Philadelphia Phillies: 50 greatest players of all-time

Many would be surprised to see Shane Victorino rated as a top-25 Phillie of all-time when Philadelphia selected him in the 2004 Rule 5 Draft. Victorino had already bounced around California and through the Rule 5 Draft, making the former sixth-round pick nothing more than a lottery ticket.

Philadelphia struck gold with that lottery ticket and Victorino became one of the more beloved members of the organization. After getting limited playing time in 2005, Victorino played 153 games with a .287 batting average.

Victorino’s success from 2006 to 2007 eased the pain of letting Aaron Rowand walk in free agency prior to the championship season. “The Flyin’ Hawaiian” won his first of four Gold Gloves in 2008 and had back-to-back seasons with at least 36 stolen bases.

During the 2008 playoff run, Victorino averaged a hit per game and provided one of the great moments in franchise history in the NLDS.

Victorino’s dominance at the plate returned in 2009 with another season hitting at least .290. He led the league in triples for the first of two times in his career and received MVP votes for the first of three times.

After eight years and nearly 1,000 games, Victorino was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, as the Phillies began their rebuild.

Victorino is a top-25 player in 11 offensive categories in Phillies history and is in the top-50 in 32. His 24.0 WAR is higher than that of Larry Bowa, Darren Daulton, Pat Burrell and Greg Luzinski. Additionally, his 16 triples in 2011 were the third most in a single Phillies season since the Deadball Era.

Last summer, Victorino retired as a Phillie and will be a popular choice for the Wall of Fame.

Mahalo!