February 25, 2026
The Phillies have been a franchise for a long time. And there are a lot of forgotten eras. With the team regularly contending again it's fun to stay in the present — with spring training ramping up and another playoff run (hopefully) ahead.
But for a second let's look back. There have been some really great players who didn't pan out in Philly over the last century plus. It's not an easy place to play.
Below we've compiled a team of players you may not remember being in red pinstripes. The qualifications for this team are playing at least one full season in Philly (which eliminates a few guys — like Pedro Martinez and even Fernando Valenzuela, each of whom pitched a handful of games here). The players in question also cannot have won any sort of hardware in Philly. All of their All-Star appearances, batting titles, Gold Gloves and so forth had to come with another team.
Here's our team of eight forgotten stars:
Much of Santiago's decorated career came before his stint with Philly as a Padre. He played well during his one season, with a 2.9 WAR, 30 homers and 85 RBI. But he wasn't brought back for 1997 when backup Mike Leiberthal took over the starting job.
A fascinating story about one of early baseball's biggest stars sees his career begin in Philly. Lajoie was emerging and had some issues with management, the Phillies ownership at that time were penny pinchers, saw him jump to the upstart American League and the Philadelphia Athletics in 1901 for their inaugural season. In his first year with the A's, he won a triple crown and had his first batting title. Legal drama, which saw the NL challenge the AL for his contract in court, saw the PA Supreme Court rule him ineligible to change leagues — but the ruling was only enforceable in the state of Pennsylvania. He then played 13 years in Cleveland (an AL squad) and became a no-brainer baseball Hall of Famer.
Morgan won all the accolades above with the Reds, before his late 30s saw him look to extend his career with the Giants and Astros. He wound up winning a pennant with Philly in 1983 at age 39, joining former Big Red Machine star Pete Rose that season. It was arguably the worst statistical year of his Hall of Fame career as he hit just .240 with the Phillies.
In the winter of 2012, the Phillies were desperately trying to hold on to the bygone Ryan Howard-Chase Utley-Jimmy Rollins era and traded two low profile players for Young. The team was a disaster and eventually, after Young played 126 games, hitting respectably at .276, Philly traded him at the old August 31st second trade deadline for pitcher Rob Rasmussen. Rasmussen never played for the Phillies, and was traded to the Pirates for another reliever Brad Lincoln, who in 2014 allowed five runs in two appearances and never pitched again.
Groat is one of those mid-century star players who lost some time in his prime to military service. After fighting for his country in Korea, Groat became a stud shortstop and in 1960 he lived the dream, winning MVP honors and the World Series with the Pirates in the same season. He also won a title with the Cardinals in 1964. His stint with the Phillies came after the organization maneuvered a big trade with the Cardinals that also brought the Phillies one-plus season of Bob Uecker (the legendary baseball broadcaster). Groat played 165 games in Philly, hitting just .264 as his career fizzled out.
We've written extensively about how many awful outfielders the Phillies tinkered with over the last 20 or 25 years — you can read about it here. Lofton is our pick for this list because he actually played really well here for one season but didn't have much to show for it. The upstart Phillies in 2005 were getting their sea legs, with Howard winning Rookie of the Year honors and other young players breaking out (like Utley, Rollins, Pat Burrell and Bobby Abreu, all of whom received MVP votes that season). Lofton quietly hit .335 in centerfield but did not return for 2006.
There are a ton of spectacular pitchers who have passed through Philly — but it's hard to find one who fits our criteria. There are guys like Ferguson Jenkins, who many forget started his career in Philadelphia. But he only pitched eight games before the Phils traded him to the Cubs. A tough break there. Arrieta fits our squad well, as his best days were with another team and he is largely forgotten as an acquisition meant to boost the post World Series team in the wake of their stars leaving. Arrieta was in Philly for three seasons — isn't that wild? He went 22-23 with a 4.36 ERA, never returning to the form that had him earn three top 10 Cy Young votes in a row with Chicago.
Garber has never gotten any real hardware but the reliever, who hails from Lancaster, PA and was known for his time dominating with the Braves, pitched well for the Phillies in the 1970s, even making five postseason appearances with the team in 1976 and 1977. Garber joins a host of under-appreciated relievers who've come through Philly, from Roger McDowell to Heathcliff Slocumb to Tim Worrell.
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