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.