Philadelphia Phillies: 50 greatest players of all-time
Manny Trillo. 50. player. 6. . 2B. 1979-82
While Manny Trillo‘s time in Philadelphia was short-lived, his defensive contributions for a championship-caliber club can’t go unnoticed.
Born on Christmas Day in Caripito, Venezuela, Trillo was signed by the Phillies as a free agent in 1968. His first stint in the organization didn’t last long, as the Oakland Athletics selected him in the 1969 Rule 5 Draft.
Trillo played 38 games for Oakland over two seasons before being traded to the Chicago Cubs in a package for Billy Williams. Trillo finished third in the 1975 National League Rookie of the Year race, despite hitting .248 with just 21 extra base hits.
On Feb. 23, 1979, Trillo was traded by the Cubs algon with Greg Gross and Dave Rader back to the Phillies in exchange for Henry Mack, Derek Botelho, Barry Foote, Jerry Martin and Ted Sizemore.
Back with the Phillies, Trillo thrived as the everyday second baseman. In four years, he earned three Gold Gloves, two All-Star appearances and two Silver Sluggers.
During the 1980 championship season, Trillo hit .292 with a career-high 25 doubles and 155 hits. In the postseason, he won the NLCS MVP after a three-hit performance in game five against the Houston Astros, finishing with a .381 batting average in the series.
Trillo was especially clutch during the 1980 playoff run, coming up big in the ninth inning of Game 5 against the Kansas City Royals.
In 1982, Trillo was packaged with Jay Baller, Julio Franco, George Vukovich and Jerry Willard to the Cleveland Indians for Von Hayes. Trillo bounced between five teams over seven years after the Phillies traded him. He retired after the 1989 season.
Trillo finished his career in Philadelphia with 516 hits and 118 extra base hits in 502 games. His 3.1 dWAR is 30th all-time in team history. While not on the Wall of Fame, Trillo has been a candidate several times.