The most legendary Phillies shortstops of all time

Who are the greatest second 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, then called to the bullpen, followed by catchers, first base, second, and now, short.

Discussing this position is particularly timely, as the Phillies are currently trying to figure out how to manage shortstops in 2022. Didi Gregorius is under contract for one more season, and the club owes him over $15M for it. However, he’s coming off a terrible season, and if the Phillies want a chance of competing this year, they need to upgrade. Top prospect Bryson Stott is a very intriguing option, as are several free agents.

But for now, here are the five most legendary shortstops in Phillies history…

5. Dave Bancroft, 1915-1920 Phillies

Dave Bancroft had a Hall of Fame career, but he spent most of it with other teams.

Bancroft made his big-league debut with the Phillies in 1915, playing 153 games and leading the National League by getting caught stealing bases 27 times.

While he never really hit for power (32 career home runs over 1,913 games), Bancroft displayed plate discipline unheard of in today’s game. Over 681 games with the Phillies, he drew 289 walks and only struck out 239 times.

After six seasons with the Phillies, he was traded to the New York Giants for another shortstop, Art Fletcher. With the Giants, he’d win two World Series rings.

3. Granny Hamner, 1944-59 Phillies

Granny Hamner remains the longest-tenured shortstop in Phillies history.

And in case you were wondering, he remains the only player in MLB history named Granny, though his full name was Granville Wilbur Hamner.

After debuting in 1944, Hamner spent 16 years with the club, including three consecutive All-Star seasons between 1952-54. In 1950, he was one of the Whiz Kids who won the pennant.

Over 1,501 games in a Phillies uniform, Hamner hit .263/.305/.385 with a .689 OPS. Never much of a slugger, he didn’t hit a single home run until his fifth season in the majors.

On the franchise leaderboards, Hamner comes in eighth in at-bats (5,772) and tenth in singles (1,083).

2. Larry Bowa, 1970-81 Phillies

After going undrafted, the scrappy Larry Bowa spent 12 of his 16 big-league seasons with the Phillies, dating back to his 1970 debut.

The durable infielder played 100+ games in each of his Phillies seasons, but often ended up playing at least 150.

A two-time Gold Glover, he was an All-Star five times between 1974-79. The following season, he helped the Phillies to their first championship in franchise history.

A better shortstop than slugger, Bowa never hit more than four home runs in a season, and more often than not, hit no home runs at all. He did, however, once lead MLB by hitting 13 triples.

Bowa does have a higher dWAR than anyone else on this list, though, even our number-one guy…

1. Jimmy Rollins, 2000-14 Phillies

Let’s be honest, was anyone really going to come close to Jimmy Rollins? Will anyone ever come close again?

Rollins gets the top spot on this list for a slew of reasons: his numbers, his overflowing trophy case, and his longevity.

Drafted out of high school by the Phillies in the second round of the 1996 June Amateur Draft, Rollins spent almost his entire professional career with the Phillies and should have been a lifer.

Rollins made a brief debut in late September 2000, but really got started the following year, when he played in 158 games, led the NL in at-bats, triples, and stolen bases, leading him to finish third in Rookie of the Year voting.

Playing almost an entire slate of regular-season games was almost a regular occurrence for Rollins, who played 150+ games in 10 of his 15 seasons with the club. Over 15 seasons in Philadelphia, he hit .267/.327/.424 with a .751 OPS.

In 2007, he led MLB by playing in all 162 games, making 778 plate appearances, and 716 at-bats, and led the NL in runs scored and triples, earning his first Gold Glove award, and the only MVP and Silver Slugger of his career. In a season eerily reminiscent of Bryce Harper’s 2021, Rollins was not an All-Star in his MVP year; his three All-Star seasons were already behind him.

The following season, he helped the Phillies win their second championship in franchise history. He’d go on to win three more Gold Gloves, too.

On the franchise leaderboards, he ranks sixth all-time in bWAR among position players, eighth in oWAR, and fourth in dWAR. The only person to play more games in a Phillies uniform was Mike Schmidt, but Rollins was the one to beat him in hits.

The biggest endorsement of our number-one comes from the number-two himself; in 2008, Larry Bowa said,

“I wasn’t a great player. I was a good player. Jimmy is a great player.”