100 Greatest Phillies: 74 – Ryan Madson

Ryan Madson
Relief Pitcher
2003-Present

Career w/Phillies: 439 IP / 32-21 / 3.94 ERA / 343 K / 5 SV

Drafted by the Phillies in 1998, Ryan Madson made his pro debut in 2003, but really stunned in 2004 as a late-innings reliever. His fastball and changeup combination made him one of the better young arms in any major league bullpen. But after a shaky 2005, and with no great options in the starting rotation, Madson moved to starter for 2006. While he finished 11-9, he recorded a bad 5.69 ERA. It was his only bad season. Madson returned to form in 2007, pitching through injuries, and really broke out in 2008. His trademark moment came during the 2008 postseason, as Madson became the primetime eighth-inning arm many had hoped he’d become.

Comment: Madson gets tons of love for helping bridge to Brad Lidge in 2008. While he’ll be geared up as one of the game’s premiere setup men, one can’t overlook how solid he’s been before his breakout. A good strikeout pitcher, he carries a K:BB ratio better than 2:1.

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.