No. 4: Dave Cash
Originally a fifth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Dave Cash played just three seasons with the Phillies from 1974 to 1976, but nonetheless, they were successful ones. During his time with the franchise, he slashed .296/.348/.371 with 608 total hits and 292 runs scored.
He made the All-Star team and garnered MVP votes in each of those three years, which is quite an impressive feat. He led the league in at-bats in those seasons, which shows his consistency and availability. Among Phillies second basemen, Cash sits eighth all-time with 11.2 fWAR, buoyed mainly by his 32.6 defensive rating, per FanGraphs.
Unfortunately, Cash and the Phillies were only able to make it to the playoffs once in his three seasons. They lost in the NLCS that year which would go on to be the first of three consecutive NLCS defeats for the organization. The Phillies record during his time with the team was 267-219. In 1976, the Phillies won 101 games which was good for second in the league just behind the Cincinnati Reds, the same team that went on to sweep them in the NLCS.
After the Phillies granted him free agency after the 1976 season, Cash split the remaining four years of his career between the Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres, but never made another All-Star team or received MVP votes.
Cash’s career with the Phillies was short and sweet, but anytime a player makes three consecutive All-Star games and is an MVP candidate, they should be included as an all-time great.