Philadelphia Phillies: 50 greatest players of all-time
player. 6. . SP. 1964, 1966-71. Rick Wise. 45
Rick Wise is more well known for the pitcher he was traded for in Steve Carlton, but he was an effective pitcher in his own right for the team.
Wise made his major-league debut as an 18-year-old in 1964, appearing in 25 games. He spent the following year in Triple-A and split the 1966 season between the majors and minors, posting a 3.71 ERA in 22 appearances.
Wise made the most of his first full season in the majors in 1967, finishing the year with a 3.28 ERA, six complete games, three shutouts, 2.70 fielding-independent pitching, 1.224 WHIP and 2.47 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
After a down year in 1968, Wise was back at it in 1969, ending the year with a 3.23 ERA, 14 complete games, four shutouts, 144 strikeouts, 3.06 FIP and 1.255 WHIP. His 1970 was respectable, although nothing special with a 13-14 record, 4.17 ERA and 1.443 WHIP.
Wise had the best year of his Phillies career in 1971, earning an All-Star appearance in the process. He posted career-bests in ERA (2.88), innings pitched (272.1), strikeouts (155) and ERA+ (123).
After the 1971 season, Wise was flipped for Carlton in a one-for-one deal with the St. Louis Cardinals. Wise remained a solid pitcher for most of his career, but will never be able to compare to the franchise legend Carlton.
In seven years with the Phillies, Wise had a 75-76 record, 3.60 ERA, 1244.2 innings pitched, 52 complete games, 13 shutouts, 717 strikeouts, 3.09 fielding-independent pitching, 1.302 WHIP and 2.19 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He is tied for 14th in shutouts, tied for 15th in strikeouts and 18th in fielding-independent pitching in franchise history.