Philadelphia Phillies Mount Rushmore: Schmidt & The Others
The Philadelphia Phillies are one of the oldest baseball franchises, yet somehow they sit at just two total championships in nearly a century and a half of play. Nevertheless, many legends have come and gone over the years, and the Phillies Mount Rushmore includes their undisputed GOAT along with three other players who represent different skillsets and generations of the game. The four players below are who I believe are the most iconic and skilled players to ever wear the Phillies uniform.
Mike Schmidt
A Phillie for his entire career, Schmidt is their undisputed GOAT, and there isn’t much debate. Schmidt leads the Phillies all time in position player WAR, home runs, runs batted in, walks, total bases, and many other stats, all of which are by a large margin. As if this isn’t impressive enough, Schmidt also has 3 MVP Awards, 12 All-Star Appearances, 10 Gold Glove Awards, and a World Series MVP to add to his resume. From 1974 to 1987, Schmidt lead the Phillies in WAR every season except for two, and team saw a great amount of success thanks to his impressive play. No list involving the Phillies is complete if Schmidt’s name isn’t mentioned, and there’s no better person than him to start off this list.
Pete Alexander
Although he only spent 7 full seasons with the Phillies, Alexander put together what is often regarded as one of the most impressive stretches of seasons ever. From 1911 to 1917, Alexander won 190 games and had an incredible 2.12 ERA, leading the league in strikeouts 5 of the 7 years. This stretch of dominance has almost never been matched before, and this makes Old Pete a necessity for the Phillies Mount Rushmore. Oh yea, and he also led the team in WAR in every single full season he played with them. Many would call his accomplishments less impressive because of the era he played in, but at the end of the day, any player who dominated his time deserves a high level of recognition.
Steve Carlton
Carlton is yet another example of a pitcher who simply dominated his era. Leading the Phillies all-time in wins and strikeouts by a pitcher, he is at the top of a franchise that once had pitching legends such as Robin Roberts, Cole Hamels, and Roy Halladay. Carlton compiled 7 All-Star appearances and 4 Cy Young Awards as a member of the Phillies, with a Gold Glove Award and 3 Top-5 Placements in MVP Voting. To add to his resume, Carlton lead the team in WAR when they were able to capture their first ever championship back in 1980. When discussing the most dominant pitchers in baseball’s history, Carlton’s name is another that comes up a lot, and he represents some of the best Phillies years when him and Schmidt were able to take the team to the top.
Ryan Howard
The last spot could have gone to Robin Roberts, another dominant starting pitcher. It also could have gone to recent Phillies stars Chase Utley or Jimmy Rollins. Instead, it goes to their teammate, the player who I believe was the most dominant and the face of the team when they went to back-to-back World Series, winning their second-ever championship in 2008. During his tenure with the Phillies, Howard won the Rookie of the Year award, an MVP, and the aforementioned 2008 championship. He compiled 382 home runs, including a stretch of 4 consecutive years of at least 45, leaving him second to Schmidt on the Phillies all-time home runs list. Although some recency bias could be in play with his inclusion, Howard was the face of the team through their second championship and left a lasting legacy on the franchise.
