In BleacherReport's ranking of the greatest Major League Baseball players of the modern era (1995-now), the Philadelphia Phillies showed their quality with multiple legendary players making the cut.
Of the 50+ players mentioned in BleacherReport's list (there were a few ties), four former Phillies and one current player were mentioned as the best of the best.
The first Phillie to appear on the ranking was Scott Rolen at No. 45. Throughout his career, Rolen boasted a .281 batting average, 1,211 runs, 1,287 RBI, and 316 home runs. He was a seven-time All-Star, eight-time Gold Glove winner, a Silver Slugger winner, and won the World Series in 2006 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2023 and is also in the Cardinals Hall of Fame and Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame.
The next Phillies player was actually a bit of a surprise at No. 29. Although he is most well-known for his time with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox, Curt Schilling spent the majority of the '90s in Philadelphia. Schilling was a six-time All-Star and won three World Series. In 2001, he was named World Series MVP.
Sharing the 28th spot with Tom Glavine is Jim Thome. A five-time All-Star and Hall of Famer, Thome had a .276 BA, 1,583 runs, 1,699 RBI, and 612 home runs. What makes these numbers particularly impressive is that he was a power hitter during the steroids era who was never accused of using steroids. Most importantly, Thome appears to be a good guy, with many teammates calling him the nicest man in the world.
The only current player ranked by Bleacher Report is Bryce Harper at No. 26. An eight-time All-Star and two-time National League MVP, Harper is one of the best players in MLB at the moment alongside Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and Gunnar Henderson. At the time of writing, Harper has a .282 BA, 1,049 runs, 947 RBI, and 326 home runs.
The final Phillies player on the list is the late, great Roy Halladay. One of the greatest pitchers of all time, Halladay had a career win-loss record of 203-105 with a 3.38 ERA, 2,749.1 innings pitched, and 2,117 strikeouts. Halladay pitched a perfect game on May 29, 2010, as well as a postseason no-hitter on October 6, 2010. He was an eight-time All-Star, two-time Cy Young winner, and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2019. His number was retired by the Phillies and the Toronto Blue Jays.
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