2. Larry Bowa
Phillies fans from all generations know of Larry Bowa from his time as a player, coach/manager, and overall Philadelphia Phillies legend. Bowa was a gritty, tough-minded player that the people of Philadelphia grew to love.
He was signed as an amateur free agent in 1965, and through hard work and perseverance, Bowa made his major league debut with the Phillies in 1970 at the age of 24. He was the everyday shortstop for the next 12 years until he was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 1982.
Bowa played 1,739 games for the Phillies which ranks fourth all-time in franchise history and second most for shortstops. He has the sixth most hits in Phillies franchise history, with 1,798, which is the second most for shortstops in Phillies history.
As a Phillie, Bowa slashed .264/.301/.324 and had 288 career stolen bases and 359 career walks. But it wasn’t at the plate where he cemented his legacy. He was a hard-nosed defender and has the accolades to back it up. He was elected to the All-Star game five times, won the Gold Glove Award twice, came in third in Rookie of the Year voting, and garnered MVP votes in four seasons, getting as high as third place in 1978.
Bowa was a winner, and the Phillies teams he played on followed suit. The Phillies made the playoffs in five of the 12 years he was on the team, winning the division in four out of five seasons from 1976-1980. In 1980, the Phillies, with Bowa at shortstop, won their first World Series title in franchise history, beating the Kansas City Royals in six games.
His playing career alone would be enough to become a legend in Philadelphia, but Bowa didn't stop there. He went on to manage and coach the Phillies for 11 years. He was the third base coach from 1989 to 1996 and then became the manager of the team for four seasons from 2001 through 2004, winning NL Manager of the Year in 2001. He ended his managerial career with a career winning percentage of .522, going 337-308.
2001: 86-76, 2nd place.
— John Foley (@2008Philz) January 25, 2018
Phils improved by 21 wins over the 2000 team. Larry Bowa won Manager of the Year.
Rollins led the league in SB (46) & triples (12) and made the ASG as a rookie. Burrell hit 27 HR. Abreu hit 31 HR with 36 SB and a .936 OPS.
Ryan Howard drafted on June 5. pic.twitter.com/zfZ2KCsT2M
Currently a senior advisor to the general manager, Bowa was enshrined in the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1991 and will go down as the second-greatest shortstop in Phillies history.