Phillies: Greatest single season runs in Philadelphia
Which Phillies had the greatest one-hit wonder seasons as a Phillie?
Although the 2019 Phillies season ended with a disappointing 81-81 record, new faces contributed significantly.
J.T. Realmuto set career-highs in doubles (36), home runs (25) and RBI (83), while Bryce Harper led the Phillies in home runs (35), RBI (114) and stolen bases (15).
Harper and hopefully Realmuto will both be in Philadelphia for the long haul. Some players make their mark in Philadelphia for a single season and move on.
In chronological order, here are some of those that were in Philadelphia only a brief moment but had a significant impact.
Gene Freese – Third base (1959)
Gene Freese was entering his fifth Major League season as a 25-yard old in 1959. The third baseman hit only 30 home runs during his first four seasons with the Pirates and Cardinals. During his lone season in Philadelphia Freese hit 23 home runs with 70 RBI. His .500 slugging percentage and .843 OPS were tops of his career.
Freese moved on to the White Sox in 1960 and had hit career-best 26 home runs and 87 RBI for the Reds in 1961. Surprisingly, Freese was never again a starter, bouncing around the Major Leagues for five more seasons, retiring in 1966 with 115 home runs and 432 RBI.
Dick Stuart – First base (1965)
Stuart was a big power-hitting first baseman who surpassed 20 home runs six times and 30 home runs three times. In fact, he smashed 42 home runs and led the American League in RBI with 118 in 1963 with the Red Sox.
Stuart arrived in Philadelphia after five years with the Pirates and two in Boston. Little known at the time, his time in Philadelphia was his last as a starting player. The 32-year old hit 28 home runs and knocked in 95 runs for the Phillies.
Stuart’s production dropped to just seven home runs combined with the Mets and Dodgers in 1966. He was out of the Major Leagues in 1967 and 1968 and appeared in 22 games for the Angels in 1969 before retiring.
Darold Knowles – Relief pitcher (1966)
Knowles appeared in five games with the Orioles in 1965 as his first taste in Major League Baseball. He was traded to the Phillies in December 1965 and during his first full season in the league in 1966, he was a mainstay in the Phillies bullpen. Knowles appeared in 69 games, finishing 39 with 13 saves and an ERA of 3.05.
In 100 1/3 innings, he struck out 88, walked only ten and gave up just four home runs. The Phillies traded Knowles to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Don Lock on November 30, 1966. He went on to have a successful 16-year career with seven different teams, finishing with 143 saves, and a 3.12 ERA in 765 career appearances.
Ken Brett – Starting pitcher (1973)
Brett appeared in a single game for the Red Sox as an 18-year old in 1967 and returned to the Majors in 1969, making eight appearances. His first full season was in 1970 when he went 8-9 in 41 games, making 14 starts.
After another season with the Red Sox and one with the Brewers, Brett was traded to the Phillies along with Jim Lonborg, Ken Sanders, and Earl Stephenson for John Vukovich, Don Money and Bill Champion.
Brett was very solid in his lone season with the Phillies, logging 211 innings with 10 complete games in 25 starts. He went 13-9 with a 3.44 ERA and one shutout.
The Phillies traded Brett following the season to the Pirates for second baseman Dave Cash. Brett was an All-Star in his first year in Pittsburgh and went on to pitch for seven more seasons, retiring with 83 wins and an ERA of 3.93.
Tom Hilgendorf – Relief pitcher (1975)
Hilgendorf was effective in a relatively short Major League career. A 27-year old rookie with the Cardinals in 1969, Hilgendorf had a 1.42 in six relief appearances. After another season in St. Louis, he was out of Major League Baseball in 1971, resurfacing with the Cleveland Indians in 1972.
Hilgendorf pitched three solid seasons with the Indians before being traded to the Phillies in March 1975 for Nellie Garcia. He went on to have a very successful year with the Phillies, winning seven in 53 relief appearances with an ERA of 2.14.
Despite setting career-highs in games, innings, and wins, Hilgendorf was released by the Phillies the following spring. Although he signed with the Pirates days later, Hilgendorf never made another Major League appearance, retiring with 19 wins and an ERA of 3.04.
Mike Krukow – Starting pitcher (1982)
Krukow spent the first six seasons in Major League Baseball with the Chicago Cubs, winning 45 games with an ERA of 4.17. He was traded to the Phillies in December 1981 for Keith Moreland, Dickie Noles and Dan Larson.
A key part of the starting rotation for the Phillies in 1982, Krukow won 13 games with an ERA of 3.12 in 33 starts. He completed seven games, logged 208 innings and allowed only eight home runs. Despite the productive season, Krukow was traded with Mark Davis and Charles Penigar to the Giants in December for Al Holland and Joe Morgan.
Krukow spent his final seven seasons with the Giants, winning 20 games in 1986, earning an All-Star appearance and third in the Cy Young Award voting. Krukow retired 124 wins and 1478 strikeouts in 2190 2/3 innings.
Willie Hernandez – Relief pitcher (1983)
Hernandez was selected by the Phillies as a non-drafted free agent in 1973 and selected by the Cubs from the Phillies in the Rule 5 draft in December 1976. He began his career with the Cubs in 1977 and spent his first six-plus seasons in Chicago before being traded to the Phillies for Dick Ruthven and Bill Johnson in May 1983.
During his only season with the Phillies, Hernandez was a key part of the bullpen, helping the Wheeze Kids win the 1983 NL Championship. He went 8-4 with seven saves and a 3.29 ERA in 63 appearances. Hernandez was again traded to the Tigers the following season, beginning the best run of his career. He won the Cy Young Award and AL MVP in 1984 and followed with two more All-Star appearances.
After three more seasons in Detroit, Hernandez retired with 70 wins, 147 saves and an ERA of 3.38.
Joe Morgan – Second base (1983)
Morgan spent his first nine seasons with Houston, making two All-Star appearances before making his most significant impact for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1970s. In fact, Morgan made eight consecutive All-Star Games and won back-to-back MVP Awards in 1975 and 1976. Morgan was part of the 1980 Astros team that took the Phillies to five games in the NLCS.
After two seasons in San Francisco, Morgan was traded with Al Holland to the Phillies in December 1982. Although clearly at the end of a brilliant career when arriving in Philadelphia, Morgan was a key part of the 1983 NL Championship team.
Starting at second base, Morgan hit .230 with 16 home runs, 59 RBI, 89 walks and 18 stolen bases and was among several key veteran components to the team.
Morgan was released by the Phillies in late October and played a season with the A’s before retiring with 2,517 hits, 268 home runs and 689 stolen bases. Morgan was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1990.
Doug Jones – Relief pitcher (1994)
Jones had a late start to his Major League career, playing in his first full season as a 29-year old in 1986. He was one of the top closers in the American League, making three straight All-Star appearances with the Indians, saving over 30 each season with a high of 43 in 1990.
After signing with the Astros as a free agent in 1992, Jones spent two seasons there before being traded to the Phillies with Jeff Juden for Mitch Williams in December 1993. Jones did a very good job for the Phillies in the strike-shortened 1994 season, posting a 2.17 ERA with 27 saves in 47 games, making his fifth and final All-Star team.
Jones was granted free agency in October 1994 and played for five more teams over the next five seasons. He retired with 69 wins, 303 saves and an ERA of 3.30.
Benito Santiago – Catcher (1996)
After a cup of coffee with the Padres in 1986, Santiago made his presence felt, taking home Rookie of the Year honors in 1987. He won three consecutive Gold Gloves and four straight All-Star games with San Diego before signing with the Marlins as a free agent in December 1992.
After three relatively mediocre campaigns with Marlins in 1993 and 1994 and with the Reds in 1995, the Phillies signed Santiago as a free agent. The single-season in Philadelphia was a remarkable one for Santiago, blasting 30 home runs, which shattered his personal best of 18 his rookie season. He also knocked in 85 runs, just two off his career-high.
As quickly as Santiago made his mark in Philadelphia, he was gone to Blue Jays via free agency. After nine more seasons in the show, Santiago retired with 1830 hits and 217 home runs.
Todd Zeile – Third base (1996)
Zeile began his career with the Cardinals in 1989 and was sixth in Rookie of the Year voting in 1990. Solid, but not spectacular, Zeile manned third base in St. Louis through part of 1995 and finished the 1995 season with the Cubs. He was signed by the Phillies as a free agent in December 1995 and was a mainstay at third for much of the 1996 season. He hit .268 in 134 games for the Phillies with 20 home runs and 80 RBI.
With the Phillies well out of the race, they traded Zeile and Pete Incaviglia to the Orioles on August 29, 1996, for Calvin Maduro and Garrett Stephenson. Zeile moved around baseball for the next eight seasons, retiring in 2004 after having played for 11 different teams. He finished with 2004 hits, 253 home runs, and 1110 RBI.
Kenny Lofton – Centerfield (2005)
Lofton began his career with the Indians in 1991 and quickly became one of the best and fastest outfielders in the league. He lad the league in stolen bases from 1992 through 1996 and made six consecutive All-Star teams with four straight Gold Glove Awards.
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Lofton remained with the Indians through 2001 before moving out to the White Sox, Giants, Pirates, Cubs, and Yankees over the next three seasons. The Phillies acquired Lofton via trade for Felix Rodriguez in December 2004. While certainly a shell of his prime seasons, Lofton still showed there was plenty in the tank at age 38. He appeared in 110 games with the Phillies and batted .335, his highest average since 1994.
In addition, he stole 22 bases in 25 attempts. Lofton was granted free agency at the end of the season and signed with the Dodgers.
Lofton finished his career where it started with the Indians in 2007 and retired at the age of 40 with 2,428 hits and 622 stolen bases.