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.