Ranking the Top 5 greatest relief pitchers in Phillies franchise history

No. 3: Jonathan Papelbon

Jonathan Papelbon had to find his way onto this list. The hotheaded, right-hander played in Philadelphia for three and a half seasons from 2012 to the midway point of the 2015 season before being traded to the Washington Nationals.

In those seasons, he appeared in 234 games, almost all in the ninth inning or later and had a 2.31 ERA and 1.022 WHIP. Papelbon made his mark in the MLB by shutting the door and closing out games, and he did just that with the Phillies.

He finished his Phillies tenure with 123 total saves, which leaves him as the franchise’s all-time saves leader. A list of the greatest relief pitchers in franchise history can’t leave the all-time leader off the list. This is even more remarkable when factoring in the success of those teams. From 2012 to 2015, the Phillies went 290-357, not even coming close to a playoff appearance.

Papelbon wasn’t necessarily the most beloved Phillie while in the red pinstripes, and those teams didn’t have any success, but there's no doubt he was good at taking the mound in the ninth inning and closing the door. It was a certainty the Phillies could rely on while he was with the organization, and it surely counts for something.

Even though Papelbon is the all-time leader in Phillies saves, the lack of team success and his unlikeability drop him to the third-greatest relief pitcher in team history.