Philadelphia Phillies: 50 greatest players of all-time

Brett Myers never jumped off the page as a starter for the Phillies, but he remained a key cog in the early part of Philadelphia’s run of division titles.

Myers’ early career was unspectacular with a 4.84 ERA in 76 games from 2002 to 2004. His peak came during the 2005 and 2006 seasons while in the rotation. In 2005, he had a 3.72 ERA, 1.212 WHIP, 3.06 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 2.9 wins above replacement in 34 starts. He followed up that with a 12-7, 3.91 ERA, 1.298 WHIP and 3.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio campaign in 2006.

Myers moved to the closer role in 2007 after Tom Gordon hit the disabled list. He held the role for the rest of the season, finishing the season with 21 saves in 24 opportunities. Myers saw career bests in strikeouts per nine innings (10.9), strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.07) and fielding-independent pitching (3.75). He was on the mound when the team clinched its first division title since 1993.

Myers moved back to the rotation in 2008 with the addition of Brad Lidge. In 30 starts, he had a 4.55 ERA and 1.379 WHIP. He picked up two wins during the playoffs that year, but his most memorable moment came in the NLDS when he drew a walk against C.C. Sabathia in Game 2 of the NLDS. That walk led to Shane Victorino’s grand slam, one of the highlights of that year’s playoff run.

Myers only appeared in 18 games in 2009 after dealing with injuries for most of the year. He was released by the team after the season. He pitched in four more seasons in the majors before calling it quits in 2013.