The Phillies announced that they will retire three more uniforms retired on Thursday night, as Ed Delahanty, Billy Hamilton, and Sam Thompson will be posthumously honored at Citizens Bank Park to recognize a collective outfield of .400 hitters from the pre-1900 teams.
There have already been 10 numbers retired by the organization, and now, more will be added to that list. Still, there have yet to be any numbers retired from the last Phils roster to win a World Series title.
So, as the franchise continues to honor its history, when will it recognize core members from the last team to go all the way?
Whenever that happens, here are the top candidates:
Ryan Howard
The slugging first basemen smashed 48 home runs and drove in 146 runs in 2008, finishing second in the MVP voting that year. Two seasons prior, he set a franchise record with 58 home runs, taking home the NL MVP award. A Rookie of the Year and two-time All-Star, Howard is second in Phils history with 382 career home runs, and led the league in RBI three times in a four-year span from 2006 to 2009.
Howard won NLCS MVP honors in 2009, just another honor in his 13-year career, all spent in a Phillies uniform.
Jimmy Rollins
The franchise leader in hits and stolen bases, Rollins is another easy choice to be honored, though he has been honored with a spot on the team’s Wall of Fame. Still, a number retirement seems fitting for a player that spent 15 years with the Phils, won an MVP in 2007, and three straight Gold Glove awards from 2007 to 2009.
Rollins also came up big in the 2008 Fall Classic, as he racked up five hits and four runs scored in games three and four, both Phillies victories, to claim a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
Chase Utley
Utley spent 13 years with the Phillies and was a cornerstone of the teams that won back-to-back NL pennants. In 2008, he smacked 33 home runs with 104 RBI, part of a stretch where he was named to five straight All-Star teams.
Utley helped the Phils win the title in 2008 and did his part to try and make it a repeat, batting .286 with five home runs in the 2009 World Series, which ended with a six-game loss to the Yankees. He set the tone in the 2008 Fall Classic, cranking a two-run blast in the first inning of game one in Tampa Bay.
The similarity of these three players? Their numbers are essentially frozen, so in all likelihood, they will be retired at some point, but it should be done soon to recognize what they contributed to during their tenure.