Phillies: 5 players who moved to the dark side in New York
Juan Samuel
Like Bowa, Juan Samuel is one of the lifelong Phillies who spent part of a season with the New York Mets.
Born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, Samuel was signed by the Phillies in 1980 out of the city of Licey, Puerto Rico. He’s the only player to come out of Licey.
Three years later Samuel had a cup of coffee with the 1983 team, but he really made a name for himself in 1984 as the everyday second baseman taking over for Joe Morgan.
That season Samuel hit .272 with 36 doubles, 15 home runs, 72 stolen bases, and a league-high 19 triples, something a Phillies player hadn’t done for 90 years when Ed Delehanty did it in 1894.
Both the 19 triples and 72 stolen bases were the most by a Phillies player in the 20th century.
Samuel also led the league in plate appearances (737), at-bats (701), and strikeouts (168), the first of four consecutive years he’d lead the league in punchouts.
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Samuel would lose the Rookie of the Year award to Dwight Gooden. Samuel received the only first place vote that didn’t go to Gooden, who had a 2.60 ERA with 17 wins.
“Sammy” would spend the better part of six seasons dominating at the plate for Philadelphia, hitting .263 with 176 doubles, 71 triples, 100 home runs and 249 stolen bases.
On June 18, 1989, the 28-year-old Samuel was traded by the Phillies to the Mets for Lenny Dykstra, Roger McDowell, and Tom Edens.
Dykstra and McDowell would each have relatively good years with the Phillies. Dykstra was the runner up for the MVP in 1993 and McDowell had a 2.90 ERA in 154 games for the Phillies.
Samuel had a fairly lackluster season in 1989, hitting just .235 with 29 extra-base hits, though he did steal 31 bases with the Mets.
That season was Samuel’s only year with the Mets, who traded him that winter to the Dodgers.
Samuel’s career carried him to Los Angeles, Toronto, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Detroit before he retired after the 1998 season.
Samuel has since returned to the Phillies as a coach and nearly as a manger, twice interviewing for the job and nearly getting it after Ryne Sandberg quit midseason. He remains in the top-10 for triples and stolen bases by a Phillie.