100 Greatest Phillies: 80 – Brett Myers
Starting Pitcher
2002-Present
Career w/Phillies: 1113 IP / 69-60 / 4.37 ERA / 936 K
Brett Myers. What can be said that hasn’t already been said? The goateed, growling, playful, sometimes angry, pushy, and even violent pitcher has been a fixture for the Phillies since 2002, when he defeated the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field by throwing a two-hitter in eight strong innings against fellow rookie Mark Prior. His roller-coaster career has had overwhelming highs and embarassing lows — mainly personal, but no season defined Myers quite like 2008. His first half was among the worst performances in baseball, and a demotion to the minor leagues almost killed his career. But Myers returned for the final months of the season and performed as well as almost any pitcher in baseball. Yes, Myers has had his problems, but he can be a very, very good pitcher.
Comment: Myers ends a string of pitchers who were average or a tad better during their substantial Phillie careers — guys who made very, very good No. 3 arms. While Myers is decidedly average, his most recent exploits — including his legendary postseason at bats — put him on the list.
