-4 in the postseason for the Phillies, finished in the top ten in strikeouts seven times, the top ten in ERA on five occasions, and had 43.1 WAR with the Phils. Future Wall of Famer, still pitching well after a trade to Texas.

Greg Luzinski – 1968 – Notre Dame H.S. ( Niles, IL ) – Rd 1, Pick 11

Luzinski would become a feared power-hitter in the Phils’ lineup throughout the 1970’s, with numerous “Bull Blast” home runs at Veteran’s Stadium. In his 11 seasons and 1200+ games for Philly, “The Bull” was a 4-time All-Star, had three 30+ HR seasons, finished 2nd in NL MVP voting in both ’75 and ’77, and led the league in RBI (120) in 1975. 19.1 WAR as a Phillies player. He was a vital cog in three straight NL East winners from 76-78, as well as on the 1980 Wold Series champions. Now runs an incredible BBQ joint down at Citizens Bank Park.

Pat Burrell – 1998 – University of Miami – Rd 1, Pick 1

The only other time the Phillies held the #1 overall spot was in 1998 when they selected the highly touted Burrell. In 9 seasons with Philly, “Pat the Bat” would slash .257/.367/.485 with 251 HR and 827 RBI, including four 30+ home run seasons. He had 16.7 WAR in Philadelphia, and may have set the modern-day ladies-man mark for local athletes during the 2000’s. Key cog in the 2008 World Series championship lineup, and the first from that team to be enshrined on the Phillies’ Wall of Fame.

Mike Lieberthal – 1990 – Westlake H.S. (Westlake Villiage, CA) – Rd 1, Pick 3

While one might expect more from a #3 overall pick, Lieberthal more than held his own as the Phillies backstop for 13 seasons. He was a two-time NL All-Star, playing in 1174 games for Philadelphia. He led the league in Fielding Pct for a Catcher (.997) in 1999, winning a Gold Glove. It was a career year for the catcher as he hit 31 homers, drove in 96 runs, hit .300 in 145 games and slugged .551. Lieberthal finished as a career .274/.337/.446 hitter with 15.5 WAR and is enshrined on the Wall of Fame.

Brett Myers – 1999 – Englewood Senior H.S. (Jacksonville, FL) Rd 1, Pick 12

Myers spent time as both a starting pitcher and as a closer in his 8 years in Philadelphia. He had a 73-63 record, 4.40 ERA and 21 saves in his 240 games pitched (183 started) with the club.  He was 2-1 in the 2008 playoffs, proving some of the biggest performances at clutch time. Myers finished in the top 5 in the National League in K’s twice, as well as the top 10 innings pitched twice. Finished with 9.7 WAR as a Phillies player. He will make an interesting Wall of Fame nominee in the coming years.

Next: PHILLIES DRAFT HISTORY: THE THUDS