With the quick demotion of Tyler Phillips after one dismal start, his September promotion by the Philadelphia Phillies sure didn’t end up lasting long. But that doesn’t mean the Phillies haven’t had success in the past with late-season call-ups. In fact, there have been quite a few that have, in one way or another, shined once they were given the opportunity and ultimately ran with it.
Here, we will take a look back at seven Phillies players who flourished after earning a promotion to the majors late in the season. For the purposes of this article, any time following the All-Star break will be considered a late season call-up.
7 best late-season call-ups in Phillies history
Mike Schmidt
We'll give Mike Schmidt a spot here, but not because of how his initial call-up went. This is more about what his introduction to the league meant to the future of the franchise.
Schmidt was called up on Sept. 12, 1972, and based on how the rest of his career went, you'd just assume that he started raking from the get-go. But Schmidt didn't exactly light the league on fire in his first go around. He slashed .206/.325/.294 in 40 plate appearances over 13 games, hitting one home run, driving in three runs and scoring two while striking out an alarming 15 times.
After hitting .196 in 132 games the following season, Schmidt figured things out and from 1974 through 1989 he amassed a .271 average and a .918 OPS with 529 home runs and 1,540 RBI. Known as the greatest third baseman in MLB history, Schmidt was a 12-time All-Star, three-time MVP, 10-time Gold Glover and led the 1980 Phillies to the franchise's first World Series title, earning World Series MVP.
Despite his struggles at the beginning, that first September call-up for the future Hall-of-Famer changed the course of Phillies baseball.