Philadelphia Phillies Franchise Four
By Jason Ferrie
Mike Schmidt
If there was ever an absolute lock for a list it is Michael Jack Schmidt. In terms of wins above replacement, Schmidt tops the list with 106.5, according to Baseball-Reference. That gap between Schmidt, and the other position player on the list, Chase Utley, is 45-WAR.
In terms of Phillies ranks, Schmidt is the all-time leader in home runs (548), RBI (1,595), runs (1,506) and games (2,404). Those are some impressive ranks, but Schmidt is also second in hits and doubles to Jimmy Rollins with 2,234 and 408, respectively.
In terms of power, Schmidt is third in slugging among eligible Phillies with at least 3,000 plate appearances with a .527 slugging percentage. In that same group, Schmidt’s.380 on-base percentage ranks ninth, and allows him to place third in OPS (on-base + slugging) in franchise history.
While offense an important aspect in this list, so is defense. On defense, Schmidt finished his career 17.6-dWAR, which is tied with Chase Utley for the franchise lead. For his career, Schmidt finished with a .955 fielding percentage at the hot corner.
The most impressive part of Schmidt’s career is where it finished up, and that is Cooperstown. Every ball player dreams of finishing among the all-time greats. Mike Schmidt was enshrined into the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995.These impressive numbers warranted many awards during Schmidt’s 18 year career.
• Ten Gold Glove Awards
• Six Silver Slugger Awards
• Three National League Most Valuable Player Awards
• 12 All-Star Selections
• Nine top-10 National League MVP finished; Five top-5 finishes
• Led National League in Wins Above Replacement four times
• 1980 World Championship; World Series Most Valuable Player
• 1995 Hall of Fame Inductee