Ranking the Top 5 greatest shortstops in Phillies franchise history

4. Dave Bancroft

Dave Bancroft donned the Phillies uniform from 1915 to 1920, a season in which he was traded to the New York Giants. His five and half years with the Phillies were relatively successful, as he accumulated 634 hits and slashed .248/.330/.316.

In his first year with the team, he was a part of the Phillies' first NL pennant in 1915, when they went to the World Series but lost to the Boston Red Sox. The Phillies won 90 games that season and went 268-189-4 in Bancroft's first three years. However, the wheels fell off over the next two seasons, and the Phillies finished 102-158-3.

Similar to other players on this shortstop list, Bancroft was primarily known for his glove but developed as a hitter throughout his career. But it was really his defensive prowess that attributed to his career success. According to Baseball Reference, his career WAR was 49.9, which puts him on par with the likes of Bernie Williams (49.6), Roy Oswalt (50.0), and active player José Altuve (49.3).

Bancroft went on to play ten more seasons with the New York Giants, the Boston Braves, and the Brooklyn Robins. He garnered MVP votes with the Boston Braves in the 1925 and 1926 seasons and won two World Series with the Giants in the 1921 and 1922 seasons.

Finally, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971, solidifying his name in the history books and putting him fourth on the all-time Phillies shortstop list.