Ranking the Top 5 greatest outfielders in Phillies franchise history

In the storied, nearly century-and-a-half history of the Phillies, some of baseball's greatest have roamed the outfield in red pinstripes. Purely WAR-fueled lists are out there, and this isn't that — is Tommy Hunter really on par with Ryan Howard?

To measure the greatest outfielders in Phillies history, the critic's gaze must roam beyond the entire stat sheet to encompass a player's entire impact on the franchise. Postseason contributions, clutch plays, clubhouse leadership, consistency, and where a player stood next to his peers all play a role in greatness. 

In case you missed it, we've already ranked the five greatest catchers, first basemen, second basemen, shortstops, third basemen, starters, and relievers in Phillies history.

Before we get into the list, here is a trio of honorable mentions who didn't quite make the top five, but deserve inclusion in any conversation of all-time great Phillies outfielders. 

First is Greg Luzinski, a key cog of the 1980 team. A four-time All-Star across 11 years in the organization, Luzinski's peak brought him two runner-up positions in the National League MVP race as a fixture in the middle of the lineup. His best season came in 1976 when he launched 39 long balls and scorched his way to a .988 OPS.

Luzinski's career 130 OPS+ is elite, and though he wasn't known for his glovework, he still amassed 26.4 WAR. That's admittedly less than men like Johnny Callison (38.4 WAR) and Del Ennis (32.5 WAR), but neither had quite the same sheer dominance at their peak as Luzinski. And neither brought a World Series championship home to Philadelphia. He will be considered by the Hall of Fame's Era Committee in 2025.

Callison, a three-time All-Star with 38.4 WAR and a career 115 OPS+ is next. Like Luzinski, he easily could have been included in the top five. A Phillie from 1960 to 1969, he inherited Richie Ashburn's legacy as the team's preeminent player. In 1964, he was the MVP runner-up, beating out legends in their prime like Lou Brock, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, and Roberto Clemente.

Ellis is the third honorable mention that didn't quite make the cut. An 11-year Philly vet, Ellis made three All-Star squads and racked up a 29.9 WAR and 117 OPS+. He was an RBI machine, leading baseball with 126 ribbies in 1950 and knocking in more than 100 seven different times in his career. He was one of the biggest power threats of his era, though his career was abbreviated: in just 11 full seasons, he hit 288 home runs, according to Baseball Reference.

Because fielding gloves were not even common in baseball until the 1890s and the game was markedly different following the turn of the century, 19th-century Phillies stars like Ed Delahanty and Sam Thompson are not given their due on this list. Doubtlessly they both deserve consideration on a similar list with broader parameters.

And there are of course other names. Some might say Pat Burrell deserves consideration, for a career of mashing that culminated in the fall of 2008. Whatever else there is to be said about Lenny Dykstra, he was the best of the best for a few years and brought home the 1993 pennant. Someone like Cy Williams, one of the greats of the 1920s, was so dominant that he can't be ignored.

Perhaps one of the Phillies' current youngsters will wind up on this list one day; the future is certainly bright for Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas. Then again, at one point in time, someone was probably writing a similar listicle wondering where, when all was said and done, Dominic Brown would wind up landing.

But heading into spring training 2024, here are the five greatest outfielders in Phillies history.

No. 5: Sherry Magee

Many modern fans may be unfamiliar with Sherry Magee, one of the organization's first true stars. Magee racked up 59.4 WAR and slugged to a 137 OPS+ as a middle-of-the-order mainstay from 1904 to 1914.

He won the 1910 batting title, hitting .331, and also led the National League in RBI four different times. Magee never hit for huge power but still managed a high slugging percentage, thanks in part to very good contact and elite speed. In his career, he stole 441 bases, and his 387 in a Phillies uniform is good for fourth in franchise history. He managed more than 30 doubles eight times during his career. 

Magee's banner year was 1910, when he led the league in runs (110), RBI (123), batting average (.331), and OPS (.952). This was before the modern MVP award existed, but Magee likely would've won at least one (he finished seventh for the NL's Chalmers Award, the forerunner of the MVP, in 1914). 

Despite his achievements, he's arguably the franchise's greatest player ever to not be included on the Wall of Fame, probably because of how long ago he played. 

Primarily a left fielder, Magee's speed and overall athleticism allowed him to notch innings at every position outside of pitcher and catcher. Magee was considered by the Cooperstown Veterans Committee (now the Era Committee) for inclusion in the Hall of Fame in 2008 but did not get the nod. Given how WAR is increasingly shaping the way players are evaluated, and given his dominance within his era, it's possible he'll be considered again in the future. 

No. 4: Bobby Abreu

Alongside now Hall of Famer Scott Rolen, from 1998 to 2005 Bobby Abreu was one of the reasons to look forward to baseball during some of the darker years of the Phillies' 1990s and early 2000s quasi-rebuild and ensuing struggles. For eight seasons in south Philadelphia, Abreu was one of the most consistent hitters in baseball, batting between .286 and .335 every year and hitting at least 20 dingers almost every season. 

An All-Star in his final two seasons in Philadelphia, Abreu gained MVP votes five different times during his Phillies tenure. Still, he was never considered among the superstars of his day, overshadowed as he was by the heart of the steroid era. Time would prove to be in his favor, however; years after the likes of Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and Sammy Sosa have vanished from Hall of Fame balloting, Abreu earned 14.8 percent of votes in 2024.

While his name didn't stick out in that superstar way while he played, a glance at his resume puts him in very rarified air indeed. He is one of only six players in Major League Baseball history to have at least 900 extra-base hits and 400 stolen bases. The others are either Hall of Famers (Ty Cobb, Craig Biggio, Honus Wagner, Paul Molitor, Tris Speaker, and Paul Molitor) or their name is Barry Bonds, according to MLB.com.

During his nine years in Philly, Abreu amassed 60.2 WAR and earned two All-Star nods. Abreu's 14.8 percent was slightly lower than his 15.3 percent of ballots in 2023 Hall of Fame voting, but 2025 will mark just his sixth year on the ballot, so he still has a decent chance (Abreu's timeline for induction could wind up matching up to the same year as Utley).

No. 2: Bryce Harper

He's not even an outfielder anymore, and recency bias is doubtlessly in play, but the ongoing legacy of the greatest Phillie since the Utley-Rollins-Howard days is now more than enough to land Bryce Harper near the top of this list. 

Harper is only 31, but no other outfielder in Phillies history has won two MVPs. In fact, no Phillies position player has ever won an MVP after signing from a different organization. And arguably, no player has had a larger off-field impact on the franchise ever than Harper. 

Harper's arrival reignited baseball fever in Philadelphia and yanked an organization that was stubbornly mired in a lingering rebuild back into the national eye. His presence and outsized personality, combined with a long-term devotion to the team etched in his contract, helped lure numerous other stars. He led the team to two consecutive appearances in the NLCS in 2022 and 2023. 

A superstar since he emerged in the MLB as a 19-year-old, Harper already has 46.2 WAR to his name, along with 306 home runs and a career OPS+ of 143. Those numbers catapult him ahead of all Phillies outfielders since 1900 aside from Richie Ashburn, and Harper still has eight years left on a contract that is likely to be extended. 

Harper appears a very good bet to reach 500 home runs, and the only other thing that's left to cement his legacy is a World Series championship. While a portion of Harper's output to date was in a Nationals uniform, when all is said and done, it's a red P that will adorn his plaque in Cooperstown. And perhaps, even, a statue down on Pattison and Broad.

No. 1: Richie Ashburn

There may never be another. "Whitey" made himself part of the soul of the Phillies forever with an unforgettable 11-year run in center field from 1948 to 1959, winning two batting titles and earning six All-Star nods. And for nearly half a century after he hung up his spikes, he was the voice of Phillies broadcasts for generations of fans who had not been fortunate enough to see him play. 

While Ashburn's 64.3 WAR bests all other Phillies position players besides Mike Schmidt, his dynamism was of the understated sort. He was never a Harper or a Schmidt type player, and he wasn't considered a superstar in his time. He changed the outcome of games not with the flourish of his power bat but with persistent consistency and fundamentals. 

Whitey boasted elite speed, stealing 234 bases in his career. He had one of the league's best gloves in center, leading all of baseball in put-outs in the 1950s, according to the Society for American Baseball Research, and earning among the top 10 defensive WAR in the National League five times in his career. Despite not being a power threat, he still managed to lead all of baseball in walks during four different seasons. He ended his career with a .308 lifetime batting average.

To put it into terms that modern-day Phillies fans may better understand, imagine a player with Harper's work ethic, Aaron Rowand's toughness, Johan Rojas' glove, Ben Revere's contact skills, and Rhys Hoskins' patient eye at the plate. While overlooked for years, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995, shortly before his death.

He is immortalized in the Bank's Ashburn Alley, where a bronze statue features him mid-stride, rounding a base, eyes low and expressionless. The Philly Stoic.