5 most legendary Phillies first basemen of all time

Who are the greatest first basemen in Philadelphia Phillies franchise history?

In the long and storied history of the Philadelphia Phillies, there have been many legendary players.

Since MLB is currently in lockout and teams can’t sign anyone new, we’re looking back at the most legendary players to ever wear the Phillies uniform. We started with starting pitchers and relievers, then catchers, and now, we throw to first.

Here are the five most legendary first basemen in Phillies history…

5. Dolph Camilli, Phillies 1934-37

The Phillies are known for trading away great players, but their trade of Don Hurst actually netted an unexpected boon in Dolph Camilli.

Camilli came to the Phillies via trade from the Cubs in 1934 and hit 12 home runs and 20 doubles in his first partial season with the club. Over his three full seasons with the club, he hit 25+ home runs and 23+ doubles each year. He also led the NL with a .446 on-base percentage in 1937.

Of course, the Phillies then looked the gift horse in the mouth and traded Camilli to the Brooklyn Dodgers for $45,000. He went on to win NL MVP and the Dodgers won the pennant. Typical Phillies blunder.

4. Jim Thome, Phillies 2003-05, 2012

Jim Thome only played 391 games for the Phillies out of his 2,543 career total, but they were some of the Hall of Famer’s best.

Joining the Phillies in 2003, Thome immediately led MLB with 47 home runs and finished fourth in MVP voting, the highest he ever finished in MVP voting in his 22-year career. His offensive output rate with the Phillies was impressive; he hit 101 home runs in 391 games for the Phillies, homering in nearly 26% of his games.

Thome returned to the Phillies in 2012, playing 30 games for them and 28 games for the Baltimore Orioles before retiring.

3. Pete Rose, Phillies 1979-83

Pete Rose spent the bulk of his 24-year career with the Cincinnati Reds, but five of his big-league seasons were spent with the Phillies.

Rose was already a 12-time All-Star when he came to Philadelphia, including the six prior seasons, and he continued that streak with four consecutive All-Star seasons with the Phillies.

In 1979, Rose hit over .300 for the fifth season in a row. In 1980, the Phillies won their first World Series, and Rose led the NL with 42 doubles. He also won the only Silver Slugger Award of his career in 1981, when he led MLB with 140 hits, despite only playing in 107 games that year.

Rose was an incredible hitter, but that didn’t extend to home runs; he never hit more than four in a season with the Phillies, and his single-season best was only 16, reached twice with the Reds in the 1960s.

Unfortunately, Rose went from famous to infamous when it was discovered that he bet on baseball – including his own games – and had intimate relationships with a minor during his playing career. He currently has a lifetime ban from baseball and the Hall of Fame.

2. John Kruk, Phillies 1989-94

John Kruk spent 10 years in the big leagues but was only ever an All-Star or MVP candidate with the Phillies.

Acquired during the 1989 season from the Padres, Kruk would spend six years in Philadelphia, and compile a .309/.400/.461 line and .861 OPS over 744 games. During his three consecutive All-Star seasons between 1991-93, Kruk hit .311/.407/.472 with a .880 OPS and 491 hits in 446 games.

During the 1993 pennant season, Kruk hit .316 with a career-high .905 OPS. Over 12 postseason games, he hit .298/.431/.468 with a .899 OPS and 14 hits, including three doubles, a triple, and a home run.

In modern franchise history, Kruk’s 18.5 bWAR ranks second, outdone only by Fred Luderus, who compiled 19.9 between 1910-20.