Phillies Wall of Fame: 5 candidates for 2019 induction
Who will lead the next era of Phillies Wall of Fame inductees?
Pat Gillick and the late Roy Halladay will be inducted onto the Phillies Wall of Fame during Alumni Weekend, marking the second year a non-living player hasn’t been inducted. The circumstances of that are both grim and disturbing following the Pete Rose debacle and Halladay’s untimely death.
Next season is set to bring a new era of Phillies inductees that could include only the second player from the 2008 World Series team, following Pat Burrell in 2015.
There’s also a possibility the team adds more players from the less-illustrious early 2000s, which had some of the franchise’s greatest players stuck in a lengthy rebuild.
Many of the 2008 players do not yet qualify for the Wall of Fame under the new guidelines set in 2015, which decreased the required service time from five years to four. It opened the door for Halladay and other members of the greatest era in Phillies history to have their place on the Wall of Fame, but retirement rules still bar players for a couple more years.
Here are five people who should receive serious consideration for next years induction.
Brad Lidge
The first image that buds into Phillies fans minds when the 2008 season is discussed is Brad Lidge striking out Eric Hinske to win the first championship in Philadelphia in over 20 years.
Lidge came to Philadelphia via the Houston Astros in an offseason trade executed by Pat Gillick and former Phillies general manager Ed Wade, who joined the Houston Astros in the same role.
After tearing his meniscus in spring training Lidge earned his first of 48 consecutive saves on April 7 against the Cincinnati Reds. Mr. Perfect would convert all 41 of his regular season save opportunities and seven more in the playoffs, including game five of the World Series.
A career-season for Lidge resulted in a fourth-place Cy Young finish and eighth for MVP.
After a bumpy 2009 season, Lidge came back with two more solid campaigns in Philadelphia before finishing his career in Washington. He’s remained close to the organization as a spring training coach and mentor for young pitchers despite living in Colorado and starting a broadcasting career
Lidge is a lock to make the Wall of Fame at some point, and with no clear front-runners at this point, 2019 could be his year.
Scott Rolen
A contentious relationship with the Philadelphia fan base has prevented Scott Rolen from becoming known as an all-time great in Phillies history. A borderline Hall of Famer, Rolen won Rookie of the Year in 1997 and spent parts of 7 of his 17 seasons in Philadelphia.
Vocally unhappy with ownership’s commitment towards winning, Rolen demanded a trade and was shipped to St. Louis in 2002. Lost was an opportunity for him to be a legend in this town as he went on to collect over 2,000 hits, 300 home runs, and eight Gold Gloves.
The response to Rolen being named a Wall of Famer is unknown given the time passed since his dispute. Despite this history, he shouldn’t be overlooked as one of the best players of the early 2000s who played more than his fair share of games in Philadelphia.
Don't feel like Moyer or Rolen were with the Phils long enough for the Wall.
— Nicholas (@Nick_K_H) August 4, 2018
I’m not going to rail on this guy, but that’s an ill-informed statement that comes with the Rolen blindness. Rolen played twice as many games as recent inductees Roy Halladay and Jim Thome combined. While his numbers don’t match the Pat Burrell or Mike Lieberthal’s of the Wall, Rolen is an obvious candidate.
Bobby Abreu
In a poll we ran on our Twitter page Saturday morning, Abreu was the overwhelming favorite among fans for next years induction, receiving almost twice as many votes as the second-place getter.
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Acquired from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for Kevin Stocker in 1998 Abreu was the face of the franchise for the early-mid 2000s. From 1998-2004 Abreu’s WAR was never worse than second on his team, and five times he finished with the top WAR.
Call that greatness on the part of Abreu or mediocrity among his teammates, but you can’t deny what Abreu did for the Phillies in a span in which the Phillies never won a division crown.
Abreu rates among the top-10 in 25 all-time statistical categories in Phillies history, including sixth in all-time WAR, fourth in doubles, second in walks, and eighth in stolen bases.
Jamie Moyer
A Philadelphia kid who grew up in Souderton, studied at St. Joes, and attended the 1980 World Series parade while idolizing Steve Carlton, Jamie Moyer carries a unique piece of Phillies history.
After 21 seasons pitching for six different franchises, Moyer returned home in a 2006 trade with Seattle at the age of 43. Quietly one of the more consistent starters of the greatest era in Phillies baseball, Moyer led the 2008 team with 16 regular season wins.
While none of Moyers numbers have him among the franchise greats, his numbers rival Cole Hamels during the 2006-10 seasons. Despite Moyer pitching in 26 fewer games, Hamels only had four more wins than the lefty 21 years his senior.
Next. Phillies Wall of Fame: Who From 2008 Team Makes It In. dark
A leader on the championship team, Moyer deserves to have a plaque alongside his childhood heroes on the Phillies Wall of Fame.