Philadelphia Phillies: 5 best first-round draft picks in franchise history
By Tim Boyle
3. Philadelphia Phillies best first-round draft pick: Greg Luzinski.
I wasn’t around for Greg Luzinski except to eat his barbecue many years later. I thought for sure I would have a tough time comparing him to someone like Burrell. Their style of play was similar. Each played left field and was counted on for home runs. After quickly crunching the numbers, I saw just how much better Luzinski was by comparison.
Taken 11th overall in the 1968 MLB Draft, Luzinski was the first great draft pick the Phillies made in round number one. Known as “The Bull,” he was a much better hitter than I think he gets credit for.
Luzinski would hit 223 home runs for the Phillies but he did something else much better. From 1975-1977, while twice topping 30 home runs and 100 RBI, Luzinski also hit .300 or better. I’m actually a little shocked to look closely at his totals and learn that as a member of the Phillies he slashed .281/.363/.489.
The best years of Luzinski’s career were during mid-late 1970s when he was a four-time All-Star. By the time the Phillies were ready to finally win it all in 1980, he wasn’t quite as productive. The championship season would be his last with the team—ironically the same thing that happened with Burrell after leaving following the 2008 World Series.
Still not convinced of how great he was? From 1975-1978, Luzinski was a top-ten finisher in the MVP race. In 1975 and 1977, he was the runner-up.
Lost behind Mike Schmidt in many ways, Luzinski was his own brilliant type of ballplayer.