Several former Phillies have already had their plaques placed in Cooperstown, and all are a part of an extensive Philadelphia professional baseball tradition.
This off-season, plenty of former Phillies have worked their way on to the 2020 Hall of Fame ballot. Some have a better chance to get into the hall than others, but all are deserving to be on the ballot.
Let’s look at which former Phillies are on the ballot and which have the greatest chance to reach the ultimate peak of baseball accolades.
Billy Wagner
Career Numbers: 2.31 ERA, 422 Saves, 11.92 K/9
Accolades: 7x All-Star, Rolaids Relief Winner 1x
Having only spent two seasons in a Phillies uniform, Billy Wagner would be entering the Hall of Fame as a member of the Houston Astros. However, in those two years, Wagner posted a 1.86 ERA with 146 strikeouts in only 126 innings.
His accumulation of 406 saves ranks sixth all-time behind three Hall of Famers and ahead of Dennis Eckersley. And at the age of 38, Wagner still posted a 1.73 ERA and 37 saves. It makes you wonder if he could have done more to cement himself in the Hall.
Wagner had some of the most vicious stuff on the mound in the history of the game, eclipsing 100 mph with his fastball and featuring a slider that made the greatest of his generation take whiffle ball-like swings.