The Philadelphia Phillies are a storied franchise in MLB lore. In fact, they were the first professional sports team in American history to reach 10,000 losses. On the flip side, the Phillies have won two World Series titles in 1980 and 2008 and have won the NL Pennant eight times.
There have been some extremely special players to have come through Philadelphia during the team’s long and memorable history.
The first basemen that have played for the Phillies are particularly special as we’ve had major free agents sign, players that have come up in the system to win an MVP award and World Series, controversial figures who were extraordinarily talented, and players who have gone on to have Hall of Fame careers.
Ranking the all-time Phillies first baseman is a tall task and there are many factors that contribute to how a list is curated. In this particular ranking, we’ll weigh the overall career of the players, the specific time they’ve spent with the Phillies, how successful their teams were, and lastly what they mean to the city of Philadelphia and the fans.
First, let's cover the honorable mentions.
Dick Allen, the iconic star who's being celebrated with a mural, played 1,070 games in Philadelphia during the 1960s and 1970s but only 394 at first base. Regardless, he's 10th all-time among all Phillies hitters with a 37.7 fWAR.
Don Hurst played for the Phillies for six and a half of his seven major league seasons, from 1928 to 1934, manning first base 815 of his 854 games as a Phillie. He finished his time in Philadelphia with a .303 average and led the NL with 143 RBI in 1932.
Dolph Camilli played 540 games for the Phillies from 1934 to 1937. The consistent slugger slashed .295/.395/.510 with 92 home runs and 333 RBI. He received MVP votes in 1935 and 1936 but didn't hit his stride until the Phillies traded him to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1938, winning the NL MVP in 1941.
Fred Luderus, after being acquired from the Chicago Cubs, played 11 seasons for the Phillies from 1910 to 1920. He amassed 1,322 hits in 1,311 games, placing him second among Phillies first basemen.
Without further ado, let’s rank the greatest first baseman in Philadelphia Phillies history.