Phillies Best of 2000's Team

Team Record:
850-769, 3 NL East Division titles, 1 World Series championship, and 1 postseason yet to be determined.

1st Base:
Ryan Howard (2004-2009)- .279/.962, 465 r, 750 h, 136 2b, 11 3b, 222 hr, 640 rbi, 10 sb, 1 MVP, Rookie of the Year, 1 Silver Slugger, and 2 All-Star selections. Sure he strikes out a ton, makes erratic throws at times, and has an unflattering stat named after him, but the bottom line is this man is one of the few difference makers in the game today. He can carry a team for a period of time just with the mighty swing of his lumber. If he remains a Phillie for life, he'll likely eclipse Mike Schmidt's homerun total (548). Open up your eyes and recognize that we're witnessing the best 1st baseman the organization has ever seen.

2nd Base:
Chase Utley (2003-2009)- .295/.902, 602 r, 978 h, 217 2b, 26 3b, 161 hr, 585 rbi, 83 sb, 3 Silver Sluggers, and 4 All-Star selections. What's not to love about this guy? He's gritty, determined, intense, foul-mouthed, and the best 2nd baseman in the game today and in the Phillies long history. He's my favorite player, my first born was named after him (middle name), and I'm excited to see what he does in the next decade.

Shortstop:
Jimmy Rollins (2000-2009)- .274/.768, 945 r, 1629 h, 350 2b, 95 3b, 146 hr, 621 rbi, 326 sb, 3 All-Star selections, 1 MVP, 2 Gold Gloves, and 1 Silver Slugger. Sure he pops off at the mouth about fans sometimes, comes late to the game, doesn't run out pop-ups, and aggravates us because he's not a prototypical leadoff hitter. With that said, I love having him on this team. There's a saying- "As Rollins goes, so do the Phillies", and this is so true. When J-Roll is scoring runs the Phils win, when he's popping up and swinging at every pitch the Phils lose. He also plays sparkling defense. Like Howard and Utley, he's the best at his position in franchise history.

3rd Base:
Scott Rolen (2000-2002)- .284/.879, 236 r, 401 h, 92 2b, 11 3b, 68 hr, 262 rbi, 29 sb, 1 All-Star selection, and 2 Gold Gloves. I recall labeling him a "whiny bawl-baby pissy pants", and my stance has not wavered. Regardless of how I and most Phillies fans feel about him, he's the best at 3rd that this decade has to offer. He's currently in Cincinnati after demanding a trade from St. Louis and then being too costly for Toronto.

Leftfield:
Pat Burrell (2000-2008)- .257/.852, 655 r, 1166 h, 253 2b, 14 3b, 251 hr, and 827 rbi. The man, the pimp, the machine. He was WSBGMs first Hall-of-Fame inductee, and despite all the slumps that he endured in a Phillies uniform, he'll always hold a special place in the hearts of the WSBGMs bloggers.

Centerfield:
Shane Victorino (2005-2009)- .289/.787, 357 r, 600 h, 111 2b, 32 3b, 44 hr, 220 rbi, 102 sb, 1 Gold Glove, and 1 All-Star selection. He's a Rule 5 steal, double-earflap helmet wearing, infectious ball of energy. Vic isn't great, but he's good, and he's perfect for this team. Whether he's bowling over catchers, dashing into the gaps to track down fly balls, or clobbering grand slams in the playoffs this is one fun dude to watch play.

Rightfield:
Bobby Abreu (2000-2006)- .298/.922, 705 r, 1136 h, 284 2b, 25 3b, 158 hr, 647 rbi, 208 sb, 1 Gold Glove, 1 Silver Slugger, and 2 All-Star selections. This may shock some, but Abreu is easily one my top-10 favorite Phillies of all-time. I even had a debate with Corey not to long ago about his potential Hall of Fame credentials. The problem with Abreu was his nonchalantness, which irked many blue collar balls-to-wall style Phils fans. If he batted leadoff instead of 3rd, I think we may have had a couple more playoff berths. Whether you have fond or negative memories of him, he always had a good stat line at season's end.

Catcher:
Mike Lieberthal (2000-2006)- .279/.789, 318 r, 717 h, 167 2b, 83 hr, 359 rbi, and 1 All-Star selection. Vastly overpaid, often injured, but had some damn fine seasons while in Philly. Lieberthal is quite possibly the best catcher to ever don the tools of ignorance for the Phillies, ranking right up there with Bob Boone. Lieby is actually one of the few retired members of this Phillies 2000's decade team.

Bench:
Carlos Ruiz (catcher, 2006-2009)- .246/.716, 126 r, 267 h, 70 2b, 22 hr, 138 rbi, and 10 sb. Every 25-man roster needs a backup catcher, and Chooch aka Cooch, is ours. He plays stellar defense, calls a good game, and had a decent year at the plate this season (especially in the 2nd half). He's never going to be an offensive force, but fiery Panamanian is likely to be the Phils starting catcher for a few more years.

Jim Thome (1st base, 2003-2005)- .260/.929, 234 r, 333 h, 65 2b, 96 hr, 266 rbi, and 1 All-Star selection. Big Jim was brought aboard as a marquee name to help fill the seats in the brand new Citizens Bank Park. Thome had 2 good seasons, but then fell victim to back injury. While here, he hit is 400th homerun, and is now only 36 homeruns shy of 600 and being a potential Hall-of-Famer. Also of note, he brought the Phillies Fence-Face Rowand in a trade with the ChiSox.

Jayson Werth (outfield, 2007-2009)- .276/.870, 214 r, 343 h, 53 2b, 68 hr, 215 rbi, 47 sb, and 1 All-Star selection. Pat Gillick went dumpster diving with the signing of Werth. Nobody wanted the often too banged up to play outfielder. Since getting regularly playing team with the Phils he's blossomed into an all-around threat (speed, power, and defense). Some think he looks like wrestler Edge from the WWE, while others think he resembles the wolfman. All I know is that he's brings a nice balance to middle of this formidable lineup.

Doug Glanville (outfield, 2000-2002 and 2004)- .259/.649, 233 r, 480 h, 68 2b, 13 3b, 30 hr, 150 rbi, and 86 sb. Doug is a WSBGMs favorite. In fact, Corey and I would have given our endorsement for him as the new Phillies GM (although we admit Rube is doing fine). He played quality defense, but his on base skills always lacked, and he had some tough years in Philly. He was personable, funny, and very astute, and that makes him the best 5th outfielder/pinch-hitting option for this 25-man roster.

Placido Polanco (Utility, 2002-2005)- .297/.791, 215 r, 403 h, 71 2b, 38 hr, 160 rbi, and 23 sb. Polly played all over the field during him time in Philly (3rd, 2nd, SS, and OF). He was a piece in two major trades in Phillies history. He came here in a package from St. Louis for the previously mentioned Scott Rolen. Then he left Philadelphia in the infamous trade that put machete murderer Ugueth Urbina in red pinstripes.

Rotation:
Brett Myers (2002-2009)- 73-63, 240 g, 1183.2 ip, 986 k, 21 sv, 6 hld, 4.40 ERA, and 1.36 WHIP. It sure has been a roller coaster ride with this guy. Brett is known for getting into bar fights, smacking around his wife, being in and out of shape, and being totally awesome at times and totally sucking at others. No matter how poorly he's pitched at times, the fact is in 2007 with him closing and in 2008 without his 2nd half resurgence the Phils wouldn't have made the playoffs.

Randy Wolf (2000-2006)- 63-51, 172 g, 1053.1 ip, 855 k, 4.06 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 1 All-Star selection. He had one of the original fan groups, The Wolf Pack, and was a constant in the Phils rotation for many seasons. He was here through the lean years, hence the reason his record wasn't better. We liked his pitching, but we were bigger fans of his marvelous mullet.



Vicente Padilla (2000-20005)- 49-49, 162 g, 741.1 ip, 496 k, 2 sv, 3.98 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and 1 All-Star selection. The switch-hitting (left = contact, right = power), heavy drinking, Nicaraguan always put on a show whenever he was in the game. You never quite knew what to expect from Padilla. He could completely shutdown the competition one game, then flame out in 3 innings the next. Crazy stares and wild swings were always a given though.

Cole Hamels (2006-2009)- 48-34, 116 g, 736.2 ip, 686 k, 3.67 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 1 All-Star selection. Tons of hype and promise with a mixed bag of results. Cole has the "stuff" to be a 20 game winner, but he hasn't come close to that hallowed ground yet. He was spectacular in the playoffs last year, and he's not afraid to talk shit on the Mets (choke artists!!!), but as a former 1st round pick and someone who just got a nice contract to buy out his arbitration years, he still has a lot to prove.

Jamie Moyer (2006-2009)- 47-31, 104 g, 609 ip, 376 k, 1 hld, 4.49 ERA, and 1.36 WHIP. Grand Pappy is amazing, even if he's been a subpar pitcher of late. He's amazing because of how old he is and he can still get MLB hitters out with his array of slow, slower, and slowest. Before August of this season, fans had nothing but love and respect for the old man, because he was the consummate professional and a pleasure to have on the team. However, this fan will not be quick to forget his grumpy old man routine he put on when being placed in the bullpen because of ineffectiveness. He's still under contract for another season at $8M.

Bullpen:
Ryan Madson (2003-2009)- 37 w, 374 g, 516.1 ip, 421 k, 15 sv, 95 hld, 3.83 ERA, and 1.34 WHIP. Scott Boras thinks he's the Phillies version of Mariano Rivera, but he's an agent, what the hell does he know. He may not be 9th inning material, but in the 8th he's money. Madson has quietly become one of the better setup men in the game today, and he's added some extra zip to his fastball since the end of last season (Phils hardest thrower at 98 mph).

Rheal Cormier (2001-2006)- 28 w, 363 g, 358.1 ip, 246 k, 2 sv, 80 hld, 3.62 ERA, 1.25 WHIP. "Frenchy" was better than most people give him credit for. He did a quality job in the Phils bullpen for nearly 6 seasons, yet he's probably best remembered for missing time in spring training due hemmeroids. I believe Rheal was last seen pitching for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic.

JC Romero (2007-2009)- 5 w, 153 g, 112 ip, 95 k, 1 sv, 52 hld, 2.25 ERA, and 1.30 WHIP. Whether he's chest pounding or taking MLB-banned substances, Juan Carlos is undeniably an entertaining player. He's been the missing man this year though, between serving a 50 game suspension and being injured (is having surgery that will take 3-4 months to recover from).

Geoff Geary (2003-2007)- 216 g, 267.1 ip, 173 k, 1 sv, 27 hld, 3.94 ERA, 1.40 WHIP. Nicknamed Gas-Can Geary because of his early career struggles, where he'd enter a game with runners on base and douse gas on the fire igniting it into a winless/hopeless situation. He ended up being a decent pitcher though, and was part of the deal that brought Brad Lidge to Philly. He also brought us one of the best Phillies partying pictures ever.

Jose Mesa (2001-2003 and 2007)- 246 g, 242 ip, 188 k, 112 sv, 6 hld, 4.05 ERA, 1.42 WHIP. Joe Table, how the hell did he make it on here? I'll tell ya how, he saved over 100 games, and that has to count for something. Sure he caused ulcers, heart attacks, and was an unpaid endorser for Tums, but he did his job more often than not and for that he is on this special team. Of course, that second tour of duty in '07 would have been better off never happening, but that's water under the bridge now.

Billy Wagner (2004-2005)- 8 w, 120 g, 126 ip, 146 k, 59 sv, 1 hld, 1.86 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and 1 All-Star selection. Oh you rat bastard! Pat Burrell hated you, Pat Burrell ended up owning you. You threw 100 mph when in Philly and the crowd went ballistic. You threw 99 mph and they booed. You are an over-sensitive baby, because you actually thought they were booing you. Hey dumbass, they were booing the radar gun. Go pet your alpacas!

Clay Condrey (2006-2009)- 16 w, 161 g, 189.2 ip, 102 k, 4 sv, 11 hld, 3.65 ERA, and 1.46 WHIP. Jars of Clay makes this team out of longevity, not talent, not great seasons, just for the mere fact that he's been here awhile. Let's not sell him short though, he's been the perfect fit for this bullpen in the middle innings over the past few years.

Honorable Mentions:
Aaron Rowand, Chris Coste, Marlon Anderson, David Bell, Robert Person, Jon Lieber, Cory Lidle, Terry Adams, Chad Durbin, Carlos Silva, Aaron Fultz, Tom Gordon, and Brad Lidge (didn't make the team due to horrendous '09).

~Carson