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Phillies 1980’s All-Decade Team: Hall of Fame Legends Lead the Way

By Kerry Kauffman

CHICAGO - 1987: Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies fields during an MLB game versus the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois during the 1987 season. (Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
CHICAGO - 1987: Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies fields during an MLB game versus the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois during the 1987 season. (Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – CIRCA 1984: Juan Samuel #8 of the Philadelphia Phillies runs the bases during an Major League Baseball game circa 1984 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Samuel played for the Phillies from 1983-89. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Juan Samuel

The best defensive second baseman in franchise history was Manny Trillo, who won two Gold Glove Awards in his four years with the team.  However, he comes second to Samuel for the overall best team second baseman of the 1980’s, purely due to Samuel’s offensive numbers.

Samuel played in 18 games in 1983, hitting .277 with a double, two triples and a home run. He took off the following season, making the All-Star team and finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year vote. Samuel led the league in triples with 19 and swiped 72 bases, while hitting .272 with 15 home runs.

He continued very good production with 67 doubles, 25 triples, 35 home runs, and 95 stolen bases over 1985 and 1986.  Samuel’s best season in his career came in 1987 when he belted 28 home runs, 37 doubles, a league best 17 triples and 35 stolen bases.  His efforts earned him a second NL All-Star appearance.

Samuel’s production dropped drastically in 1988 to 12 home runs, 67 RBI and a .243 batting average. He was traded to the Mets on June 18, 1989 for Lenny Dykstra, Roger McDowell, and Tom Edens.

Samuel finished his time in Philadelphia with 176 doubles, 71 triples, 100 home runs, 249 stolen bases, and a .263 batting average.

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