Phillies Mock Draft: Building the greatest team of all-time
Who can build the greatest Phillies team in a three-team mock draft?
What would it look like if you built the greatest Phillies team of all-time? Now, imagine if three people were trying to build it in a mock draft, forcing you to make decisions over the greatest at one position versus the need to fill another.
That Ball’s Outta Here co-editors George Stockburger and Matt Rappa, along with contributor David Esser, sat down and did an all-time Phillies team mock draft with players from 1940 on, similar to The Athletic‘s mock (subscription required).
Each team had eight starting position players, five starting pitchers, one reliever, and one bench player. We did the mock draft in a “snake mock” style with David having the first pick, George the second, and Matt the third. Matt then had the fourth, George the fifth, David the sixth and seventh, and so on until we each made 15 picks.
At the end, we layout our final teams and you can vote to decide who has the best squad.
We’ve also included our commentary from during the draft, edited for clarity.
With the first pick, who else but…
6. . 3B. Philadelphia Phillies. Mike Schmidt. 1. player
David Esser
Give me Mike Schmidt.
2. player. 6. . LHP. Philadelphia Phillies. Steve Carlton
George Stockburger
With the second pick, I’m taking Steve Carlton. Easy pick, no other way to go to build a team.
3. player. 6. . CF. Philadelphia Phillies. Richie Ashburn
Matt Rappa
With the third pick, I am taking CF Richie Ashburn.
SS. Philadelphia Phillies. Jimmy Rollins. 4. player. 6.
Matt Rappa
With the fourth pick, franchise hits leader Jimmy Rollins.
George Stockburger
Easy picks there, I think that’s two of the top three hits leaders in team history
player. 6. . 2B. Philadelphia Phillies. Chase Utley. 5
I’ll take Chase Utley fifth overall
David Esser
You guys are the worst. Rollins and Utley were the top two names on my board. While I had dreams of creating the greatest infield in franchise history.
6. . 1B. Philadelphia Phillies. Ryan Howard. 6. player
I’ll have to settle with Ryan Howard at number six. 930 HRs combined between him and Schmidt…
7. player. 6. . RF. Philadelphia Phillies. Bryce Harper
I’ve committed to the HRs, give me Bryce at number seven
George Stockburger/Matt Rappa
Wow.
David Esser
Three MVPs with my first three picks. Sorry not sorry!
6. . RHP. Philadelphia Phillies. Robin Roberts. 8. player
George Stockburger
I considered Harper earlier as well. I’ll keep building a great pitching staff with Robin Roberts
David Esser
Carlton and Roberts is quite the one-two punch
George Stockburger
Doesn’t get much better than that
. CF. Philadelphia Phillies. Bobby Abreu. 9. player. 6
Matt Rappa
Rivals the R2C2 rotation. I’m taking Bobby Abreu with my first of two picks.
David Esser/George Stockburger
Abreu is one of the most underrated Phils ever
Philadelphia Phillies. Roy Halladay. 10. player. 6. . RHP
Matt Rappa
And, I have to go with Doc with my other
Three of the greatest pitchers in Phillies history and some of the best sluggers
. 3B. Philadelphia Phillies. Scott Rolen. 11. player. 6
George Stockburger
I’ll go with Scott Rolen, another underrated player.
. LHP. Philadelphia Phillies. Cole Hamels. 12. player. 6
David Esser
I got my offense sorted out, now time to work on my pitching staff with Cole Hamels.
13. player. 6. . RHP. Philadelphia Phillies. Curt Schilling
Numbers four and five in all-time WAR for pitchers, give me Cole Hamels and Curt Schilling.
Larry Bowa. 14. player. 6. . SS. Philadelphia Phillies
George Stockburger
I was looking at one of those two soon. I’m gonna go with Larry Bowa
1B. Philadelphia Phillies. Jim Thome. 15. player. 6.
Matt Rappa
I just took Roy Halladay … give me another Hall of Famer with Jim Thome for 1B
George Stockburger/David Esser
Nice pick
6. . 2B. Philadelphia Phillies. Juan Samuel. 16. player
Matt Rappa
Give me Juan Samuel to fill my 2B hole
6. . 1B. Philadelphia Phillies. Dick Allen. 17. player
George Stockburger
How about that Dick Allen playing 1st base. I’ve got an old school team
Matt Rappa
A Wall of Famer
6. . LHP. Philadelphia Phillies. Cliff Lee. 18. player
David Esser
He dragged the Phils to the 09 World Series, I’ll take Cliff Lee as my SP #3
Matt Rappa
Ahh! Clifton Phifer Lee. I think that’s his full name.
player. 6. . CF. Philadelphia Phillies. Garry Maddox. 19
David Esser
Gonna mix it up with this next pick, I got all the hitting in the world but I need some defense now
8x Gold Glove winner Garry Maddox
Matt Rappa
Secretary of Defense
6. . LF. Philadelphia Phillies. Pat Burrell. 20. player
George Stockburger
I’ve got to start an outfield. Give me Pat Burrell
David Esser
Pat the bat!
We get a mix of super old school Phillies, retro old school, and new school
Mike Lieberthal. 21. player. 6. . C. Philadelphia Phillies
Matt Rappa
I have Rollins, Abreu and Thome.. let’s add another farewell Veterans Stadium Phillie in Mike Lieberthal
George Stockburger
The first catcher off the board
Greg Luzinski. 22. player. 6. . LF. Philadelphia Phillies
Matt Rappa
Taking Greg Luzinski in left… I could use some Bulls BBQ right now
6. . CF. Philadelphia Phillies. Shane Victorino. 23. player
George Stockburger
I’ll add my defense and take Shane Victorino in center field
. Utility. Philadelphia Phillies. Pete Rose. 24. player. 6
David Esser
Am I allowed to take Pete Rose? How in the world has he lasted this long! He’s just too good to pass on this late in the draft, gonna have the greatest bench bat in history with Rose
George Stockburger
I considered him at 1st base. He has not been banned from this list, unlike other lists.
He’s just too good to pass on this late in the draft, gonna have the greatest bench bat in history with Rose
J.T. Realmuto. 25. player. 6. . C. Philadelphia Phillies
David Esser
And while he’s only been in Philly for a year, he’s already potentially the most talented catcher to play for the Phils. Let’s get Gold Glove winner J.T. Realmuto on the squad.
player. 6. . LHP. Philadelphia Phillies. Chris Short. 26
George Stockburger
I’ve been waiting to see who the second catcher would be. I’m gonna go back to old school pitchers with Chris Short. He won 135 games with a 3.34 ERA and a couple All-Star games.
6. . RHP. Philadelphia Phillies. Jim Bunning. 27. player
Matt Rappa
I have Roy Halladay, let’s take the only other pitcher to throw a perfect game in franchise history, Jim Bunning.
6. . Reliever. Philadelphia Phillies. Brad Lidge. 28. player
Matt Rappa
For my relief pitcher, let’s take Brad Lidge … perfect in the 2008 season
David Esser
Really good set of picks right there
LHP. Philadelphia Phillies. Curt Simmons. 29. player. 6.
George Stockburger
I’m sticking with the old school pitchers and going Curt Simmons and his 115 wins
player. 6. . RHP. Philadelphia Phillies. Aaron Nola. 30
David Esser
While George is going old-school, I’m going to keep it new-school with my rotation. Joining Hamels, Schilling, and Lee will be that of Aaron Nola
Two of the best relievers in recent Phillies history are now off the board
6. . Reliever. Philadelphia Phillies. Ryan Madson. 31. player
David Esser
With every great pitching staff comes a great reliever, give me Ryan Madson to operate out of the bullpen. Considered Papelbon here not gonna lie, couldn’t bring myself to do it despite him being the all-time saves leader.
George Stockburger
Interesting
Matt Rappa
If he kept his mouth shut, he would be among the best relievers in team history
. Reliever. Philadelphia Phillies. Jonathan Papelbon. 32. player. 6
George Stockburger
That leaves me with either Papelbon, Tug, or Billy Wagner for a reliever, gotta go Papelbon
David Esser
People ain’t gonna like that, George
6. . Bench. Philadelphia Phillies. Matt Stairs. 33. player
Matt Rappa
For my bench, give me Matt Stairs — MLB record holder for pinch hit HRs
David Esser
Heck of a bench player to have
Jamie Moyer. 34. player. 6. . LHP. Philadelphia Phillies
Matt Rappa
And, I’m going to reach to take Jamie Moyer for my 3rd starting pitcher. He led the team in wins in 2008 with 16. He holds another MLB record, most HRs allowed!
George Stockburger
I was at the game (May 7, 2010) when he became the oldest pitcher to throw a shutout.
35. player. 6. . RF. Philadelphia Phillies. Johnny Callison
George Stockburger
I gotta fill my right field spot and again i’m going old school with Johnny Callison and his 226 career home runs
36. player. 6. . RF. Philadelphia Phillies. Jayson Werth
David Esser
I need to finalize my outfield and I was strongly considering Callison, luckily George makes this decision easy for me. Pairing up with Maddox and Harper, I’ll take Jayson Werth. He hit 87 HRs between 2008 and 2010, and should get along great with Bryce!
George Stockburger
That was my second choice if I didn’t go with Callison.
Roy Oswalt. 37. player. 6. . RHP. Philadelphia Phillies
David Esser
And to round out my rotation, he wasn’t here long but he pitched some great games in 2010. I’ll take Roy Oswalt. 3/4 of the “four aces” in my rotation…
Matt Rappa
Nice
6. . RHP. Philadelphia Phillies. Brett Myers. 38. player
George Stockburger
Hmm, I need another starting pitcher. I’ll take Brett Myers as my #5 pitcher. Taking out the dead-ball era pitchers, he’s around the top-10 in all-time wins in franchise history.
3B. Philadelphia Phillies. Placido Polanco. 39. player. 6.
Matt Rappa
Give me Placido Polanco to round out my position players
40. player. 6. . RHP. Philadelphia Phillies. Pedro Martinez
And my next pick … Pedro Martinez. Hall of Famer … he put up a fight in the latter half of 2009 (his last season) and was one win away in 2009 to becoming a legend in Philadelphia.
Carlos Ruiz. 41. player. 6. . C. Philadelphia Phillies
George Stockburger
I’m gonna finally take Chooch here. No one else needed a catcher so I could hold out on taking him.
David Esser
Chooooooch! Fantastic pick this late in the draft.
Philadelphia Phillies. Granny Hamner. 42. player. 6. . SS
David Esser
For my final two picks, I need to round out my infield after missing out on Utley and Rollins early on. I’ll take 3x All-Star Granny Hamner at shortstop
George Stockburger
Love Granny Hamner
2B. Philadelphia Phillies. Manny Trillo. 43. player. 6.
David Esser
Then at second base, 3x Phillies Gold Glove winner and World Champion, Manny Trillo
6. . Bench. Philadelphia Phillies. Del Ennis. 44. player
George Stockburger
I’ve got a couple options off the bench… Daulton, Hayes, Ennis, Kruk…. If we’re talking only bench players, then Greg Dobbs is the man. If I’m building with the best player available then I’ll take the #3 home run hitter in team history, Del Ennis. Gimme a little pop
. RHP. Philadelphia Phillies. Joe Blanton. 45. player. 6
Matt Rappa
For my last pick … this starting pitcher hit a World Series home run and pitched in more than 100 games for the Phillies across parts of five seasons. He had a 13-year MLB career. Give me Joe Blanton!
Take a look at those great Phillies teams!
Above is the recap of each writer’s all-time team. Now, a look at their reasoning behind the picks and the total WAR for the team based on each player’s career WAR in Philadelphia.
David Esser
Power and pitching. My approach to the draft was really quite simple.
Staring off my team with Mike Schmidt, Ryan Howard, and Bryce Harper, the core of my draft was already solidified. With five total MVP awards between the three of them, is there really another team that could compare? Adding in some Gold Glovers like Garry Maddox and JT Realmuto later in the draft only did more to further my already borderline unbeatable lineup.
With the power now set in stone, the pitching was quick to follow. Composing a rotation that boasted three out of the four “Four Aces”, the talent of my staff speaks for itself. Aaron Nola, Curt Schilling, and Ryan Madson joined Hamels, Lee, and Oswalt to complete a strikeout-filled pitching staff.
While my top three picks honestly don’t need much help when it comes to pouring in the runs, I rounded out the draft adding some key roleplayers in crucial spots. Manny Trillo and Granny Hamner are a dynamic infield up the middle, and Jayson Werth is the perfect corner outfielder to pair up next to Bryce Harper (Nats connection!).
Did I mention I have the all-time greatest contact hitter in baseball coming off the bench? Well I do. Pete Rose and his 4,256 career hits provides me with the best substitute in the history of sports.
Total Team WAR: 337.5 (22.5 average)
Related Story. 50 Greatest Players in Franchise History. light
George Stockburger
My team turned out to be a little more “old school” than the other two, but taking some of the greatest players in team history late in the draft was an easy choice.
In my first three picks I ended up with the second, third, and fourth-best WARs in team history with Roberts, Carlton, and Utley. I would have liked to get Abreu, but Rolen fit in as the second-best third baseman in team history. Bowa and Allen fit in also as the second-best players at their position in team history.
Burrell and Victorino brought the team back into the 21st centruy, but we went back with Chris Short and Curt Simmons, who have a combined 247 wins in Philadelphia. Papelbon soured a lot of people, but he’s still the all-time saves leader in team history. Callison, Myers, and Ruiz filled in necessary holes on the roster and Del Ennis, third on the all-time home run list, takes his place coming off the bench with power.
Total Team WAR: 478.5 (31.9 average)
Matt Rappa
My draft selections represent several aspects both team and MLB history. Consider Roy Halladay and Jim Bunning as the only two Phils to throw a perfect game. Then, there is Matt Stairs, who holds the MLB record for all-time pinch-hit home runs.
I also have some underrated, yet very important players in the team’s recent World Series runs, such as Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton (2008-09) and Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez (2009).
One of my favorite parts about my drafted team? Having players that helped transition the team from the Vet to Citizens Bank Park: Mike Lieberthal, Jim Thome, Placido Polanco, Jimmy Rollins, and Bobby Abreu.
Other greats include Juan Samuel, Greg Luzinski, Richie Ashburn, and Brad Lidge.
Total Team WAR: 283.2 (18.88 average)
Vote for your favorite Phillies team below!
Created with Poll Maker
Which team do you think came out best? Vote until Saturday evening to decide!