Ranking the Top 5 greatest first basemen in Phillies franchise history

The Phillies are a storied franchise with a long history and have had many great first basemen don the red pinstripes. Let's rank the top 5 greatest first basemen in Phillies history.

Miami Marlins v Philadelphia Phillies
Miami Marlins v Philadelphia Phillies | Rich Schultz/GettyImages
3 of 6

No. 4: Jim Thome

Jim Thome was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018 after a 22-year career where he ended with 612 home runs, a career .956 OPS, and 1699 career RBI. He was the definition of power first baseman for the entirety of his career.

Though his stint with the Phillies was short, from 2003 to 2005, and he only played in 59 games in his injury-shortened third season, his arrival signaled to the league that Philadelphia was a force to be reckoned with again. In 361 total games for the Phillies, he hit 96 total home runs and had 266 RBI, while getting on base at a .386 clip and an OPS of .928.

Regretfully, Thome and the Phillies didn't have much success as a team. They failed to make the playoffs in any of the seasons that he was on the team and went a combined 260-226. Most notably, Phillies fans might remember him for his injury in 2005 that opened the door for Ryan Howard to step in and go on to win Rookie of the Year. The Phillies would end up trading Thome to the Chicago White Sox for future notable major leaguers Aaron Row and Gio González.

But nevertheless, when Thome signed with the Phillies it was a move that put the Phillies back on the map. From 1994 to 2002, the year before Thome signed, the Phillies only had one winning season with a record above .500. After the power-hitting lefty signed in 2003, the Phillies went 10 straight seasons with a .500 record or better. The Jim Thome era was short-lived but was the start of one of the best times in franchise history.

Schedule