8 current Phillies who are the best to wear their uniform number in franchise history
Players can make a number iconic through their accomplishments with a franchise. Here are eight current Phillies players who hold the title of the best to wear their number in team history.
As fans know, the connection between athletes and the number that they wear is a deep one. Any player good enough or iconic enough to a particular franchise can be instantly identified by the number on his back, and having your number retired is the most exclusive honor a team can bestow. When we are young, we want to wear the numbers of our favorite players, and later in life we reminiscence about players both good bad who used to wear a particular number.
Owing to this obsession, I keep an ongoing list of the greatest Philadelphia Phillies players by uniform number in franchise history, going from No. 0 through No. 99. The only parameter is that a player's claim on a number is solely determined by what he did while wearing that number for the Phillies. There are no bonus points for being a great player somewhere else and then coming to the Phillies and just taking up space wearing a particular number. Nor can a player carry over previous accomplishments if they change their number with the Phillies. The list ends up being an interesting mix.
While performing a recent update, I was struck by how many current Phillies players either already have a claim on a certain number or are coming close. And so, let's go through the list as we sound off on which current Phils fit the bill.
Close calls and notable situations
No. 7: This number will eventually belong to Trea Turner, but Maikel Franco has to hold it for the time being. He hit 102 home runs for the Phillies, all while wearing this number. I'd feel comfortable handing it over to Turner after two more of his typical seasons.
No. 18: This is such a wasteland that Didi Gregorius is the current holder of the belt. Johan Rojas just needs to show a pulse for a full season, and he can slide in.
No. 23: Another uninspiring selection currently being held down by Jay Bruce, of all people. Jeff Hoffman (more on him later) has changed to No. 23 for this upcoming season, so he has a golden opportunity to snatch this.
No. 46: José Alvarado is chipping away at Kevin Gross here. It's possible he gets there, but it's not definite.
No. 58: Seranthony Domínguez really isn't all that close to eclipsing the polarizing Jonathan Papelbon, but it seemed like it was worth mentioning.
No. 61: The legend himself, Edubray Ramos, has it right now, but Cristopher Sánchez can literally take this with a good month.
No. 99: Despite what we'll call a "less than ideal" ending to the 1993 season, Mitch Williams still deserves this spot for the moment. If we can see a little more success from Taijuan Walker, however, we will gladly tip the scale his way.
Now, onto the numbers that we can properly assign to current Phillies players.
No. 3: Bryce Harper
You knew it was coming. After five years with the Phillies, we can give this number to Bryce as he wrestles it away from previous holder Chuck Klein. But it wasn't easy. Klein, for whom the Phillies retired a letter "P" a few decades ago because he did not wear a number for the majority of his Phils career, was a great player. But he did pull on the number 3 for the final two seasons of his first stint in town (1932-33) prior to penny-pinching Phillies ownership trading him to the Cubs.
During those two seasons, Klein was the best player in the National League. In 1932, he captured the MVP by leading the league in home runs and stolen bases, then somehow one-upped that in 1933 by winning the Triple Crown (.368, 28 HR, 120 RBI), although he finished second in MVP voting to 23-game winner Carl Hubbell of the Giants. So, despite just two seasons wearing the number (and a forgettable few weeks wearing it in 1942 during his second stint with the Phillies), Klein cast a long shadow.
7year old Caleb was upset that he got separated from his two brothers, so @bryceharper went into dad mode 🥹 pic.twitter.com/mnG0jGXeMf
— Taryn Hatcher (@TarynNBCS) August 5, 2023
Still, Harper was not to be denied. Obviously, we all look forward to many more years of him padding his Hall of Fame resume, but even now, he's done enough to claim this number. With 122 home runs, two Silver Sluggers, and an MVP award in the bank, Bryce Harper is the current and likely all-time pick at No. 3.
No. 10: J.T. Realmuto
This is probably the most controversial one we'll come across. The old-timers will scream "Larry Bowa!" pointing to the many hits and steals he accumulated en route to numerous all-star selections, a pair of Gold Gloves, and a stake in the 1980 World Series-winning club.
Those of a younger generation will counter with Darren Daulton, the man whom I had residing at this number until my most recent update. Possessing many of the same leadership intangibles as Bowa, Dutch led the NL in RBI in 1992, and he collected several accolades along the way while smashing 134 home runs while donning number 10 for the Phils.
It's a tough call, and the individual performances of both Bowa and Daulton should always be lauded, but I believe that J.T. Realmuto now takes the number. He has performed exactly how the team hoped that he would after they acquired him before the 2019 season. Taken on the whole, he has been the best player in baseball at his position in the half-decade since.
While I could take the easy way out and say that the player with the most hits accumulated or the most All-Star selections at a given number is the "best" to ever wear it for the Phillies, a player's peak has to be considered. Realmuto still has more time to make an even stronger argument here but, even at this moment, his excellent play at a demanding position vaults him to the top of my list.
No. 12: Kyle Schwarber
This has always been a middling number in Phillies history, getting passed to a different player every year or two. And then it landed on Mickey Morandini for a decade, and The Mick was decent enough for long enough to take it. But no longer. In just two short years with the Phillies, Kyle Schwarber has become engrained within the identity of the team and its fanbase. It's legitimately hard to believe that he hasn't been in town longer.
Yes, Schwarber has led the NL in strikeouts in both of his seasons with the Phils, a dubious accomplishment. But he's also finished in the top 20 in MVP voting both seasons, blasting a total of 93 regular season home runs (already 31st place all-time in team history) and 11 more in the playoffs that seem to have cemented him in Phillies lore. Let's hope that the remainder of his time in town will be as successful, and that the team can take the final step with him.
No. 27: Aaron Nola
It's tough to say if this number previously belonged to Willie Montañez or Plácido Polanco, but it's a moot point now, thanks to what Nola has been able to accomplish in nearly a decade with the team. Oh, there have been plenty of ups and downs, and we all wondered how he'd respond if he ever got into the postseason, which took way too long to happen.
Despite any inconsistencies Nola has shown over his career, the body of work speaks for itself: 90 wins, 1,582 strikeouts, and three top-7 finishes in NL Cy Young voting. And we even have Nola's even-year dominance to look forward to this year! He'll put his stamp on this number even further, and it wouldn't be surprising if he ends up being the last Phillies player to ever wear it when it's all said and done. There's work to do before that, though.
No. 45: Zack Wheeler
Again, there is sentimentality in taking Tug McGraw's number and giving it to someone else, but Zack Wheeler is quite the worthy new keeper. Wheeler was robbed of a Cy Young win in 2021, but he has delivered outstanding results across the board over his four seasons as a Phil, earning the shiny new contract this past offseason. Even before he enters the final year of his initial deal with the team, however, his tenure has been successful enough to give him ownership of No. 45.
Wheeler has led the NL in strikeouts, been an All-Star and even won a Gold Glove with the Phillies. He's also authored a 2.42 ERA in 63 1/3 postseason innings, stepping up even more in the biggest of moments. Phillies fans everywhere will have a soft spot in their hearts for Tug, and he had a fantastic career with the team aside from just throwing the clinching pitch in the 1980 World Series. But Wheeler's dominance has pushed him to the top spot here, and he figures to keep going.
No. 55: Ranger Suárez
This number was insignificant in Phillies history until Ranger started putting his mark on it way back in 2018. He has been largely effective since taking his skills to the rotation full-time, and he should be entering his best years right about now. Truth be told, he's probably already put this unpopular number out of reach for a long time. Let's hope it continues.
No. 68: Jeff Hoffman
You knew it would get weird up in the high, uncommon numbers. Hoffman's case is particularly peculiar. Prior to Hoffman's arrival to the Phillies, Damon Jones had been the only player to wear this number. Hoffman takes it over thanks to a very good 2023 season, but now he's switched to No. 23, which he can also snatch fairly easily. He would, in my estimation, become the first Phillies player to double dip on this list. Stay tuned.
No. 75: Connor Brogdon
We'll round this out with yet another seemingly random name in Brogdon. But it makes sense, as he was only preceded in wearing this number by Jim Crowell and Miguel González. So it didn't take a whole heck of a lot. Incidentally, no Phillies player has ever worn the following uniform numbers: 72, 76, 78, 80 through 92, 95, 97, and 98. So, the first time you see a guy get into a game wearing these digits, put him on the board.
manual