100 Greatest Phillies: 37 – Darren Daulton
Posted by Tim Malcolm, Wed, February 18, 2009 04:00 PM | Comments: 35
100 Greatest Phillies, Posts
Darren Daulton
Catcher
1983-1997
Career w/Phillies: .244 AVG / 134 HR / 567 RBI / 48 SB
During that treasured 1980 season, the Phillies drafted some kid in the 25th round by the name of Darren Daulton. Slowly but steadily, Daulton made the big club, appearing first during the 1983 season. The catcher came back in 1985, got a little more playing time in 1986, a little more playing time in 1987, a little more playing time in 1988, then finally, the starting job in 1989. He would become a big hitter in the Phillies lineup, hitting 27 home runs in 1992 and 24 homers in 1993, his two most complete seasons. Despite missing a lot of time to injuries, “Dutch” always displayed huge power and had the ability to hit .300, reaching that mark in the strike-shortened 1994 season, which was shaping up to be his best year. He had a good but injury-plagued season in ’95, then missed almost all of 1996. He came back as an outfielder in 1997, but was traded to the Marlins so he could try to win his first world championship. He did. Then he retired. Then became utterly weird.
Comment: If only he was a healthier player. Or, if only he got more time when younger. Whatever the case, Daulton had the look, potential and talent of one of the greatest catchers ever. Instead, he remains an integral part of the 1993 NL Championship team and a wonderful source of what-if queries. For the time he played, Daulton was a very big-hitting player with fine pitch-handling and defensive skills. A leader to boot.
Posts: 0 Kevin
Darren Daulton is a strange dude – but definitely one of my favorite players growing up.
Great pick, Tim.
Posted: 04:12 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 Jim
Agreed, great pick.
Heres some food for though though, in 1992 he led the league in RBI’s with an impressive but not daunting 109 rbis. I find it interesting that he lead the league with such a low amount. This was during the dead ball era or anything, this was 90′s baseball, albiet before the steroid era took full swing but still well within the era which guys were putting 130+ atleast across the plate for a good season.
Posted: 04:29 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 Chase Mutley
Can we start taking over / unders on who will be #1? ; )
Posted: 04:39 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 Jim
Over unders? i think you mean odds. Over unders would guessing on which spot a player will be. for example I have the over under on curt schilling at #9.
Posted: 04:46 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 Greg V.
Dutch is clutch!
Posted: 04:49 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 Jason B.
The true “lizard king.” I got an iguana a few years back and named him Dutch. In Dutch’s tank, I put a starting line up figure of Daulton. Still have everyone of his Topps Baseball Cards. A true Philadelphia hero.
Posted: 04:50 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 folkfish
A complete nut; and one of at least two Phillies who were married, at least for some time, to a woman who posed in Playboy.
Of course, at least two Philadelphia Eagles fit into (or will soon fit into) that category too.
Posted: 04:57 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 folkfish
To buy Dutch’s book on his views of the metaphysical, click here http://www.darrendaulton.com/If_They_Only_Knew.html
Posted: 05:11 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 Chuck P
When ranking Lieby/Daulton, I think that you could go either way… Numbers were very similar. Daulton was part of a WS team and he won a silver slugger in ’92. Lieby played for worse teams but his average was about 25 points higher and he won a gold glove. Daulton drew more walks… it goes back and forth but in the end, I think that the WS appearance carries some value and I’m ok with ranking Dutch ahead of Lieby.
Posted: 05:13 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 Pat
How about an asterisk next to this for possible steroid user?
Posted: 06:05 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 justin
wow he only batted .244 for his career. that surprising.
Posted: 06:39 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 Joel
Dutch Clutch! All Day Long!
Posted: 07:06 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 Joel
I agree with Chuck P, you could go either way with Dutch and Lieby. I’ll take Dutch for sentimental reasons though. Bob Boone was the best catcher of all time for the Phils.
Posted: 07:09 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 Grrrumpy Miner
Top 3,not necessarilly in this order……..Richie Ashburn,Mike Schmidt,Steve Carlton.
Posted: 07:24 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 Griffin
Grover Cleveland Alexander will be in the top 3 or 4.
Posted: 07:59 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 MS
I met Dutch in Clearwater last year. Can’t doubt his talent and he was an incredibly nice guy.
Posted: 08:24 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 Evan
I’d put Schmidt at #1 personally
Daulton was a favorite of mine during my youth. Its a shame he became such a nut since he retired.
Posted: 08:33 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 Joe O'Phillie
Good place for Dutch.
Michael Jack is the clear number 1, Carlton 2.
Posted: 08:44 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 Tiff
I idolized Dutch as a pre-teen. What a stud!
Posted: 08:50 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 Greg V.
Haha. I’m one of the few who owns Dutch’s book and it’s basically the ramblings of a very sick man. I never got far in it. Daulton is one of my all time favorites, nevertheless.
Posted: 08:57 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 I know Sal....
I remember being at a double header and my brother, our friend, and I became friendly with a guy and his wife sitting next to us and she loved Daulton (this was early in his career). We torn him up and told her he was never going to last in the majors as a starting catcher…boy were we all wrong!
He still doens’t deserve to be ranked ahead of Pete Rose!
Posted: 09:29 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 Steve.
Did you drop Daulton a few places for accepting a ride from Dykstra? That probably cost him a few years of playing time.
Posted: 09:57 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 KM
Daulton went from allegedly shooting roids, to talking to lizards.
Posted: 10:02 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 Jason B.
Steve that’s a good poit. I think he broke his jaw and his knee in that accident. Hard to hurt your knee and play a long career behind the plate. I remember him as a outfielder and remembering what that was like made me appreciate Pat Burrell a little more.
Posted: 10:31 PM on February 18, 2009
Posts: 0 ryan
dutch is one of my all-time favorites. mainly because he’s bat shit insane and it’s so funny to me. i hope i run into him in clearwater so i can ask him how his time traveling adventures have been lately
Posted: 01:07 AM on February 19, 2009
Posts: 0 ryan
i forgot to mention, and so did tim, that daulton was one of the best leaders the game has ever seen. forget Jim fregosi, Darren Daulton was basically the real manager of the macho row 93 team. he ran the show. and everybody respected the hell outta him
Posted: 01:09 AM on February 19, 2009
Posts: 0 Jin
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Posted: 01:36 AM on February 19, 2009
Posts: 0 Jason B.
Ryan, lets remember that is wasn’t actually Dutch leading the team… he was having out of body expiriences and it was actually an alien from planet lexicon who was leading Macho row.
Posted: 09:02 AM on February 19, 2009
Posts: 0 Jason B.
That being said, Dutch is one of my all time favorites.
Posted: 09:02 AM on February 19, 2009
Posts: 0 Matt Kwasiborski
Has anyone worn the #10 since he left the Phils? I think maybe Bowa did when he managed (as he wore it first) but I don’t think any other player has worn the #10 since Dutch and Eisnerich were traded to the Fish.
Posted: 03:46 PM on February 19, 2009
Posts: 0 ashmidt
dutch was the best phillies catcher in my lifetime, (56yrs) he may have also been the toughest. without a doubt the leader of one of the best if not the best phillies team ever 93. i always thought he had a perfect swing. i was really amazed how easy he made it look catching mitch williams. the ball coming in the mid to high 90s with the game on the line and i dont ever remember one getting by, closest thing to a man crush i ever had.
Posted: 07:38 AM on February 22, 2009
Posts: 0 Isaac S.
When I was a little kid and just starting to get into baseball Darren Daulton was hugely popular in Philadelphia. There was a reason he was popular. He was a talented ballplayer and a natural born leader. He was my favorite player back then in the mid 90s and is still my favorite player today. I think I have every baseball card of him ever made. To answer Matt Kwasiborski: Geoff Jenkins currently wears #10 for the Phils. It’s a real shame. Daulton should be on the Phillies Wall of Fame and that number should be retired. I have the same feelings about Eric Bruntlett who wears #4 (Dykstra’s old number). Dutch Daulton is the freakin’ man.
Posted: 10:27 AM on March 3, 2009
Posts: 0 Rocky
Dutch Clutch……All day long!
Hour Back, get it.
Posted: 07:06 PM on March 4, 2009
Posts: 0 feffrey g
my brother and i were just hanging out at the andalusia bar and grill on saturday and dutch came in with his buddies for some drinks. i bought him a beer and we did some shots, he is a super nice guy and a lot of fun. hung out for an hour or so than they left for some gambling at the philadelphia race track.
Posted: 10:24 PM on March 29, 2009
Posts: 0 DucthSucksBalls
Hour Back, Get it?
Posted: 05:11 PM on June 30, 2009