Phillies Wall of Fame: Roy Halladay a lock for 2018?
Doc could be making one last house call to Citizens Bank Park next year as the Phillies Wall of Fame inductee
Reeling from the Pete Rose scandal that clouded Alumni Weekend the Phillies look towards 2018 as an opportunity to hit the reset button on the Wall of Fame.
Unfortunately for the franchise, few members of the 2008 World Series team worthy of induction are retired. Pat Burrell, inducted two years ago, was the first player from the club and manager Charlie Manuel received the honor prior to Pat the Bat.
Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz, and Cole Hamels remain on professional rosters this year, and all but Howard are likely to play next season. Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino haven’t met the eligibility requirements for the wall, which includes three years worth of retirement.
Jamie Moyer and Brad Lidge are the only members of the team eligible for induction, but some consider them boarderline due to either playing time or play on the field beyond the 2008 season. Eventually, I believe, both will get in.
So with no World Champions available, who makes the wall next year? The town hasn’t forgiven Scott Rolen, Manny Trillo and Placido Polanco are stretches, and the late Jim Fregosi won’t receive enough fan votes.
It’s more likely than not to be the great Roy Halladay.
Philadelphia Phillies
Now more than three years removed from retirement Halladay becomes eligible for the fan vote and a final decision made by a committee within the franchise.
Pitching in four seasons, the minimum for a player to receive consideration, Halladay arguably had two of the best years of his career. His 2010 Cy Young season included a perfect game in Florida and the second post-season no-hitter in baseball history while leading the league with 21 wins, nine complete games, and four shutouts.
Doc finished his career with 55 wins as a Phillie before injuries derailed his Hall of Fame career. His win/loss percentage is the best in modern Phillies history, and he’s one of four in franchise history to win the Cy Young.
The knock on Halladay joining the likes of Carlton, Schmidt, and Bowa is the bare minimum service time in Philadelphia. Doc appeared in four seasons before his shoulder wore out, winning 55 games in 103 starts. Perhaps leading baseball in complete games for five consecutive years had something to do with it.
Recent inductees have accomplished less as a Phillie in equal or less time than Halladay, including Jim Thome, Curt Schilling, and John Kruk. The wall has trended more towards fan favorites than icons of the team. Halladay is both a fan favorite and an icon in Philadelphia despite the limited playing time at the tail end of his Hall of Fame career.
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It may be a stretch to consider Doc a lock for the wall next year, but he’s got as strong of a chance as anybody going into the fan voting.