MLB Top 5: Philadelphia Phillies Middle Infielders

This is the third article in a series that looks at the five best players at each position for the Philadelphia Phillies. In this installment are second basemen and shortstop.

Although the best Phillies middle infielders do not boast the same power or production numbers as the loaded outfielders, there are several talented players in this group. The defensive-minded stars were members of successful teams throughout the franchise’s history, and the positions are led by two members of a team that won five straight division titles and two pennants late in the first decade of the 21st century.

The Best Second Basemen and Shortstops in Philadelphia Phillies History

Second Basemen

Honorable Mentions – Bill Hallman played everywhere on the field during his 11 seasons with the Phillies in three stints (1888-89, 92-97 and 1901-03), but his primary position was second base. He had his best season at the plate in 1895, batting .314 with 94 runs, 169 hits and a career-high 91 RBIs. Including his years with the Philadelphia teams in the Player’s League and American Association, Hallman increased his batting average in each of his first nine seasons, starting at .206 in 1888 until 1896, when he batted .320. He batted .278 overall with the Phillies and totaled 680 runs, 1,185 hits, 182 doubles, 53 triples, 574 RBIs, 155 stolen bases and 1,509 total bases in 1,063 games. Following his major league career, he was a player and manager in the minor leagues and had a successful theater career. Hallman passed away in 1920 at age 53.

Otto Knabe was known for his defense and durability as part of a rough Phillies double-play tandem with Mickey Doolin in the early 1900s. He was also known for getting under the skin of umpires, and he faced several ejections and suspensions as a result. “Dutch” was a serviceable hitter, producing 468 runs, 856 hits, 124 doubles, 280 RBIs, 122 stolen bases and 1,081 total bases in 946 games over seven seasons (1907-13) with a Philadelphia team that faced ownership upheaval throughout his tenure. He spent two seasons with Baltimore of the ill-fated Federal League and split 1916 with the Pirates and Cubs. After Knabe played one more year in the minor leagues, he was a coach with the Cubs and a minor league manager until 1922. He ran a billiards parlor with former teammate Kid Gleason that turned into a front for gambling (although he was cleared of charges in state court), Knabe found out about the “Black Sox” scandal from his associates and told Gleason, who was managing the White Sox. The partnership split up and Knabe bet on the Reds. He ran a tavern in Philadelphia until suffering a series of strokes, with one leading to his death in 1961 at age 76.

Dave Cash spent just three seasons with the Phillies (1974-76), but he made his mark in that brief time. He played his first five years with the Pirates, where he gained notoriety for being part of the first lineup made up entirely of black players in 1971. Cash was traded across the state, earned three straight All-Star selections and brought needed veteran leadership. He led the league in at-bats in each season, hit .300 or better and reached the 200-hit mark twice each. Cash had a career year in 1975, batting .305 with 57 RBIs and set personal bests with 111 hits and a league-high 213 hits. The following year, he led the league with 12 triples and helped the Phillies reach the playoffs for the first time in 26 years. Cash finished his Philadelphia tenure with a .296 average, 292 runs, 608 hits and 171 RBIs in 484 games. He spent three seasons with Montreal and one with San Diego before retiring prior to the 1981 season. Following his playing career, Cash was a minor league coach and manager, sold car and worked at an investment firm.

Manny Trillo was known for his character, clutch hitting and outstanding defense during his 17-year career, four of which were spent with the Phillies (1979-82). During that time, he earned two All-Star selections, three gold gloves and a pair of silver sluggers while being a part of two playoff teams. The Venezuelan-born infielder was named the NLCS MVP in 1980, batting .381 (8-for-21) with four RBIs against the Astros, who had four runs and five hits against the Royals in the World Series. Trillo spent the rest of his career with six other teams, including two stints with the Cubs. Following his retirement in 1989, he was a minor league coach for five teams over the next 16 years, worked as a coach and advisor in his native country for 19 years and was inducted into the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.

5. Napoleon Lajoie – Before he became a superstar with a Cleveland team that took his name, he honed his hitting with Philadelphia’s entry in the National League for five years (1896-1900). After his father’s death, he worked in factories and as a cab driver, and he also played baseball despite his mother’s objections. Lajoie joined the Phillies as a first baseman before moving one position to his right in 1897 and smacking 23 triples, which did not lead the league but does rank second in team history. He had back-to-back seasons with more than 100 runs and exactly 197 hits and 127 runs batted in, leading the league in the category in 1898. He missed time the next two years due to a collision in the field and a broken thumb during a fight with teammate and fellow future Hall of Famer Elmer Flick in 1900. Lajoie ranks third in franchise history with a .345 average to go with 421 runs, 721 hits, 458 RBIs and 1,088 total bases in just 492 games. He joined the Athletics as part of the American League’s raid of players against the Senior Circuit in 1901 and was sent to Cleveland after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court granted the Phillies’ injunction to prevent him from playing for any other team in the state. Lajoie was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937 and passed away in 1959 at age 84.

4. Mickey Morandini – He was a fifth-round pick of the Phillies in 1988 and won a gold medal with Team USA in the 1988 Summer Olympics in South Korea a few months later. Morandini became a mainstay at the top of the Phillies’ lineup for nine seasons (1990-97 and 2000) and excelling on defense. The “Dandy Little Glove Man” accomplished a feat rarely seen at the game’s highest level, completing an unassisted triple play against the Pirates in late 1992, one of only 15 in major league history. Despite his lack of power, Morandini earned his only All-Star selection in 1995, when he posted a .283-6-49 stat line. He was traded to the Cubs after the 1997 season, played two years with Chicago, and signed with Montreal in 2000, but didn’t play there and instead split his final season between Philadelphia and Toronto.

With the Phillies, Morandini batted .267 with 434 runs, 911 hits, 169 doubles, 254 RBIs, 103 steals and 1,228 total bases in 965 games. He was also a key player during Philadelphia’s run to the World Series in 1993, totaling five hits, two runs and two RBIs against Atlanta and Toronto. Following his retirement, Morandini has been a high school and minor league manager and a major league coach before being named an ambassador for the Phillies in 2020.

3. Tony Taylor – Following Knabe’s move to the Federal League, second base seemed to be a revolving door of players for nearly half a century. Taylor was born in Cuba, the son of an African American father who came to the country to work in the sugar mill and a mother whose parents emigrated to the island nation from China. After seven years split between playing for teams in his native country and American minor league squads, he made his debut with the Cubs in 1958. Two years later, he was traded to the Phillies, earning selections to the two All-Star Games that season as well as a silver slugger. Taylor provided Philadelphia with a durable starter, a solid leadoff hitter and a stellar fielder throughout his 15 years with the franchise (1960-71 and 74-75).

While Taylor’s primary position was second base, he played all around the Phillies’ infield throughout the 1960s. His best season was 1963, when he earned MVP consideration after batting .281 with 49 RBIs, career-best totals of 102 runs, 180 hits and 10 triples and winning the fielding title. Taylor was traded to the Tigers in 1971 and spent parts of three seasons in Detroit before he was released. He returned to Philadelphia, was a solid pinch hitter for three seasons, and retired after he was released following the 1976 season. His 1,669 games are the most by a Phillies player at the position and ranks fifth overall in franchise history. He batted .261 with 737 runs, 1,511 hits, 219 doubles, 63 triples, 51 home runs, 461 RBIs, 169 steals and 2,009 total bases. Taylor was a coach in the Venezuelan Winter League and coached and managed with the Philadelphia, San Francisco and Florida organizations until 2004, winning three championships (one as first base coach of the Phillies in 1980 and two as a minor league instructor with the Marlins). He passed away due to complications from several strokes in 2020 at age 84.

2. Juan Samuel – He was a durable and able player who had power and speed and would have been an ideal leadoff hitter if he hadn’t struck out so much. The Dominican-born Samuel signed with the Phillies in 1980 and had a brief call-up three years later. Despite a league-leading 168 strikeouts, he put together a solid season in 1984, earning and All-Star selection and finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting after batting .272 with 15 home runs, 69 RBIs, a rookie record 72 stolen bases, 104 runs, a career-best 191 hits and a league-leading 19 triples. Samuel was a consistent run producer despite leading the league in strikeouts during his first four full seasons. He earned his second All-Star selection and his only silver slugger in 1987, when he batted .272 with 178 hits, 35 steals, career-high totals of 113 runs, 28 homers and 100 RBIs and a league-leading 15 triples.

Samuel’s production dropped and his less-than-ideal defense led to the Phillies moving him to center field in 1988. The following year, he was sent to the Mets in the trade for Lenny Dykstra, but struggled and was traded to the Dodgers after the season. Although he was an All-Star in 1991, Samuel never regained his Philadelphia form and he bounced around to five teams over the final nine years of his career, which ended with the Blue Jays in 1998. He finished his seven-year tenure in Philadelphia (1983-89) with a .263 average, 523 runs, 921 hits, 176 doubles, 71 triples (ninth in franchise history), 100 home runs, 413 RBIs, 249 steals (eighth) and 1,539 total bases in 852 games. Samuel’s rookie stolen base total is the seventh-best single-season mark in team history and the most by a Phillies player since 1900. Following his playing career, he was a major league coach, occasional manager and talent evaluator for the Orioles in his native country.

1. Chase Utley – He was a first-round pick in 2000 and appeared in the MLB Futures Game the following year. Utley became a full-time starter after Placido Polanco was traded during the 2005 season, and he quickly became one of the most productive players in the game, posting four straight seasons with at least 20 home runs and 100 runs batted in. His best season was 2006 when he earned his first of six All-Star selections and first of four straight silver sluggers after posting a .309-32-102 stat line to go with career-best totals of 203 hits and a league-leading 131 runs. He also had a 35-game hitting streak during the season, which is the second-longest in Phillies history. The following year, he smacked 48 doubles, the sixth-best single-season mark in team history. In addition, he finished in the top 10 of the MVP voting three times.

Utley’s rise to prominence coincided with the team’s return to the top of the standings. During his tenure, the Phillies won five straight division titles and went to the World Series in back-to-back seasons. Utley hit two homers and drove in four runs in the win over the Rays in 2008 and totaled six hits, five home runs and eight RBIs in a losing effort against the Yankees the following year. Overall, he appeared in 46 postseason contests, amassing 38 runs, 43 hits, seven doubles, 10 homers, 25 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.

Although he made two All-Star Game appearances following his initial stellar run, Utley had knee issues that decreased his production. He was traded to the Dodgers in 2015 and had one of the league’s most talked-about moments in that postseason. During a Division Series game, he collided with Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada, breaking his right fibula. Utley escaped punishment after his initial two-game suspension was dropped, but the league changed the wording of the rule to outlaw his “slide” in the future. He played three more years with Los Angeles and scored a run as a reserve in the loss to Houston in the 2017 World Series.

During his 13-year tenure with Philadelphia (2003-15), Utley batted .282 with 49 triples and 142 stolen bases. He ranks fifth in franchise history in doubles (346), sixth in runs (949) and home runs (233), seventh in RBIs (916) and total bases (2,766) and ninth in games (1,551) and hits (1,623). Utley also led all National League second basemen in putouts four times and assists twice. Following his 2018 retirement, he was named Major League Baseball’s ambassador to Europe and was tasked with promoting the sport when the league began playing games in the United Kingdom. Utley is on the all-decade team for the 2000s for many media outlets and publications.

Shortstops

Honorable Mentions – Bob Allen was a forgotten man on one of baseball’s great teams from its early years. He was a part of the 1894 Phillies squad in which four players hit .400 or better and eight reached the .300 mark. Allen batted .260 but made up for it with stellar play in the field before taking a pitch to the face in June that fractured his cheekbone and orbital socket and ended his season. Even though he recovered, he stopped playing for fear that the play would shake his confidence as a hitter. Allen worked at his father’s bank in Ohio while making brief appearances for the Beaneaters (later Braves) in 1897 and then as a player-manager for the Reds in 1900. He finished his five seasons in Philadelphia (1890-94) with 305 runs, 494 hits, and 281 RBIs in 568 games. Allen was a minor league manager before starting his career with Philadelphia and filled in for a month in 1890 for future Hall of Famer Harry Wright, who was having eye issues. Following his baseball career, when he was known as R. G. Allen, he ran businesses in the lumber and cotton industries and owned Southern Association minor league franchises in Little Rock, Nashville and Knoxville. Allen passed away in 1943 at age 75.

John Henry “Heinie” Sand enjoyed a six-year major league career spent entirely with Philadelphia (1923-28). He was a solid hitter and decent fielder who spent 11 seasons in the minors surrounding his Phillies career, which included a fielding title in 1924. Late in the season, Sand was approached by Giants outfielder and friend Jimmy O’Connell, as well as coach Cozy Dolan, who offered him a $500 bribe to throw the game. The shortstop reported the incident, and O’Connell and Dolan were both banned from baseball for life. Sand had his best season in 1927, batting .299 with 160 hits, but his average dropped to .211 the next year and he was traded to the Cardinals, never to play in the major leagues again. He spent six seasons in the minors, then retired to work in the family plumbing business. Sand passed away due to respiratory failure in 1958 at age 61.

Dick Bartell began his career with four seasons in Pittsburgh, but feuded with owner Barney Dreyfuss and was traded across the state in 1931. Over his four seasons with Philadelphia (1931-34), he established himself as one of the league’s best shortstops, both at the plate and in the field. Bartell had his best hitting season in 1932, posting a .308 average and setting career highs with 118 runs, 189 hits and 58 doubles. The following year, he was selected to play in the first All-Star Game. Bartell was sent to the Giants in 1935 and spent most of the rest of his career in New York over two stints, with brief runs with the Cubs and Tigers in between. “Rowdy Richard” finished his time in Philadelphia with a .295 average, 386 runs, 695 hits, 146 doubles, and 161 RBIs in 587 games. Bartell also led the league in putouts and double plays by a shortstop three times each and assists twice. He passed away in 1995 at age 87.

Kevin Stocker was a second-round pick of the Phillies in 1991 and joined the team two years later with his debut being a 20-inning game against the Dodgers in July. Despite playing only 70 games, he earned Rookie of the Year consideration after batting .324. In the only postseason action during his eight-year career, Stocker totaled eight hits and two RBIs in 12 games as his team reached the World Series. He played five years with the Phillies (1993-97), batting .262 with 223 runs, 482 hits and 172 RBIs in 545 games. Stocker was traded to Tampa Bay after the expansion draft for outfielder Bobby Abreu, who had been selected by the Devil Rays. He spent parts of three seasons in Florida and, after his release, finished his career with the Angels in 2000. Following his playing days, Stocker ran a smoothie shop and has been a television and radio commentator and analyst for more than 20 years.

5. Dave Bancroft – Known for his leadership and great range, he spent six seasons with the Phillies (1915-20), helping them reach their first World Series as a rookie. Despite being shut down by the Red Sox in pursuit of a title, Bancroft was a lone bright spot for his team, batting .294 (5-for-17) with two runs scored. He was a scrappy contact hitter who had 331 runs, 634 hits and 162 RBIs in 681 games with Philadelphia. Bancroft was traded to the Giants in 1920 and spent time with the Braves (as a player-manager) and Robins (later Dodgers) before finishing his career in 1930 with the National League franchise in New York. He coached with the Giants for a few years and managed sporadically in the minor leagues. Bancroft was the warehouse supervisor for a pipeline company, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972 and passed away a little more than a year later.

4. Mickey Doolin – Along with Knabe, he formed one of the most stellar double-play combinations of his era. A typical all-field, no-hit shortstop, Doolin was fantastic in the field, making quick throws in tight spaces while also proving tough against runners who showed no fear when sliding into the second base bag. He won the fielding title in 1910 and also led the league in assists and double plays at the position five times each and putouts four times. Nicknamed “Doc” for his pursuit of dentistry in the offseason, Doolin stayed with the Phillies until 1913, when management refused to let him participate in a world tour to promote baseball overseas unless he took out life insurance. The shortstop got the policy but joined Knabe with the Federal League’s Baltimore Terrapins. After two seasons in the ill-fated league, Doolin split 1916 between the Cubs and Giants, spent the following year in the minors and finished his major league playing career with the Brooklyn Robins in 1918. He played in the minor leagues for a few more years and coached with the Cubs and Reds before leaving baseball to practice dentistry on a full-time basis. Doolin passed away in 1951 at age 71 from complications after his appendix ruptured.

3. Granville “Granny” Hamner – He signed with the Phillies while he was still in high school and played briefly in the majors (39 games over his first four seasons), mostly while the established players were still engaged in World War II. Hamner was joined by his brother, Garvin, to form the first brother double-play tandem in 1945, but both were back in the minors by June. Once he returned to the majors on a full-time basis in 1948, Hamner steadily improved, becoming a three-time All-Star and earning MVP votes six times over his 16 seasons in Philadelphia (1944-59). He moved to shortstop and became one of the leaders of the 1950 “Whiz Kids” Phillies, batting .270 with 172 hits and 82 runs batted in. His solid season continued with a 6-for-14 (,429) performance in a World Series loss to the Yankees.

Hamner was a team captain and a player representative in the early days of labor negotiation spurred by television coverage and sponsorship deals. Although his play on the field was solid, his relationship with ownership and the revolving door of managers was tenuous at best. When owner Bob Carpenter had players tailed by a private investigator to try and curtail their alleged off-field activities, Hamner began making statements to the press until his teammates voiced their opposition to his comments. Despite his issues, he had his two best seasons yet, batting .276 with career-high totals of 90 runs, 21 home runs and 92 RBIs in 1953 and .299-13-89 stat line the following year, with both his average and 179 hits being personal bests.

Shoulder and knee injuries, both of which required surgery, limited Hamner’s production over his final years in Philadelphia, with his time split between shortstop and second base (and pitching occasionally). He was traded to the Indians during the 1959 season, and he finished his Phillies tenure with a .263 average, 707 runs, 1,518 hits, 271 doubles, 61 triples, 103 home runs, 705 RBIs and 2,220 total bases in 1,501 games. Hamner ended up with the Athletics, where he was a minor league player-manager for two seasons, threw three games for Kansas City in 1962 then retired. He held a variety of positions, both during and after his playing career, including public relations and minor league coach and instructor with the Phillies, car salesman, real estate agent, roofing contractor, television sports host, motel owner and bowling alley manager. Hamner passed away after suffering a heart attack in 1993 at age 66.

2. Larry Bowa – Even though the Phillies had a little better stability in management after their 1950 pennant, they did not improve in the standings until the late 1970s. One of the reasons for this turnaround was Bowa, one of many homegrown players who worked his way up through Philadelphia’s minor league system. After four seasons in the minor leagues, he made the Phillies out of spring training in 1970 and finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting thanks to a .250 average, 34 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. Bowa had no power, but he was a decent contact hitter with solid speed and excellent glovework. He earned his first gold glove in 1972 when he led the league with 13 triples.

After a down season the following year thanks to a fractured bone in his ankle, Bowa began his run of three straight All-Star selections in 1974 and joined Cash to lead the league in double plays in each of those seasons. Meanwhile, the Phillies gradually got closer to the top of their division, finally returning to the playoffs after a quarter of a century after winning 101 games in 1976. Bowa’s improved batting (career highs with a .294 average and 192 hits to go with 43 RBIs and 27 stolen bases) and stellar fielding led to a third-play finish in the MVP voting in 1978. Although the team did well in the regular season, success in the playoffs would not come until 1980. Bowa had six hits against the Astros in the NLCS and nine hits, two RBIs and three steals to help the Phillies beat the Royals for their first World Series championship.

Philadelphia fell to Montreal in the Division Series following the strike-shortened 1981 season and the team went through an overhaul. The owner sold the team, the manager moved on and Bowa was sent to the Cubs along with a young infielder named Ryne Sandberg in exchange for shortstop Ivan DeJesus in what became one of the worst trades in Phillies history. Bowa’s batting declined with age but remained a solid fielder. After breaking the games played record by a shortstop in 1985, he was released and signed with the Mets. Bowa ranks fourth in franchise history in games (1,739), sixth in hits (1,798) and stolen bases (288, including nine seasons with 20 or more) and seventh in triples (87). He batted .264 with 816 runs, 206 doubles, 421 RBIs and 2,205 total bases. In 26 postseason contests, Bowa totaled 10 runs, 27 hits and five runs batted in. In addition to five All-Star selections and two gold gloves, he won five fielding titles.

Bowa retired after the season and managed the Padres’ Triple-A team to a championship before being named skipper of the big-league club for parts of two seasons. He coached with the Phillies, Angels and Mariners before returning to Philadelphia to manage his longtime club beginning in 2001. Bowa kept his team in the hunt until the final week of the season and won the Manager of the Year Award. Despite three winning seasons and a fourth at 80-81, players complained about his gruff managerial style, and he was fired in 2004 after compiling a 337-308 record. Bowa went on to coach the Yankees and Dodgers, worked as an analyst and talk show host, returned to the Phillies as bench coach and now serves as a senior advisor to the general manager.

1. Jimmy Rollins – The second-round pick in 1996 was an exceptional fielder and leadoff hitter throughout his 15 seasons with Philadelphia (2000-14). Following a brief call-up, Rollins quickly assimilated to the major leagues, earning an All-Star selection and finishing third in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2001 after leading the league with 656 at-bats, 12 triples and 46 stolen bases. The following year, he became the first shortstop in MLB history and the first Phillies player to be selected as an All-Star in his first two seasons. Although he led the league in at-bats and tripled again, he suffered a sophomore slump in the second half of the campaign. After a similar season in 2003, he broke out in 2004, posting 119 runs, 190 hits, a league-leading 12 triples, 73 RBIs and 30 steals while batting .289.

Rollins had his third (and what would turn out to be his final) All-Star season in 2005, batting .290 with 115 runs, 196 hits and 41 stolen bases. In reverse of years past, he was exceptional in the second half of the season, getting a hit in the final 36 games of the season. He added two more games to that the following year to set a team record-hitting streak. Rollins finished with 25 home runs and 83 RBIs, while posting his third straight season with at least 100 runs, 190 hits and 30 steals. He had his best season in 2007. Although he was not an All-Star, he took home a gold glove, a silver slugger and the MVP Award after stealing 41 bases, setting career bests with a .296 average, 30 home runs, 94 RBIs, 212 hits, 139 runs and 20 triples (with those last two stats leading the league) and setting a record with 716 at-bats.

While the rest of his career did not live up to that lofty season, Rollins was an integral part of a Phillies team that won five straight division titles. He had a career-high 47 stolen bases in 2008 and totaled 10 runs, four steals and 14 hits, including two home runs, in 14 playoff games to help Philadelphia win the World Series. Rollins scored 100 runs and had a solid season the following year and had nine runs, 15 hits and five RBIs in the postseason, but the Phillies fell to the Yankees in their quest for back-to-back titles. A strained calf limited him to 88 games in 2010, but he still was productive the following two seasons.

“J-Roll” declined in 2013 and had one final solid season in Philadelphia the following year, hitting 17 home runs and stealing 28 bases. He is the all-time franchise leader in hits (2,306) and doubles (479), ranks second in games (2,090), stolen bases (453) and total bases (3,655), third in runs (1,325) and triples (111, including four times leading the league), fourth in strikeouts (1,145), eighth in RBIs (997) and ninth in home runs (216). Rollins appeared in 46 postseason games, batting .250 with 27 runs, 47 hits, 12 doubles, three home runs, 15 RBIs and 11 steals. In addition to three All-Star selections, he won four gold gloves, four fielding titles and the Roberto Clemente Award in 2014. Rollins was traded to Los Angeles and spent one season each with the Dodgers and White Sox. He retired after a failed tryout with the Giants in 2017 and has spent his time as a commentator and advisor with the Phillies. Rollins has been on the Hall of Fame ballot for three years with his 14.8 percent vote total in 2024 being his highest to date.

Upcoming Stories

Philadelphia Phillies Catchers and Managers
Philadelphia Phillies First and Third Basemen
Philadelphia Phillies Second Basemen and Shortstops
Philadelphia Phillies Outfielders – coming soon
Philadelphia Phillies Pitchers – coming soon