7 best late-season call-ups in Phillies history

Scott Rolen

Perhaps one of the best all-around third baseman of his time, Scott Rolen made it to the big leagues with the Phillies back in 1996. The former second-round pick by the Phillies in the 1993 MLB Draft debuted in a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 1 that year, recording his first-ever MLB hit in the first game.

He maintained his starting status with the club with a solid performance through the month. That likely would have continued through September if it wasn’t for an unfortunate right forearm injury resulting from a hit-by-pitch that ended his season.

Nevertheless, Rolen still ended up posting strong numbers despite his brief stint, batting .254 with a .722 OPS, along with 10 runs scored, seven doubles, four home runs and 18 RBI in 37 games played. That solid first impression made by Rolen paved his way to becoming the Phillies everyday starter in 1997 and the rest was history. Despite his tenure in Philadelphia not ending well, he went on to win NL Rookie of the Year, with four Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger Award in his seven years with the club.

Ryan Howard

When it comes to some of the best power hitters in the history of the franchise, no doubt the name Ryan Howard comes to mind for many Phillies fans. In fact, he was actually raking in the minor leagues prior to his promotion to the majors in 2004 during the final month of the season. 

However, the Phillies ended up deploying him sporadically, giving him just five starts while mixing in many pinch-hitting duties. Nevertheless, Howard still managed to put up solid numbers, boasting a strong .282 average and .897 OPS, along with five runs scored, five doubles, two home runs and five RBI in just 39 total at-bats over 19 games.

That strong debut was just foreshadowing for what was to come for the three-time All-Star, as it propelled Howard to becoming NL Rookie of the Year the following season, as well as his MVP season subsequently in 2006. Howard went on to shine for 13 years with Philadelphia before retiring. In doing so, he became one of the rare Phillies players to spend his entire playing career with the organization.

Shane Victorino

Shane Victorino may not have started out as a Phillie, but it sure felt like he did. Prior to officially beginning his career with Philadelphia, he did manage to appear in 36 games with the San Diego Padres in 2003. However, he didn’t provide much of an impact in his brief cameo at the time. After picking him up in the Rule 5 Draft in 2004, the Phillies made the choice to bring Victorino up to finish off the 2005 season. With that, he made sure he took full advantage of the limited playing time he was given.

It wasn’t the fact that Victorino was setting records left and right after making his debut. It was the way he was able to still shine despite being just a pinch hitter, pinch runner or defensive replacement late in games that made him stand out. Despite not starting a single game over his 21 appearances, Victorino registered five runs scored, two home runs, eight RBI and two sacrifice flies in just 17 total at-bats. That audition enabled him to become a fixture in the Phillies’ lineup from 2006 onwards, including playing a key role in their World Series title win in 2008.

Jimmy Rollins

Perhaps without question, the best Phillies shortstop of all time, Jimmy Rollins, made his presence felt the moment he saw his first game in the majors back in mid-September of 2000. He put his blazing speed on full display right away in his MLB debut against the Florida Marlins on Sept. 17, pounding out two hits, including a triple and a stolen base to boot.

Rollins remained the primary starter at shortstop for the rest of the season. In doing so, he ended up posting a stellar .321 average and a .723 OPS with five runs scored, one double, one triple, five RBI and three stolen bases in just 53 at-bats over 14 games.

That debut was enough to convince the Phillies to give him the full-time role in 2001, and from there on out, he became a part of Phillies history. Over his 15 years with the club, Rollins was a three-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove winner, as well as capturing NL MVP honours in 2007. More importantly, he also played a significant role in helping the Phillies to their lone World Series win this century in 2008.

Chase Utley

Chase Utley may not have been the prolific hitter that he eventually turned out to be in his first year in the big leagues with the Phillies. Nevertheless, he provided solid production for the club when he made his debut back in 2003. After a less-than-stellar short stint in early April, Utley was recalled in mid-August that very same year and never looked back.

With the late-season call-up, Utley primarily manned second base, along with a few pinch-hitting assignments. In the end, he posted a .244 average and .697 OPS with 11 runs scored, nine doubles, one triple, one home run and 17 RBI while demonstrating great plate discipline with 11 walks and 17 strikeouts over 37 games played. His solid play earned him part-time status for 2004, and he eventually became the full-time starter by 2005.

From there, six All-Star nominations, four Silver Slugger Awards and one World Series championship title later, he has become arguably the best Phillies second baseman of all time.

Aaron Nola

Following the trade of long-time Phillies stalwart Cole Hamels to the Texas Rangers, Aaron Nola was thrust into the starting rotation to close out the 2015 season. Little did they know that was the beginning of Nola becoming a mainstay in their starting five for the next decade, and possibly beyond. Nevertheless, he certainly gave everyone a good glimpse of the future at the time when he posted strong numbers across the board in his debut season with the Phillies. 

In 13 starts, Nola compiled a stellar 6-2 record with a 3.59 ERA, 107 ERA+, 1.20 WHIP, along with 19 walks and 68 strikeouts in 77 2/3 innings pitched. His highlight came in a game against the Miami Marlins on Aug. 23 that year when he nearly pitched a complete game shutout in just the seventh start of his career. He threw eight scoreless innings in the end, scattering three hits on two walks and six strikeouts.

From there, Nola has been the anchor at the front end of the Phillies rotation, posting a career 102-77 record with a 3.67 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 1,744 strikeouts in 1,594 1/3 innings pitched in 263 starts. Among his successes include an All-Star season in 2018 in which he ended up being an NL Cy Young finalist as well. Even today, he remains a key part of the Phillies’ everyday success and hopes to be for a long time.