February 08, 2024
SIPA/USA Today Sports
Where does Scott Rolen rank among Phillies all-time third basemen?
Over the last few winters, we've passed the time by ranking things. We ranked every Eagles player, and Sixers player by position while also throwing in some other lists that weren't quite as fun.
For the next two weeks, leading up to pitchers and catchers reporting to Clearwater for the 2024 Phillies, we decided to take a look at each position in the Phillies storied 100+ year history and come up with a list of the all-time greats at each position.
We're going to limit our lists to 10 (with a few extra mentions) in part because there have been more than 2,000 different players to appear in at least one game for the Phillies. But we did look at everybody.
Continuing with third base, we had a few requirements. The player had to have started at the position for at least three seasons in Philadelphia and their statistical and cultural impact were both weighed when making these rankings.
Before we dive into our top 10, here's a look at a handful of third basemen that either didn't qualify, or make the cut talent-wise:
| Player | Games | Notes |
| Alec Bohm | 456 | .276/.325/.406 |
| Maikel Franco | 656 | 102 HR in 6 yrs |
| Pedro Feliz | 291 | '08 WS starter |
| Milt Stock | 474 | .271/.324/.340 |
| Hans Lobert | 497 | .293/.357/.400 |
Many of the infielders above are names not household names, and for consistent contributions as a third baseman, the players we ranked below are the gold standard.
Shamus Clancy: Not just the best Phillies third baseman ever, the best third baseman to ever play the game straight up. Easy.
Shamus: A polarizing figure in Philly still more than two decades later given his acrimonious departure from the team, Rolen was damn good. An elite fielder and a very good hitter, he was the shining light for the dark days of the organization post 1993 and before the Golden Age Era. Rolen's age-23 season in 1998 where he had a .923 OPS with 31 homers while picking up his first Gold Glove likely had Philadelphians thinking he was the next Schmidty. Alas. Rolen made his way to Cooperstown deservedly, but his place in this city will always be an odd one despite his accomplishments.
Evan Macy: No idea how this guy isn't a Hall of Famer. When you combine his performance in Philly with his MVP and four All-Star appearances with other teams, he's got a really good case both on the field and at the plate. He played all over the place but had over 600 games plated at third, which is where he played the majority of his time in Philly.
Shamus: Polanco spent his first stop in Philly, acquired in the Scott Rolen trade with St. Louis, playing second base and blocking the development of Chase Utley. He was good! Polanco returned to the Fightins during their dominant playoff runs at the turn of the 2010s, manning the hot corner. He made the All-Star team and won a Gold Glove on the 2011 Phillies that won a franchise-best 102 games.
Evan: The best thing, at least to me, about Jones is his nickname was "Puddin Head" which came from a popular song in the 1930s. He started the 1950 season with hits in 16 straight games, a franchise record broken by Bryson Stott this past year.
Shamus: Some playoff numbers for Hollins... during the Phillies' 1993 NLCS win over Atlanta, Hollins had an OPS of .910 while hitting two home runs and totaling 11 bases. Clutch. Hollins was one of four Phillies to make the All-Star team during that pennant-winning '93 campaign.
Evan: Whitney was arguably the best player on some of the worst Phillies teams in history. His squad lost 100+ games multiple times during his stint in the city.
Evan: May, ironically, was also nicknamed Pinky (carrying the mantle after Whitney left town). He was a good third baseman and went on to be a player manager in the Eastern League in the 1940s before a 30 year career as a minor league manager.
Shamus: Bell is here more so because of his competition than because of his own play. Phillies fans everywhere were thrilled when J.T. Realmuto hit for the cycle last season, taking away Bell's distinction of being the most recent Phillie to hit for the cycle. Bell improbably hit .195 in 85 games during his first season in Philly. Great stuff.
Evan: Mulvy was born in 1858 — before the Civil War — and he played for the same Philadelphia Phillies that Bryce Harper plays for. That in and of itself is pretty amazing. He still holds the record for errors by a third baseman in a single game with six.
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