Philadelphia Phillies starting lineup of the all-time greats
By Tim Boyle
Imagine if you had the chance to put together the greatest starting lineup of Philadelphia Phillies players. You can take the GOAT at each position and insert them into a single lineup for 162 games. If you’ve ever wanted to be a GM and you’re not so caught up in the analytics, you’re probably drooling right now. It’s the dream of all sports fans the moment they realize their playing days are over.
I’m going to “do a Lorde” and try to live that fantasy. Looking back through the archives of the team from the days of the Quakers to the present, this is how my all-time Phillies starting lineup would look.
Leading off for the Philadelphia Phillies is CF Richie Ashburn.
Who better to get the first hacks than Whitey? The Hall of Fame center fielder for the Phillies became well-known to future generations for his work on the microphone. Long before that, he was one of the game’s best leadoff men.
Ashburn’s career numbers represent the era he played in well. He spent the late 1940s and all of the 1950s as a member of the Phillies. During this time, he batted .311/.394/.388 with 199 stolen bases and 97 triples.
While Ashburn’s numbers may not translate to all points of Major League Baseball history (wait until you see who I have batting second), we can look at how consistent he was and how many times he led the league in certain categories.
As a member of the Phillies, Ashburn won two batting titles and topped 200 hits three times—each instance with the highest total in the league.
A professional and a gentleman, no Phillies lineup can start off with anyone better than this legend.