Philadelphia Phillies: 50 greatest players of all-time

Chris Short pitched during the dark ages of Phillies baseball when the only notable thing the team did was lose 10 straight games to miss a chance at the World Series in 1964. Regardless, Short had a long and productive career in Philadelphia that should not be discounted by the team’s lack of success.

Short spent all but one year of his 15-year career as a Phillie from 1959 to 1972, just before the team climbed out of the cellar and into relevance.

In 459 career games with the team, he had a 132-127 record, 3.38 ERA, 1.283 WHIP and 32.1 pitching wins above replacement.

One of Short’s two All-Star appearances came in the year of that infamous collapse in 1964. In 42 outings that year, he had a 17-9 record, 2.20 ERA, 12 complete games, four shutouts, two saves, a 1.020 WHIP and 3.55 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Short’s ERA and ERA+ that year were 23rd and 18th-best for any season in franchise history. He finished 23rd in MVP voting.

In 1966, Short finished 28th in MVP voting after finishing the year with a 20-10 record, 3.54 ERA, 1.195 WHIP, 177 strikeouts and 68 walks. Short’s other All-Star appearance came in 1967 despite a 9-11 record, as he posted a 2.39 ERA and 1.189 WHIP.

Among all pitchers in franchise history, Short ranks third in starts, fourth in wins, innings pitched, shutouts and strikeouts, and sixth in pitching wins above replacement. Out of all players in franchise history, Short ranks 24th in wins above replacement.