Philadelphia Phillies: Case for and against each Hall of Fame candidate

If Billy Wagner ever makes it to the Hall of Fame, he won’t wear Phillies red.

It’s hard to even consider Billy Wagner a former Phillies player but the history books don’t lie. For two seasons in 2004 and 2005, he gave the club exactly what they needed in the ninth inning. The result was a 1.86 ERA and 59 saves in 126 innings of work.

Wagner’s Hall of Fame credentials go well beyond what he did in two years with the Phillies. Throughout his 16 years, he amassed 422 saves all while pitching to a 2.31 ERA.

In many ways, Wagner was the Mariano Rivera of the National League. I found him more dominant than Trevor Hoffman, a Hall of Famer with far more saves but a higher ERA at 2.87.

Closers are always tough to pinpoint outside of saves. There’s a reason why so few are in the Hall of Fame, only recently getting added.

Personally, I find Wagner’s Hall of Fame case to be quite easy and have a tough time understanding why he hasn’t gotten more than 46.4% of the vote—an achievement he received in the last final vote. On the ballot since 2016, it took him until 2020 to even get higher than 16.7%!

There is zero chance Wagner wears a red Phillies cap into Cooperstown. I do believe in a few years he’ll get his day in the Hall. The increased importance of relievers should further his case.